<p>Such a bad time for graduation. I am also a new grad, and try to look for the job. But…you know, they just need programmers and accoutants. My major is only business. I guess that my situation might even be worse than your son. :(. Sometimes I think that I might just go back to the school and take some accounting courses.</p>
<p>Where they need programmers? Just take computer class, you will qualify if you already have Business. Actually programmers cannot find jobs either.</p>
<p>Has he looked in the JET program sponsored by the Japanese government? Since Japan has socialized medicine and this is a government program, he would probably have decent health care (please check though). JET has a strong alumni association, which might help him land a job when he gets back. If he is able to pick up Japanese language skills, there is the potential to later work in a corporate setting in Tokyo or Japanese company in a major US city.</p>
<p>Japan is a safe place to work, the people are very friendly, and the health care is modern. I lived in Japan two years right after college and since then have kept a life-long interest in the country and people, so I recommend this route if he wants to go overseas and needs a bridge job until the US economy recovers. Also, because of the yen-dollar exchange rate, it is a great time to earn money in yen (but - be frugal and save it so he can exchange it into dollars after a year!).</p>
<p>JET program information can be found at:
[The</a> JET Programme–Official Homepage of The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme–](<a href=“http://www.jetprogramme.org/]The”>http://www.jetprogramme.org/)</p>
<p>The YMCA in Japan also has a system of language schools. Finally, he could just search for work in Tokyo as an accountant. Japan is having economic problems just like everywhere else in the world, but there is opportunity for English speakers.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Just so you know, the JET Program for 2009-2010 has already had its application period. U.S. applicants were, in fact, just notified about interviews.</p>
<p>2010-2011 applications will be available again in late September/October.</p>
<p>My son will be faced with the need for health insurance this December, when he’s be kicked off of my group health plan. Continuing on Cobra would be about $450/month.</p>
<p>He just graduated Jan 09 and hopes to attend grad school in the fall. We’re hoping that he’s accepted, can obtain some kind of assistantship that would give him access to health benefits through the school.</p>
<p>Plan B is a parttime job that provides benefits or access to them (employee pays) while he continues his job search. Googled a bunch: Home Depot, Barnes and Noble, Costco, Starbucks, Trader Joes. Of course, these places may not be hiring now!</p>
<p>Hoping for the best!</p>
<p>Brink- I’m sorry about the disappointing health developments. Will keep you and your family in my thoughts.</p>
<p>musicmom,</p>
<p>I’m a Jerseyite too, and I recall a state law being past a few years ago allowing/mandating post college children being covered under their parents insurance till they are 25 while continuing their education or unemployed. Your employer for obvious reasons may not want to acknowledge this so I would get conformation of this elsewhere.</p>
<p>OP, take care of yourself, and best wishes to your family.</p>
<p>toblin-
You’re absolutely correct about recent change in NJ state law mandating employers to continue group coverage on young adults, to age 30 I think.
“Self insured” employers (mine is one) are exempt from this requirement.
As a health care institution, I inquired whether they would like to voluntarily follow the new requirements. You know, to proactively assist young adults like mine maintain their health. The response was that it would be quite expensive (I agree) and not equitable to families without young adults. Thus, we look to plan B.</p>
<p>Some of the stories on this thread about accountants not being able to land jobs is starting to worry me. </p>
<p>I’m planning to go into accounting eventually and combine it with my interest in higher ed.</p>
<p>our daughter graduated from a strong school in 2008 with a degree in journalism. her specialization was magazine journalism.
required for her degree was a semester long unpaid internship–not to be completed in the summer.
NYC is the place to be if you want a job in her field. and there are fewer places more expensive.
sigh.
after her internship, she was invited to take a paid (10 dollars and hour) intership with the same magazine after she graduated.
having no better offers and feeling that she needed to be in NYC to be competitive for any future job propects, she took the position.
from late may 2008 until now, the economy has made her already dismal situation only worse.
in the meantime, she is getting some amzing experience in her field, gaining more (unpaid) responsibility each month.
she is working about 10 extra hours a week for an author, on the side, to make extra money.
and she continues to apply for positions.
also, she’s living in a women’s residence in Manhattan, where she gets meals and a safe, comfortable and affordable room.
she just turned 22, and she doesn’t want to give up on her dreams.
also, the magazine seems to be impressed with her skills regardless of its hiring freeze.
we are paying for her insurance with the understanding that it’s a loan only.
if anyone knows anyone on the editorial side of any publication or has any advice of any kind, please chime in.
thanks for listening!</p>
<p>I think I (and my ilk) win here
I’m an art major with aspirations of being a professor. However, most people don’t get a professorship until well after 30. </p>
<p>Until then it’s personal production, residencies, assistantships, and other part time affairs with no benefits</p>
<p>I have a host of health problems that would bankrupt my entire family in about 4 months, if I were to ever go into “pre-existing condition” status</p>
<p>You don’t necessarily have to keep your kids on COBRA. BEFORE they lose coverage, apply for an individual plan. If your child is healthy, you may be able to get a high deductible plan for under $150/month. It depends on your state. Much, much cheaper than COBRA.<br>
If you apply within the window (usually a month or two) of losing your credible coverage then pre-existing conditions may be covered.
Explore all options.</p>
<p>To OP - I hope things turn out for you. I think the best comments I’ve read in this thread are from tenisghs. I really would try to explore the temp positions. There are a lot of points of entry for positions like these and the potential benefits are plenty. These jobs can turn into full time positions with benefits, new connections to new job leads, new references etc.</p>
<p>Ultimately, whether your S takes an $10/hr versus $12/hr job isn’t going to be that meaningful in about 5 years from now. At that point, its probably worth accepting a lower paying job that is more relevant to his career and interests. I know its hard to make that sort of decision in this environment but something that should at least be pondered.</p>
<p>My previous job hired a lot of temps (some that were more qualified than the full time consultants) and many of them went on to do much better positions. Best of luck to you and your family.</p>
<p>and isn’t cobra like $1000 a month? and what about after cobra?</p>
<p>COBRA plan costs vary based on your employer and the cost of the plan you were on prior to separation or aging out.</p>
<p>Cobra would be about $450 month for our son.</p>
<p>I viewed group HI as risk pools. Companies that have an older workforce and provide group health insurance, will probably see their HI costs increase because of the aging workforce (ref: jmmom #76, musicmom #65, Justamomof4 #73). New (maybe our kids) will subsidize this HI for the older workers. Companies will strive to move the older employees out and move younger employees in to remake the “tranche” or risk profile. </p>
<p>IMO, having group insurance for a younger person is not a good deal because of the subsidizing of older workers. IMO, the younger person should seek private and personal insurance based on their age bracket because their health risk “tranche” is AAA. { save for pregnancies 
} </p>
<p>seek private insurance and compare to COBRA. Seek insurance that has a degree of portability if child could be relocating several times before they set roots.</p>
<p>IMO.</p>
<p>LongPrime-</p>
<p>I agree with your post above…even though at 52, at don’t at all consider myself part of “the aging workforce” you refer to! :)</p>
<p>My son graduated in May and still has no job (but we are not supporting him and he does not live with us…he is living on his graduation gifts it seems). He did buy health insurance in January for about $36/month. It is a Kaiser plan. He has already used it for dental things and had a small copay.</p>
<p>I wish medical insurance was my worry. He simply seems paralyzed to try to do this(get a job) and unfortunately opportunities have passed him by. We live to far away to be the continuous kick in the rear that he needs, I am afraid. If I knew then what I knew now I would only have let him go to a LAC which insisted on internships for their students. His summer and term time work never really helped him to get his act together and he simply is falling back on his old habits of complacency. I think he is going to have to crash before he soars. Our hope now is that he meets a nice employed girl and she kicks him.</p>
<p>My 2nd son is graduating in May and while he feels ‘intimidated’ he is doing all the right things and I know that though it may not be his dream situation, he will come out of this with something.</p>