Do you believe you have a job that aligns with your potential?

[ForevrLonely29]

We often hear about "unemployment" probably more so than "underemployment".

Let's say a guy is an experienced software engineer. He gets laid off, and due to the competitiveness of the job market, he struggles to land a new role in his profession. Therefore, he has to pick up a role as a stocker at a grocery store to make some income in the meantime, because, after all, some income is better than none.

Or, there is a woman who graduated from a university with a bachelor's degree in graphic design. She is unable to land a career despite submitting hundreds of applications and having internship experience. Therefore, she has to continue her day job as a waitress until she is able to get her foot in the door.

These are some examples of "underemployment". Sometimes, taking a job below one's skill level is a choice, often times it is not.

Yes

No

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[WindAtMyBack]

Well, I'm retired so it doesn't apply.

But when I was working I did that pretty often until about my mid-30s. I moved a lot and would take jobs like delivery or misc temp work while I looked for a real job. As you said, "some income is better than none".

Those type of jobs have a high turnover of employees. The managers expect that. So I never felt bad about quitting a job after a short period once I found a "real" job.

Now that I'm retired, I could see taking an entry level job just to keep busy and get a small income. Nobody would hire me to do what I used to do. It's been too long - they always want people with recent experience, and knowledge of recent tech. I have neither, so my only option if I wanted to work again is to take lower paying entry level jobs. That wouldn't bother me at all.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

If my “potential” was limited only to my education and career, I don’t think I’d have very much of it.

[strateguy632]

mine is less than my potential but i am good at it.