I recently graduated college in a STEM field. I live in California, and I am looking for work. Now that Joe Biden has set his January 4 deadline for the COVID vaccine mandate for companies, I’m racking my brains as what I should do. I hope that someone here can give me some advice. I heard that a federal court in Louisiana halted the vaccine mandates, though I have a bad feeling that this won’t be the last we see of the federal mandate. Not yet, at least. I heard that Biden is ignoring the ruling, which I am not particularly surprised to hear. Here are some options that I was considering.
Option 1: I could keep applying to jobs like normal and just choosing to not apply to employers that state that vaccines are mandatory.
Option 2: I could wait a week or two before applying to jobs to see which employers have decided they want to implement vaccine mandates.
Option 3: I could wait until the January 4 deadline before applying to jobs again in order to see which companies are complying with the mandate. During this time, I might try to improve a skill that I can use for a side hustle in the future.
Option 4: I can keep applying to jobs, but only those with fewer than 100 employees. I’m not sure about this one since I heard the Biden is going to extend his mandate to all companies in the future, not just those with 100 or more employees.
Option 5: I can apply to jobs that only do remote work or to jobs out of my state. I live in California, unfortunately. Leaving the state is only feasible if I have a source of income. It’s difficult enough to get a job within my state. I would imagine that getting a job elsewhere would even harder, especially since I recently graduate college and have never had a full-time job.
Option 6: I can wait until the mandate has been found unconstitutional by SCOTUS. I don’t know how reliable this is. SCOTUS might make a ruling before 2021 ends or halfway through 2022, for all I know. And if it’s found unconstitutional, I don’t know if employers here in California will stop mandating vaccines.
Another thing I should mention is that I voluntarily got vaccinated already, so I don’t have to worry about being forced to get a vaccine. I just don’t want to work for an employer who forces others to get vaccinated.
Is there way to determine which companies impose vaccine and mask mandates on their employees? I know that some of them simply say so in the job description. Other companies don’t mention it, but is there a way to determine if the mandates are still being imposed? In California, most companies likely enforce mask mandates. I don’t know about the vaccine mandate, though. Any advice on this subject would be appreciated.
Furthermore, there is a very high probability that I will be flying to another country in January for a month to get a medical procedure done and to visit aging family members. I heard that vaccinations are required to fly internationally, correct me if I’m wrong. I might not try to get a job before my trip. If I manage to get a job before January, I will likely end up rescheduling and not going.
Leave
I wish that I could, but my current situation makes that difficult. My post mentions this.
This guy's comment was meant for you.
You're not going to change the place, get out and taste freedom. If you grew up there and went through the UC system you're probably a lost cause anyway so by all means stay put. But if you have a white hot rage over what's happened then get out. There was no way in hell I was going to read that wall of text but from another comment I see you're already vaxxed. Stay there, make as much as you can and enjoy the rest of your stay on earth.
leave for a sane state
and also you will be happier in a business with less than 100 employees
I can't think of anything good about working at a giant corp unless you are either a sociopath who wants to claw up the ladder or a diversity hire you knows she will be paid way more than she is worth to fill a quota
It's easier to collect paychecks without working at a giant corp. Might even be able to collect multiple paychecks at the same time from different giant corps if he can work from home.
They will mandate boosters very soon. You will have to continue to get shots.
Leave California. Not just because of this, but for many reason. Doesn't matter how feasible it is. You're young and should get a start in a saner place.
I won't even set foot in that state.
Apply for a job working at home. Remote work is not bad, and you are at least much less likely to run into mandate issues.
I'd probably ask some vague question about whether or not they allow employees to make their own medical decisions. Or see if they pro-actively say something to that effect. Asking vague questions and giving/parsing vague answers is a key interview skill beyond the vaccine question.
Apply to jobs and apply for a religious exemption once you're there. Really not hard to get one dude. While you're applying you can check to see if they mention exemptions on their site. Some places do, some don't in my experience. Any other advice is troll.
edit: didn't realize that you're already vaccinated. I don't have any advice then mb.
Leave california. Work remote if you can.