"but those (hourly jobs w/no benefits) aren't going to pay my student loans, provide me with insurance & a retirement package & insure my success down the road".

When exactly did it become the obligation of someone else to provide those things to you? Maybe you ought to use one of those business degrees to, you know, begin a business, when you can provide all those things for yourself.

Maybe they didn't lie to you as much as the economic landscape has changed. Those entering the job market today are entering a very different marketplace than their parents did, who themselves entered a different marketplace than their parents.

I assume that if you're entering the job market today, you're ready to change jobs many times between now and the time you retire. That's something my grandparents would never have envisioned.

But here's the deal, if you do think your high school counselors lied to you, get used to it. Putting yourself at the mercy of corporations in a very competitive marketplace will almost guarantee that you will be lied to, again and again. Don't take it personal, it's just business. Or, you can strike out on your own. Follow your passion. If your passion is food, then open a restaurant. If you love working with wood, become a cabinet maker. If it's flowers, open a florist. Whatever. Borrow the money, open that store. If it's truly your passion, you'll never work a day in your life. Or you can work for "the man" the rest of your life and hope your retirement will be fully funded, or that the CEO doesn't take your benefit package with him when he cashes in his golden parachute. Then again, maybe you aspire to be that CEO. Obviously, I don't know you. I wish you well in your job search. Perhaps you'll consider another path than the one your counselors suggested, if for no other reason than what they told you then might not be true today.

Ha ha, I know, that was a joke. I realize that the marketplace is different even from 10 years ago. While I do have a good job, I have to drive a town over for my employment. I realize that my desire to work in Lawrence is a want, not a need, & that if I lived in a major metro area I could spend just as much time if not more driving across the city I lived in as I do driving from Lawrence.

I would love to own my own business, as that was my intention when getting a business degree, however it is not just that easy. One needs a good idea, a solid business plan, good credit, & collateral for a bank loan, just to receive funds, or have wealthy parents, ha ha. I worked for a small moms & pops business throughout college & moved into a general manager capacity after I graduated & from that experience I am not sure that I do want to own my own business. The room for advancement just isn't there in smaller companies. While salary isn't my main motivation, financial stability & the ability to stand on my own two feet are a huge motivation, which are hard to accomplish living in Lawrence. It is difficult for anyone coming out of the university in this town to find a job & stick around. Im trying, as I like Lawrence & would live no other place here in Kansas, but man its not easy.

The first business I owned, I came to own it in a interesting way. I had been working there for a couple of years when the owner decided to sell. I made him an offer that if he would sell to me over time, we would structure the deal such that if I didn't fulfill my obligations, he could repossess the business and keep everything I had paid to him until that time. It was a five year plan. If say after 4 years I defaulted, he could take the business back and keep all the payments I made. I practically lived there, with all the bills a business ordinarily has in addition to the payments to purchase. But after 5 years, it was mine. No banks, no collateral, no business plan. Just a very strong motivation to succeed.

Of course, what helped me was that I worked there for a couple of years, so he knew me and trusted me. Really, I have no idea if opportunities like that are common or not. Once I owned that business, buying a second and then a third was easy, considering I started those from scratch, but with much the same concept as the first. Interestingly, as I got older and decided to downsize, I sold one business in much the same way I bought the first. Anyway, good luck.

Want to sell me a business on loan for 5 years? I would say your experience is the exception & not the norm, but I applaud you for your hard work. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time makes all the difference. However, had you not put yourself in that position to begin with, you could have just as easily been stuck in the rat race. I continued with my post-secondary education to do the same as you did, open doors to a better future, its just hard in Lawrence.

When I think about it though, Lawrence doesnt have to court businesses & firms to come & play ball in Lawrence. We've already shown we will live here, buy our expensive homes here (sometimes double what one would pay in Topeka, or parts of KC), & spend our money, then drive to work. There is no incentive for the city to work to foster the kind of environment that would bring solid employers here. They get our taxes regardless & dont have to do the leg work.

No, opportunities like that are NOT common. You lucked out.

Yes, the job market has changed, but not that much. I've been in my professional field for almost 20 years and have had to commute to KC to find good employment for 15 years. I've lived in Lawrence for almost 25 years and there has never been a good employment opportunity here. Lots of bad jobs is all this town has to offer.