Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Everything I Know about Jobs is Apparently Wrong?

I saw the video below this morning, and I realized that people must be growing up and moving out into a totally different world than I did in my twenties.


I hitch-hiked across the country in 1994 or 1995, and basically I stayed in shelters, or slept in a one-person tent I'd pitch alongside the highway. When I needed money, I'd ask the shelter management where the day-labor place was and show up there at 4:00 AM, work 10 hours, and get a check for $35 (after taxes and check cashing fees) that night. I did that a couple weeks with a friend, and we made enough money to get a room at a weekly apartment place, where I was able to shower regularly.

We ate ramen, and got nicer clothes at Goodwill. I went to ManPower and they tested my skills with Microsoft Office, and certified me as a "Master" because I knew how to use the right-click button to open a menu and find the things I needed to insert pictures and fonts and things. With that I qualified for better paying positions. I showed up daily, I did my work, and I smiled a lot. I used that technique to get hired full time, and eventually to become a Tech Writer, where I learned a lot of stuff about SharePoint, and now I get over 6 figures a year to do some pretty advanced stuff that I picked up along the way.

But apparently, this path is somehow gone. Millenials can't find work? I don't get it. At my current job, we hire people through temporary staffing agencies, and if they do good work and have a pleasant personality, we hire them full time. That's how it's been my whole career. How is this not working anymore?

Don't people expect to have shitty jobs until they're in their thirties? Don't people get apartments with their friends until they can afford something better? Isn't that ... normal? What the hell happened?

I secretly suspect people just don't want to go through the processes that are in place in our society to get a good paying job. I know I'm basically saying, "kids today..." but seriously, is it that hard? Am I missing something here? It's hard, it's annoying, it's boring, and it doesn't pay well. You have to put up with bullshit and smile the whole time, even when you don't want to. Is that what people are complaining about?

Someone help me out, things aren't making sense here.

If this is the attitude people are bringing to the table, they aren't going to be very happy with how magic works either.

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