Am I the only one...

[Gil Dobie]

These are jobs in the U.S., so we'd have to import those workers, and the trend the last few years before the recession was repatriation among many foreign IT workers. They were going back home, where they could suddenly make a good living, and be back in their own country. So, If I'm unemployed and think I might want a change, I would be looking at IT as a serious field of study.

Microsoft is offering IT classes via their Elevate America Campaign. There are free and low-cost courses for beginners or IT professionals. I'm taking some class online right now.

Elevate America Link

[kalm]

Hold the phone... 1) Being a golf pro does not equal tons of experience or education.

I'm guessing most golf pro's have a 4 year degree. I know a couple who have an MBA.

[From the class of 09]

Sometimes the truth hurts CPA & MBA you can find work, maybe not making 6 figures like you think you should but you can find work.

You do realize there's such a thing as being overqualified, and that it can hurt one's chances of landing certain jobs, right?

In limited situations what you say can be true. However here is something to think about if you are an MBA CPA type of person.

I hire a good CPA to save me money on my taxes while I hire an MBA because he can make my company money. However if an individual with both these skills can’t find a way to provide income for himself then I would seriously doubt how successful he would be making or saving money for me.

And provide income could be anything from taking a traditional job, working on commissions, to starting a company doing friends and other acquaintances taxes. My point being even if you can’t find a 9-5 job with the skills a CPA and MBA has they can find work if they are willing to do it.

[From the class of 09]

I'm guessing most golf pro's have a 4 year degree. I know a couple who have an MBA.

I have no doubt that there are many golf pro’s with college degree’s even some with MBAs. My point is being a golf pro doesn’t mean you have any education or experience outside of golf (although as you pointed out some may) the qualifications to be a golf pro are fairly different from being a welder, construction worker, CPA or many other professions was the general point. But yes a golf pro could have all of those skills. And for those of you out there considering being a golf pro for your career I would recommend saving when the job is good because there are few occupations that would be as recession sensitive as a golf pro.

[89Hen]

And for those of you out there considering being a golf pro for your career I would recommend saving when the job is good because there are few occupations that would be as recession sensitive as a golf pro.

You're working in the wrong places then. Pro at a nice private club is one of the MOST recession proof jobs around.

[From the class of 09]

And for those of you out there considering being a golf pro for your career I would recommend saving when the job is good because there are few occupations that would be as recession sensitive as a golf pro.

You're working in the wrong places then. Pro at a nice private club is one of the MOST recession proof jobs around.

Maybe that’s the problem with the real estate market. People loose there jobs and instead of using what income they can find to pay there mortgage every month they are using it to pay country club fees. I’m sure that Pebble Beach is doing fine but for the vast majority of Country Clubs membership numbers are way down. Which to me can hardly be a promising sign for golf pro job prospects. But apparently I’m missing something on this one.

[89Hen]

but for the vast majority of Country Clubs membership numbers are way down.

Again, you're just working in the wrong places.

[From the class of 09]

but for the vast majority of Country Clubs membership numbers are way down.

Again, you're just working in the wrong places.

You're missing the point, which is that we are looking at the industry as a whole being very recession sensitive (golf being part of peoples discretionary spending and hiring a golf pro being another level higher of discretionary spending). Also please note that I work in the financial industry the only time I’m around golf pros is when I’m working on my short game lol.

[89Hen]

Again, you're just working in the wrong places.

You're missing the point, which is that we are looking at the industry as a whole being very recession sensitive (golf being part of peoples discretionary spending and hiring a golf pro being another level higher of discretionary spending). Also please note that I work in the financial industry the only time I’m around golf pros is when I’m working on my short game lol.

Daily fee courses, yes, but not private clubs. You said the vast majority of country clubs' numbers are way down. I disagree.

[Skjellyfetti]

Daily fee courses, yes, but not private clubs. You said the vast majority of country clubs' numbers are way down. I disagree.

There are a ton of private clubs that are turning into public courses.

The same shift is affecting country clubs everywhere, including in the Washington region, where some have cut initiation fees, others have eliminated them and a private Ashburn club opened to the public just last week. The National Golf Foundation has identified more than 500 clubs at serious risk of closing, and a recent survey of club managers showed that twice as many members resigned during the past 12 months than during a typical year.

In western Pennsylvania alone, six clubs have staved off bankruptcy recently by opening at least partially to the public. Most of them share a plight similar to that in Uniontown, where a declining population and the recession have combined to make recruiting new members nearly impossible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 9052003795" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sue Wegrzyn, president and CEO of the National Club Association (NCA), said that the NGF study fit perfectly into the mission of the NCA Foundation, the NCA's charitable arm which focuses on research and education in the private club field. "The NCA Foundation was established in 1993 in order to fund critical trends studies and underwrite educational programs and research to help clubs prepare for their future. We were glad to be able to provide this grant to the NGF which will be used to ensure that the report achieves the widest possible distribution to private clubs."

Some results from the study:

For every private club that has closed its doors over the past decade, another 10 have converted to public courses.
The number of private golf clubs in the U.S. today is equal to the number that existed on the eve of the Great Depression.
After home relocation, financial reasons top the list of why members are leaving clubs.
Latent demand still exists for private clubs, and baby boomers may yet join in the years ahead.

http://www.ngf.org/cgi/whonews.asp?storyid=225" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[From the class of 09]

Daily fee courses, yes, but not private clubs. You said the vast majority of country clubs' numbers are way down. I disagree.

There are a ton of private clubs that are turning into public courses.

The same shift is affecting country clubs everywhere, including in the Washington region, where some have cut initiation fees, others have eliminated them and a private Ashburn club opened to the public just last week. The National Golf Foundation has identified more than 500 clubs at serious risk of closing, and a recent survey of club managers showed that twice as many members resigned during the past 12 months than during a typical year.

In western Pennsylvania alone, six clubs have staved off bankruptcy recently by opening at least partially to the public. Most of them share a plight similar to that in Uniontown, where a declining population and the recession have combined to make recruiting new members nearly impossible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 9052003795" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sue Wegrzyn, president and CEO of the National Club Association (NCA), said that the NGF study fit perfectly into the mission of the NCA Foundation, the NCA's charitable arm which focuses on research and education in the private club field. "The NCA Foundation was established in 1993 in order to fund critical trends studies and underwrite educational programs and research to help clubs prepare for their future. We were glad to be able to provide this grant to the NGF which will be used to ensure that the report achieves the widest possible distribution to private clubs."

Some results from the study:

For every private club that has closed its doors over the past decade, another 10 have converted to public courses.
The number of private golf clubs in the U.S. today is equal to the number that existed on the eve of the Great Depression.
After home relocation, financial reasons top the list of why members are leaving clubs.
Latent demand still exists for private clubs, and baby boomers may yet join in the years ahead.

http://www.ngf.org/cgi/whonews.asp?storyid=225" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[89Hen]

Daily fee courses, yes, but not private clubs. You said the vast majority of country clubs' numbers are way down. I disagree.

There are a ton of private clubs that are turning into public courses.

You crack me up Jelly. If I said the sky was blue, you'd argue it was red. Are there clubs that have had difficulties? Of course, that's nothing new. Are a vast majority of country clubs' numbers down? NOT EVEN CLOSE. Stick to politics.

[From the class of 09]

There are a ton of private clubs that are turning into public courses.

You crack me up Jelly. If I said the sky was blue, you'd argue it was red. Are there clubs that have had difficulties? Of course, that's nothing new. Are a vast majority of country clubs' numbers down? NOT EVEN CLOSE. Stick to politics.

You're right. Despite the numbers saying the opposite and every other discretionary spending area struggling in down economies the one place that apparently doesn’t feel the pinch is golf pros at private country clubs. That’s all I’m going to say about this because apparently, despite numbers showing otherwise, you know the private country club scene better than anyone.

[89Hen]

You're right. Despite the numbers saying the opposite and every other discretionary spending area struggling in down economies the one place that apparently doesn’t feel the pinch is golf pros at private country clubs. That’s all I’m going to say about this because apparently, despite numbers showing otherwise, you know the private country club scene better than anyone.

What numbers? THAT was a vast majority of private clubs? No, that was a story about some clubs. Go check the NGF or NCA and find out how many clubs are doing just fine.

[BlueHen86]

You're right. Despite the numbers saying the opposite and every other discretionary spending area struggling in down economies the one place that apparently doesn’t feel the pinch is golf pros at private country clubs. That’s all I’m going to say about this because apparently, despite numbers showing otherwise, you know the private country club scene better than anyone.

What numbers? THAT was a vast majority of private clubs? No, that was a story about some clubs. Go check the NGF or NCA and find out how many clubs are doing just fine.

There are only 20 country clubs in the whole country? Who'd have thought...