The Jobs here....

[SpellboundByMetal]

SUCK!!!!


I have been looking in the paper, and there is really never anything. If there is, its low paying!!! Maybe its because i have no skill or trade. I know how to do alot, but i dont have that ONE THING i do. any suggestions?? maybe i should try to go to school to increase my chances. I had a dead end job back in MD, but it was good paying. Im just tired of the dead end thing. With a kid coming in may it just makes it worse that i have no trade. I should have been an Astronaut.

[f.sciarrillo]

School is a good route, as around here you will find nothing but dead end jobs.

[rreihart]

At least the area offers many oppurtunities for education. We have some fine facilities of higher education.

[SpellboundByMetal]

yeah, but school costs $$! how can one go without having a good job to pay for it?
i dont know what kind of schools are around here. PLUS, im 25, i would HATE to be around a bunch of just outta school kids all the time.

I surely dont have 4 years to waste either. nor would i want a degree that would be useless. are there any good short programs that you guys know of?

[PanzerFaust]

Ever go to the Careerlink?

It's great if you give it a shot....

The Careerlink is kinda like the public library, you can go in there and sit in a corner and not read a single book and come out as enlightened as you went in, or you can go in a read every book and come out a genius... Bottom line is you get out what you put in.... Give it a shot

(I know alot of people don't think much of the CL which is why I tried to use the cheesy Library metaphor).. hehe..

[rreihart]

yeah, but school costs $$! how can one go without having a good job to pay for it?
i dont know what kind of schools are around here. PLUS, im 25, i would HATE to be around a bunch of just outta school kids all the time.

I surely dont have 4 years to waste either. nor would i want a degree that would be useless. are there any good short programs that you guys know of?

I know two people from my high school class who opted to go the GACTC instead of a longer, more expensive program. They are both very successful in their respective trades. One works for a large HVAC/Mechanical Contractor and the other is in the pipefitters union. I think most of the trade programs there are less than year.

As for being 25, you'd be surprised at the diverse student bodies you are going to find at any given learning institution. Where I work, it's not unheard of to be sitting in class next to someone old enough to be you grandparent.

Also, if you aren't making much money now, then their are TONS of state, federal and sometimes private financial aid available. You just have to talk to the financial aid office at a school you want to go to.

[bassist_25]

yeah, but school costs $$! how can one go without having a good job to pay for it?

Your answer lies at the other end of this link: http://www.pheaa.org/

Fill out the FAFSA and you are on your first step to recieving financial aid. Thirty years ago, college was only for middle-class kids and people who were lucky enough to get scholarships. Now, there's no excuse not to attend higher education because of the financial aid that is available. I don't believe in going in debt unless you have to (I've paid cash for every single car I've ever owned), but taking a Stafford loan is worth it.

i dont know what kind of schools are around here.

There are a number of public four year institutions in the area including (obviously) Penn State, Lock Haven (my alma mater), IUP, and Clarion. There's some private colleges, which are usually very expensive (St. Francis). We have some very quality business schools including South Hills and Dubios Business College. Triangle Tech is a very reputable school if you want to learn a trade. The possibilities really are endless. I just suggest that you make sure you are getting something tangible from an ACREDITED institution. When I was fresh out of high school, I went to a very crummy technology school around here. I won't mention its name, because we probably have board members who have gone there, and I know that we have people here who use to work there. It was pretty much a waste of time. I did learn some IT skills from it, but it was nothing compared to what I would have learned in a two year or four year computer networking course from a real college.

I surely dont have 4 years to waste either. nor would i want a degree that would be useless. are there any good short programs that you guys know of?

That all comes down to what you want to do. If you're unsure, you can enroll in a community college and explore the options. You'll be punching away at general education credits that you would have to take at most four year colleges anyway. Really, unless you go for a technical degree (i.e. computer science, engineering), you're really not defined so much by your undergraduate work. Generally, to become a specialist, especially in a liberal arts career, you need to go on to graduate school. That's not to say that a liberal arts degree is worthless. Many guys get English or political science degrees and end up working in business. Employers really like it too if you have a liberal arts Bachelor's along with some technical skills. Many people may get a philosophy degree or something and then go on to law school.

Of course, that's if you take the more academic route. If you decide to go into a trade, you'll be thrown straight into the course which could be a good thing or a bad thing. So before you enroll in a vocational school, make sure it's what you want to do.

If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to PM me. My family's very blue collar, so I really didn't know anything about how to go about college. I had to figure it out on my own. Now it's time for me to start looking for graduate programs. Yay!

But to the original point of the thread - Yes, the job outlook in this area sucks. I've found that nepotism is the most important criteria when hiring. Unfortunately, I don't have the right last name, so I had to go to school.

[Lisa]

I agree with the others....and you don't need to do 4 years to get a good trade and education. There are a lot of 6 month programs that will get you going and even more 2 year programs. And there is a huge number of adults going back to get their education nowadays. South Hills has just as many returning adults as it does fresh from High School.

I've got my two-year from South Hills and am sitting nice at a job at PSU. PSU hires a lot from South Hills. I don't know for sure now, but when I was done, SH's placement rate for getting graduates jobs was up at 98%. I figured the other 2% really didn't want a job.

[limitsmeinside]

COVE FORGE is always hiring but you don't make that great of money.. there are two divisions one is for adults with drug addictions and the other is with teenagers that have had bad lives.. it is located in williamsburg not too far away from the WCC.. i'm not too sure about moving up and all that though.. i just know they are always looking

[johnliebal]

yeah keith...cove forge might not be a bad idea...i know a few people who work there to make money for school and shit...i mean its probably not the gratest money but its proababy one of the best options until u can get some school...i know alot fo places need people trained on computers...go to CLN they have short programs there u may want to look into...there alot of short programs for education around here you just gotta look around

[Mistress_DB]

CLN is a joke. You're better off taking classes at the Voc-tech than going there.

[poolpimp911]

Career Link is a joke and a waste of the state's money. I deal with them every day. All they do is make you go to classes for a month. You waste time that you could be out looking for a job. If you do not have any skill one place you can go is North American Communications in altoona. They hire allot of people this time of year.

Yes this part of the state is hurting very bad as far as work. Their are allot of companies that are leaving and if a new one tries to move here the stupid city or government passes so many laws and codes that they give up. EXAMPLE the coal mine that was going near cresson, the wind mill place in ebensburg. They would both create lots of jobs but people ack stupid and stop them.

Now people say the new tec park in johnstown will bring in allot of jobs. But, how many people do you know that have that type of skills. All this new place is going to do I put the final knife in this area as the new retreat for old people. And it will bring in lots of people that do not speak english. And make this area worse.

The only thing that I have seen recently as far as jobs is Temp companies. I run one up here in Jtown Labor Ready. So, If you live in or near jtown come and see me and I can get you work. But, all around this area altoona, jtown and beyond that is where most places are going because it is cheaper for a company.

[Mistress_DB]

I doubt NAC would accommodate the kind of hours he would need. They really don't care if you have any form of life outside of work. It's not unheard of for them to work 7 days a week for several weeks (or months) in a row. They have a very high turn over for employees too. Granted they're so desperate for ppl they may have become more lax with their scheduling now.

Spellbound, you could always register with one of the temp agencies (Spherion, etc). The jobs usually average from $6 - $7 an hour, so the pay isn't that great and depending on where you get sent depends on how long one particular job lasts. If nothing else they'll send ya to work with me.

[DirtySanchez]

Get a job you lazy bastard!
I think you'd look great in a paper hat.

[SpellboundByMetal]

yeah. its about to be paper hat time.
haha one time i got a job at this place and she handed me a hairnet and goatee net. i walked right out. im not wearing homo battle armor.
am i doomed? probably. im gonna check out some of these ideas tomorrow.
point me to the nearest bullet.

[DirtySanchez]

I'm always looking for a few good telemarketers.
It's 9-5 and no weekends.
It's not for everyone, but if you're interested give me a call.
It's also business to business, not calling residents at dinner hour.
(less hostile work environment)

[SpellboundByMetal]

i will have to try it. ive never done telemarketing. ill call you.

[bfoust]

I work at Carpenter Company in Pinecroft. They mainly make pillows and mattress pads.... It's clean work anyways, since pillows aren't supposed to be dirty. You just have to sweep up at the end of the night, big deal. I've been there a year doing much about nothing, It's a job. They mainly hire through Advantage Resource agency and Kelly Services Inc.

[onegunguitar]

Hey dude,Terry's room mate is a supervisor at The Carpenter Co.,he may be able to hook you up.

[Sapo]

I'm not sure if I'm the best one to give advice or not cause I've walked out on some great jobs in my time. Plus I seem to change jobs every other year...but here is my take on it:

First, college is never a guarantee of anything. after i got my undergraduate degree i worked a bunch of crappy, low wage jobs.

I personally ended up leaving the state to find a decent paying job. It may be something to consider. In my case I went to the federal government for several years (civilian - I was military BEFORE college- that's how I afforded it.).

Eventually I came back and got a non-civil service state job. That's another option, it doesn't require taking a civil service test, you just need the appropriate creds.

After a few years I left to go back federal but again came back and got a state civil service job. That's probably the best way to go with a state job. Just take a bunch of civil service tests, score high enough to get on the availability lists and get to interviews. You can schedule the tests online and you can probably take tests in your area.

In my experience the federal jobs I had paid about double what the state pays but I worked far longer hours and had no life outside of work. there is a trade off there.

Civil service state work provides you with a lot of job security and ok wages for the work you do. its something to consider.