Help! I Can't Convince My Friend to Not Work @ Erac!

[32AATopIPEandDub]

Hi everyone, I recently quit Enterprise in the beginning of December after working there for 3 months. Right now I have a comfortable job making twice as much while working only half the hours; no exaggeration. I took the job right after graduating from college because I was pressured by my parents to get a job as soon as possible. My parents were born and raised very very poor, so I understand why they would have that kind of a mindset. Rather than taking your time to find something that you like to do that is worthwhile with a promising future, they would prefer that you get any job in the meantime to pay the bills and look for a better opportunity while you're there. The problem with Enterprise is that you absolutely have no time to look for another career. And even if you do, your branch managers will take you to a park and investigate you to make sure that you're not going anywhere for an interview!

Anyway, onto my friend. He is graduating from college this May 2008 and he already has been contacted by Enterprise. My friend has a degree in Management, which I think is almost worthless because you can never enter a good company starting off in a management position unless you already know someone very powerful who's willing to help you. However, my friend is also a very cocky and brash individual. When I was trying to convince him out of it by giving him my first hand experience, he insisted that Enterprise valued him more than me even though I totally blew away the interviews and was #1 in IPE and Dub in my area in the first two months I worked at ERAC. Here's our dialogue...

Sam: I'm going to work at Enterprise after I graduate.

Me: What!? Why!? Don't you know how many hours you will work!? For such little pay!? It's modern day slavery!

Sam: Yeah, but I'm being offered a management position. I'll be trained immediately to manage people! You were just a customer server or something.

Me: You're being offered a management position? Are you talking about the "Management Trainee" position? That's what I started off as well. Everyone starts off in that position. They purposely make it sound so professional and intriguing for recent college graduates so that they can lure them to work for ERAC.

Sam: Oh...well, I can be an assistant manager managing my own business in less than 1 year and I'll be a manager in less than 2 years. That means I'll be making 80k+ in less than two years right out of college. In around 4 years I'll be an area manager, then a regional manager, and so on. The opportunities will be endless. I'll be making over 200k in no time!

Me: Well ain't that the American Dream!? Too bad that only really does exist in your dreams! Look, that's just the recruiters trying to sell you up. Don't you know that they get over 2 thousand dollars or so for every successful recruit!? They will say anything to get you to join! Why do you think they recruit at the doorsteps of 3rd tier universities and lowly community colleges!?

Sam: Mannnn... You're just being bitter. They showed me examples of the young successful area managers and regional managers that are all making over 100k a year. Are you saying that's all a lie? So what if they recruit out of bad universities? I'm better than them. That's why I will be a manager in no time.

Me: Look Sam... You have never been good with people, whether it be working with people or leading people. That's just not you. I'm not going to argue with you anymore, but I will give you this last sound advice... Your parents have money and can support you for a while. Find a job where you will have a lot of time to study and will look good for graduate school application as well. In this day and age, a bachelor's degree will not get you very far unless you're an engineer. Study hard, do well on the LSAT, and then apply for a good law school. That is guaranteed money if you do well.

[freeatlast]

Originally Posted by 32AATopIPEandDub

And even if you do, your branch managers will take you to a park and investigate you to make sure that you're not going anywhere for an interview!

That was so weird. It was almost godfather like. They would take you out for ice cream and sit in a park and probe you for answers while dropping little hints about how awful every other company is.

Regarding your friend, we all have to make up our own minds. I think you have done all you can.

The plus side is that this will cure his cockiness.

[32AATopIPEandDub]

Originally Posted by freeatlast

That was so weird. It was almost godfather like. They would take you out for ice cream and sit in a park and probe you for answers while dropping little hints about how awful every other company is.

Regarding your friend, we all have to make up our own minds. I think you have done all you can.

The plus side is that this will cure his cockiness.

Hahaha, so true. They took me out for frozen yogurt or ice cream on numerous occasions. They would constantly push on how secure and financially rewarding Enterprise is and how other company is risky with less opportunities for improvement. I think they could tell that I was a very diligent worker, yet I was as very bit of an opportunist when it comes to money and career development as I can be, so they tried to brainwash me into bleeding green as much as they could.

[Cynical]

It sounds like your friend is the exact person enterprise wants in its fold. Brash, young, idealistic, the I'm going to conquer the world through car rental attitude.

sounds like he'll love the frat boy atmosphere, happy hours, being on top the matrix and being told how great he is.

[Chopped & Screwed]

Tell your friend, Enterprise is like prison rape. Sometimes you need to take one up the poopchute to be humbled.

[Intern]

Theres nothing else you can do. If you friend wants to work for ERAC after you have told them your experience than let them. It wont take long when they start bitching about ERAC, money, promotions, ESQI, UnitedWay, etc.

[TrailerTart]

Your friend needs to "experience" all that ERAC has to offer for himself.

After a couple of months, check up on him and see how things are. Better yet, invite him for happy hour. Chances are he'll politely decline since he'd still be at work past 6pm...