My daughter and her friends joke that these days it’s easier to be a CEO than an intern.
That’s because so many kids who are unable to find an internship or full time role are establishing their own (often one-person) startups and naming themselves CEOs 
Same. I’ve heard kids joke that it’s actually much more easier to get into YC than find a new grad job.
D24’s boss from last year told her she needed to know soon whether she wants to intern again at their company because she’s received 1,000 applications.
My son says his company hired 150 again for their leadership development programs.
There are jobs. But not as many and maybe not as many as in the recent past or the recent hot fields.
Places like Bucees and Quick Trip - gourmet gas stations - are opening and pay college grad salaries. A career in retail management is nothing to sneeze at.
Insurance companies continue to hire claims adjusters.
Know who can make big money - $300k plus. Car salespeople. Most won’t but at a BMW or Lexus, yes. And car dealer general managers $300k to $2 million - so it’s a nice move up to job.
Some car dealers recruit on campus - Sewell Automotive in Tx recruits at SMU, UT and A&M I think.
Some dealers are owned by public companies - Autonation, Sonic, Asbury, Berkshire Hathaway. People grow from the dealership to the corporate structure.
Kids have to change their mindsets, especially those in areas of oversupply.
You could make a similar type of statement for most commission type sales jobs. High earnings are possible. A few make extremely high earnings. However, typical earnings are far lower. For example, Glassdoor, salary.com, BLS and other sources report average annual earnings of ~$100k for car salespersons of all experience levels, and notably lower for newer grads. BMW and Lexus had similar self reported numbers to the overall average.
I looked up an example job listing for a saleperson at a CA BMW not far from where I live. They list earnings as, “Average $3500-$10,000/monthly +++ ( includes hourly rate + commissions/bonuses w/ top making 6 figures)” . That range corresponds to $42k to $120k per year. Another nearby BMW lists compensation as, “Pay for this position is minimum wage plus commissions. Expected pay is $60,000 to $120,000 per year.” With this much dependence on commissions I expect there is a notable survivorship bias effect. Persons who don’t make many sales are less likely to persist. When considering survivorship bias, it’s probably more appropriate for a new grad to expect low end of range, rather than high end.
Yes and no. I’ve been in jobs with commission ranges vs unlimited. Nonetheless, the automotive industry has much easier barriers to entry than others.
You can walk in, start within a few days.
As for averages - I wouldn’t look at them. You find the right owner. Owner over brand.
I work with these folks. Last month a person in South Carolina complained because she made only $28k.
There’s no question they over hire and not everyone sticks.
But I know few not earning six figures but it is far worse than two years ago. And also, car sales is the beginning - you go into finance, sales management and if you’re lucky, general management.
In the end, I’m not here to debate but to point out there are very solid careers available - but people have to open their mind.
I see this regularly on the forum. The focus is often on the one person who makes the highest possible earnings in a particular career/college/major/field, rather than the typical earnings. Yes, there are a few people who make enormous sales/commissions likely based on building relationships over many years, maybe decades. However, that’s not what a new grad should expect. A new grad should also not expect to work at the particular location that has the highest possible reported and/or potential earnings. That’s likely not where the open position is. A new grad should instead expect to have more typical earnings and a more typical career path in the field.
In the article at How Much Can a Car Salesman Make? My Experience - CarEdge , the cofounder of CarEdge who has 43 years of experience in the field and has worked both as and alongside countless car salespersons at many dealerships describes the earnings as follows. This range also seems consistent with the previously noted sources. Most employees report 5 figure earnings, and the job listings also imply 5-figures is the norm. However, 6 figures is also certainly possible. With earnings tied to commissions, there is a huge variation depending on number and type of sales.
Becoming a car salesperson is a good choice for some and can lead to a solid career, but it’s by no means a sure path to wealth or even 6-figure earnings.
Im not sure what type of sales skills a 21 year old recent graduate would have to make $100k selling cars.
If it was that easy, then why doesnt everyone do it?
As I say, I work with them. I’ve called on 100 dealers at my job, currently 27.
I will tell you most are college grads, some with graduate degrees, and many - not just a few, make more than engineers like my son will ever make in a year or dwarf my salary. But yes, they have risk -of not selling.
Nonetheless, for people who complain they can’t find a job, it’s an option and likely opportunity. Not everyone will be suited but it’s a worthy and reputable career regardless of the stereotype. The salary surveys are a snapshot.
Nonetheless, folks need employment and I’m simply pointing another opportunity.
I didn’t say it’s easy.
When I failed in the sports journalism world, I went home with a dual history and journalism degree.
I was qualified for little. I was offered jobs selling paint, chemicals and long distance telephone.
At 24, in the early 90s, I made 127k. One never knows the aptitude one has.
Know who become successful car salespeople ? Engineers, accountants and more.
Sorry I brought it up. Kids can sit home unemployed or they might seek alternatives like car dealerships ( they can be service advisors too) or find retail jobs - I suggested luxury gas stations but there’s other industries in huge growth mode.
Simply bringing up possibilities vs sitting at home.
Some people are good at sales (even during high school) and others are not so good at sales. The type of in-person sales skills that correlate to success in sales jobs are largely not selected (for or against) in college admissions (basically only if a college does interviews in admissions; written essays in college applications are a type of sales, but not exactly the same as in-person sales).
And these jobs do not likely require a 4 year college degree.
People forget that sales includes the folks who sell aircraft engines, large “people moving systems” (sidewalks in airports, elevators, escalators for mass transit), sophisticated heating and cooling systems, huge technology sales (data centers that are the size of a small city), telecommunication systems for ports, etc.
These roles often (but not exclusively) are filled by engineers of all types, and those are in fact the skills that college admissions looked for. Strong quant skills; strong communications skills. Former athletes often make great salespeople in these types of roles- there is no such thing as the “person” who makes a hundred-million dollar sale of new rail cars to the government of Pakistan. It’s a team- usually a global team– and it can take five years to develop and close these types of proposals.
Other desirable skills are language fluency, a strong grounding in geopolitics and history (all those folks on CC who claim “I’ll never let my kid major in anything with “studies” in it” apparently don’t know that if you’re selling hundreds of MRI machines to a hospital system in India, knowing something about the history and culture of the country is pretty important).
Sales is more than life insurance and BMW’s, folks. And the training you get at a global industrial company goes way beyond the technical knowledge needed to understand the product line. These programs teach time management, all the “soft skills” required to work with people from different cultures, giving and taking feedback, presentation skills, etc. Way more complex than selling a car (although a great car salesperson can be a fantastic help when buying a car.)
Agreed with all but I’m talking about roles - whatever they might be - selling financial services too is another - that have lower barriers to entry.
Working as a supplier rep or a job like mine - I sell but to a captured audience - has higher barriers to entry.
But for someone struggling, a low barrier to entry job sets you up for grad school (MBA) or further employment.
Look at how so many successful CEOs and other Senior Management started flipping burgers, selling cars, teaching, etc., jobs typically easier to get.
My main point in the initial comment was - there are jobs out there. May not be what you envisioned coming out of college but there are jobs. And ones that can pay well or give you great experience to set you up for the next phase.
Experience begets experience.
There are indeed jobs out there. But don’t gaslight people- there are significantly fewer jobs out there than there were a year or two ago. The WSJ had an excellent piece recently on how companies are NOT hiring seasonal workers this year. So the old “You can always get a job delivering packages for UPS or folding sweaters at Target”– well, not this year. It is a perfect storm- uncertainty due to tariffs (price of sweat pants, price of chocolate chip cookies); all those laid off federal employees who are still looking for work, any work; tens of thousands of Tech cutbacks (some apparently scheduled for this week- December used to be a pause on layoffs but no more), etc.
Hiring targets at big firms are down- both for experienced people as well as new grads.
So yes- there are some jobs. But we can’t all pretend that if kids would just suck it up and get a job in sales they’d be set for life. Those “low barrier” jobs are ALSO hard to find.
One of my kids did Teach for America (no teaching degree or experience). Besides teaching differentiated science lessons to 150 students with various abilities, she also worked as a Spanish speaking translator at IEP meetings, helped solve many…many problems involving students, parents, admin etc, wrote a grant for and set up a STEM lab, sat on a team and helped write curriculum, coordinated and helped lead meetings with students and local law enforcement, etc.
The job was very difficult and not for everybody (as can be said for the sales positions noted above) but was jam packed with transferable skills and allowed for great…and very long discussions…during interviews…which were not in education.
City Year is another organization and there are still jobs that need to be filled…but they are not in cushy suburbs, wealthy clientele etc.
Again, not for everybody.
There are many jobs out there -maybe not all full time my but industry continues to hire and I just passed many help wanted signs on the way to Costco.
There’s nothing gaslighting someone when you say, you may have to switch gears to get experience.
There are opportunities but people may need to lift a different rock to find it.
That’s the point. I’m not taking seasonal.
Trader Joe’s. Can’t find enough. Dunkin by me - can’t find enough. Kroger. Can’t find enough. Car dealers - ALWAYS hiring. Sales are down and yet one of my stores in SC is trying to find 3 sales people.
Lid gas stations - Bucees as one of many example - can’t find enough people. Wal Mart in a gas station, with bad food, I like to call it. Some offering $65k for Asst Mngr’s on their in store signs.
No gaslighting. It’s reality.
I’m trying to offer alternatives. No reason for you to close a door that ‘may’ be open to some graduate tired of sitting home. It’s up to people if they want to supplement their search with possible experience and income.
Not you to close that opportunity.
If you’re selling financial services, how are you finding clients? The people who transition into financial services from other careers have a built in network that they’ve known for years, are established, and have wealth.
If you have money, are you really going to hand over your multi-million $ portfolio to a 21 year old because they got a 72 on their series 7 exam?
Sure, it can be better than nothing. But the problem is that the majority of those that try this are going to fail. And it takes months to study for the exams and you need a sponsor.
So by the time you fail, you may need to transition to another career.
Retail sales and corporate sales are completely different.
Yes, a lot of people don’t seem to realize this. Every now and then, someone whose kid graduated 3–4 years ago mentions how they received multiple offers. Now you’re lucky if you get even one. It’s a completely different job market for new grads.
Yes this is true. There is also a lack of true data and the headlines are not always accurate. While I do believe there are jobs out there (far less than even last year) they are often looking for 3-5 years experience for entry. While graduates do need to look under more rocks, the jobs they find do not necessarily require a college degree or provide a pathway to a more desired role. These times are unprecedented and not ones most of us have seen in our lifetime. Graduates need to get creative and parents need to appreciate that these are tough times.