Jan Olsson Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 I'm currently unemployed and have been that since January this year. It isn't as easy to get a job as it used to be being a mechanical engineer. Once you could work with just about anything if you had my education, but now it seems impossible. I've been searching for jobs all over Sweden but get answers like "We would like to thank all 153 applicants for this job"..go figure. Frankly I'm not very keen on having to move once again just to have a job (have moved twice the last six years), knowing that the next recession probably will make me unemployed and in need of yet another location but there isn't much else to do. It is even harder to get a job if you don't have an education. My bachelor degree of science is worthless these days. I'm not afraid of working but it seems that one can't even work behind a cash-register if you don't have at least a bachelor degree in economics over here. I know that most of the people having jobs as car-salesmen, insurance company representatives etc. They don't have nearly as much education as I have, but the new standards demand a higher education on all the new employees. I have applied for insurance seller jobs, mechanics jobs, jobs at road departments etc etc. The answers vary. "Do you have any experience working with this?" "Well no, but I have the theoretical knowledge and learn fast." "Sorry, but you need an education for this" "Is there one?" "Well there are no formal education, but there are courses you can take" "What courses?" "I don't know" It's a funny old world when I have the skills and the knowledge and still have to study in order to get some underpaid lousy job just to get through. I just learned that my bachelor degree of science wasn't enough for me if I wanted to study economy. I apparently need to learn a higher level of the English language. Can't really see why it should be important to me to master the English language when giving advice to a Swedish bank customer about his house loans. Well this adds up to at least 3,5 years of additional studies before I can apply to other jobs. I like my work as an engineer but since the industrial sector is shrimping year by year I can't really say that it is a solution for the future. This next week I'm going to call both businesses and schools about work and education. I'm used to it now. Just learned that Sweden was the third worst of the OECD countries to live in if you were unemployed. You only get 50% of your ordinary wages when unemployed. With all the work I put down in trying to get a job they could give me a raise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Sorry to hear you are having difficulty finding your next job. My favorite motivator on this type of thing is let's say you have to apply to 1,000 places before you find the perfect job. So every time you apply to a place and they turn you down, you are 1 place closer to the right job, and have gotten that place out of the way since they obviously don't appreciate what you have to offer. Anything that I can do to help with English let me know. I don't have any training in English as a second language, but I do speak it, although with a Texas accent. Certainly your written English is correct. Is there a way to start your own independent engineering company? Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted June 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 Thanks Bruce! It would be nice to have a Texas accent Some days things are better than other days, I guess I had to get it out of the system. I've been thinking about starting my own business but then I would rather have a Cadillac shop than work as a consultant in mechanical engineering. I'm a bit of a coward about starting my own business, but I have thought about it and I'm still considering a business of my own as a possible solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted June 25, 2010 Report Share Posted June 25, 2010 Sorry to hear about your employment situation. The bad economic situation is not only a problem here in the U.S., but all over the world. I've been down that road and it's not fun. Everyday I feel very lucky to have a job. By the way, unless you're using a Swedish-to-English translator, your English is fine. Better than many English speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted June 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2010 Thank you very much for the kind words! It's always nice to get some support when times are tough. I'm applying for a job as a security systems salesman at the moment, wich me luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted June 27, 2010 Report Share Posted June 27, 2010 Good luck, Jan. I am sorry to see you having a hard time. I hope you get the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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