a truly bad job market in their lifetime. They think a bad job market is when u can’t get a high paying job doing exactly what u want and live exactly where u want. Until very recently, most could find all of that.

A bad job market is when lots of people are out of work, almost nobody is hiring, and it is tough to find any job doing anything for any amount of pay.

Not just the Great Depression. I wasn’t even born then.

I graduated from BYU in 1972 with a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Accounting. I graduated in 3 years and was near the top of my class. The only two jobs posted that entire year were in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. And, there was only one position in each place. Those jobs went to people that had a degree previously plus job experience in business and just went back to school to learn this new field - computers. I was pumping gas, playing in rock and country bands, and had a part time programming job at BYU.

I was willing to relocate and take any real job. Their were none. Not in any field. That was during the 1st energy crisis and the cartels in the mid-east formed to hold our country hostage.

I did the only thing I could do. I sucked it up and went to Grad School. Age 21. Married. 2 kids.

In 1974, with my newly minted MBA from U, things were slightly better - but not much better. I was near the top of my class and had been TA for Associate Dean.

My choices:

Ford Marketing Corporation in Dearborn near Detroit.

Philco Ford - Aerospace - in Palo Alto in the Bay Area

Burroughs Corporation - Large Systems Computer Manufacturing Plant - City of Industry near Los Angeles

EDS - Ross Perot - based in San Diego

Absolutely nada in Utah. If not in top 5 in my class, these would not have been available. Ford and Philco Ford were on a hiring freeze and took over a month to get approval to make me an offer.

That is what a tough job market is like.

Orange County bankruptcy in CA and the Aerospace crash that caused it was another tough one.

Right after Sept 11. 2001 was tough for a bit.
I moved to Hawaii for a decade to survive it.

I would love to have lived within 50 miles of BYU my entire career. That only happened for 2 years with Deloitte as a consultant.

Chicago twice, LA, Orange County, Ventura County, and Hawaii instead.

Tough choices.

My recommendation is to go where u have to go to build a solid foundation of experience.

Really tough times come for nearly everyone during a lifetime. Be prepared for it.