Lets End the Fantasy of "being employed" or Having a Career in America

The "Entitled" generation's after me are in for a rude wake up call. Having a piece of paper and no work experiance doesn't gaurentee you a job let alone prevent you from flipping burgers next to the 16yr old kid who's making a quick buck in high school. That is the fantasy. For the Adults who have travelled this journey. WE know exactly what your talking about and we fight everyday to sustain the life we currently have or are loosing.

reply to post by sulaw



I do not consider any one in an entitled generation but if you want to look at it like I was trying to illustrate Young workers, older generation workers, in the end we are all in the same boat when time comes for the elderly care, to me this is also an important dynamic. The advice given to me usually went like this when I was a teen

First they say if you want a good career join the military and get your college benefits and maybe you will like it and you can re enlist... Check did that got tired of 5 tours in the USMC infantry to the middle east but I got my benefits

Next they tell you if you want a good career go to school, yup did that twice actually on my GI Bill that didnt do alot for me even working under the table construction jobs fighting rising slum lord rates and going homeless

Then you go apply for jobs being a returning vet they ask commonly for 5 years experience for an entry level job how the hell do you get 5 years experience if the job applying for is entry level wtf

Then finally the solution burger king and wal mart is hiring

Makes me cringe ya know

Okay, I'm 50, so let me respond.

I worked since 1978. At that time I was 16 years old. I worked at a bar, cleaning glasses. yes, that was not legal, but I needed the money to pay for my car insurance, since my dad was retired, on fixed income, and there was no way he could afford it.

In 1982, I started a career with Rockwell after getting my associates degree, and working as a DJ to pay those expenses. I was then hired in 1984 at an airline. I stayed there in technology for 18 years.

I decided to try my hand at "the internet" and have spent the last many years trying to stay afloat.

I have children, who work, but as I watch the rest of this generation, I'm baffled.

During a seminar that I once attended, which was on the Millenium Generation, the speaker asked the crowd, "At what point do you expect to be promoted to a supervisor after you start as a regular employee".

All of us said, 5 years.

She then went on to explain that this generation, expects to be promoted every 6 months.

I sat there with my mouth open.

How, could anyone, garner enough experience and knowledge to be trusted to supervise employees after such a short time?

She then went on to explain that we would have to create "little steps" of promotion, with tiny little raises, so that this generation felt that they were moving up, and they would stay.

My FIRST instinct was to say "then find reasonable employees".

This generation has no idea what it takes to get promoted.

Now, as for paying for our health care, let me explain a few things. I have paid, handsomely, into Social Security. I am NOT responsible for what was done with it. BUT, those of us that contributed, deserve what we put in.

reply to post by Brotherman

First they say if you want a good career join the military and get your college benefits

"They say" is the key thing I will address.

I know many who did college and/or the military.
That didn't seem to fair well for alot of them.

College students are told to do it so they can make money,what they didn't get told was you have a massive debt for it.
My military buddies are just as poor as my buddies who did college.

The lie is college and military.
Military people get screwed on benefits when they get back and college students are too much in debt to have a penny to piss on.

Way to go society.....what great brave and free people we are.

matadoor

as in the artist Rockwell (no, not Norman Rockwell)... or some other Rockwell?

reply to post by matadoor


I agree with some of what you said especially the last part about what you paid into that you all deserve it, But do you not find it a little disgusting that temp agencies are number 2 behind wal mart? Maybe you should blame the schools and the propaganda that tells these kids that with their degrees they will be promoted and they will be more successful and all of that, I do not personally blame the parents I blame the propaganda, my purpose with this thread is to talk about the employment trends regardless of what someone else did, everyone has to work hard and often at jobs they don't like but even the opportunity to work at those jobs are getting harder to get to. Why use temp agencies, why not just direct hire they act like people wont apply for them or something wtf?

reply to post by DrumsRfun


When I say they I mean those before me that were trying to help guide my life as an early teen, I have discussed this scenario with many people and most my age I spoke with agree that this advice is pretty much what they had gotten all that time as well

reply to post by Brotherman


I am ranting,take it as it is.
I feel your frustrations.


Times change,the elders must see that some time too.

I really didn't find decent employment until I was 30. Before that it was labor staffing companies that hire workers to do the work that the client company workers didn't want to get there hands dirty with. The client company workers were union employees, too. Forget about getting in the union because you really needed to have a friend in the union or be a relative of a member to get in.

I got my Master degree because I felt that was the ticket to success. Hey, I must admit it was a bad idea. Having to work with a huge college debt is difficult when the wages aren't even close to what I was expecting.

Also, many of the people I work with have little to no college because they knew the right people and got hired. "Where is the guy that knows that math stuff, he can do it. Lets get the college guy." I hear that a lot.

That is how the system is and always will be.

I do believe one of America's biggest problems is there is so many are financially irresponsible and not held accountable for the irresponsibility. I am 30 and so many people my age have no clue how to balance their budget, it is like they don't get that if one has $100 today and a $50 bill due tomorrow then they spend $90 today and wonder why they don't have enough to pay their bill the next day. Maybe it is because Math is taught properly in grammar school I do not know why so many just can't balance a basic budget.

I've never had a decent paying job, yet I've bough with cash 3 cars, 3 boats, paid $5k to a lawyer, paid all my legal fees on time or early. Now I'm broke and if I didn't have a boat I would be homeless. I still have student loans and unless Sallie Mae is willing to loan me the money to finish a degree(I have over 100 credits) I refuse to pay because I simply can't afford to. My $3k student loan for 1 semester is now in default so I am not eligible for a Pell Grant. So going back to school is not going to happen for me.

I've been out of work for way too long, I could not lifeguard this summer because Brevard County decided they did not want anyone working for them who does not have a Driver's License. My first year in Ocean rescue was in 1999, I am an avid waterman, know my medical stuff and in my biased opinion a world class lifeguard, but that is not good enough for a $9.75/hr job.

It is tough to remain positive when you are constantly being rejected from jobs/trades you a required for. I have kind of an anti-social personality so basic stuff like waiting tables just does not work for me.

I really do not know what to do. I am desperate, I have even emailed craigslist ads looking for male 'talent.'

I feel like I still have a sound mind, I was in gifted classes in grade school, college was easy(when I made it to class), I did very well on my Navy advancement exams, I may still have a decent IQ but that seems to only get me in trouble.

The American Dream is dead to me.

reply to post by jrod


Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, take your pick.

Here is a relevant link giving a brief history of US labor

Link

I can see and understand certain notions regarding the need for the push of education reading halfway through this I will be back to this link later when I get through it all more completely

A friend of mine recently signed up with an employment agency. (UK)
1. He had to give 6 months notice if he wanted to quit.
2. They could lay him of without notice.
3. He wasn't allowed to work for anyone else while he worked for them.
4. If he earnt above a certain amount then 50% of it was taken by the agency.
5. He had to provide his own safety gear.

An employer would not be allowed to get away with any of this, and that's the purpose of the employment agencies.

Originally posted by DrumsRfun

My military buddies are just as poor as my buddies who did college.

The lie is college and military.
Military people get screwed on benefits when they get back and college students are too much in debt to have a penny to piss on.

Way to go society.....what great brave and free people we are.

When I was 25 I was an E-4(AT3) in the Navy and was doing great. Saving money every paycheck, able to buy whatever I wanted, ect.. However most of my peers weren't doing good financially because they simply could not balance their budget. I knew of plenty of guys who would spend their paychecks going to bars and cubs and then complain about how the bank always charges them overdraft fees. Funny thing is none of them ever got labeled an alcoholic.

Yet me, being one of the few who could save money gets 1 DUI and I am labeled an alcoholic and have spent the past 5 years trying to find any kind of meaningful work. Lost the GI Bill because of it and can't show a prospective employer my DD-214 because it says alcohol rehab failure.

I did the college thing, decided that the military would be easier than working full time and going to school part time. Since then I've been falling lower and lower. No car, no driver's license, ineligible for a Captain's License....no prospects for work.

They tell me America was once a land of opportunity.

reply to post by eManym


Can't reenlist, my DD-214 says Alcohol Rehab Failure.

At least if WW3 breaks out they probably won't draft me because they'll think I'm just some drunkard.

reply to post by matadoor


Wow, I'm 30 and it took me longer than 6 months to get a promotion. I would never think like that. Of course my folks are in their late 60's (my old man being born in 1945). I think I was taught a little differently.

I do hear that the young 22 year old types never stick around. In fact, a friend of mine admitted she's biased against hiring young 20-somethings because they don't stay. She told me that having to recruit/interview people takes valuable time away from her duties. She also said that the training they give these new hires is a waste because they leave so quickly. She told me she'd rather hire older, more "mature" workers who are looking to set up shop for at least a couple of years.

reply to post by jrod


All I can suggest is go to the VA and get the DD214 changed to reflect a better discharge rating. All you need are established people to vouch for your current character and integrity.

reply to post by eManym


I know of so many of my peers who got degrees and will never use them. There are so many worthless degrees out there that sound cool but the reality is having a degree that costs $50k+ interest in loans is probably not going to be worth it unless it is for Engineering, Medical, and a few other high skill, high demand jobs.

reply to post by jrod

They tell me America was once a land of opportunity.

They told the rest of the world you are the land of the free and home of the brave but America is still the land of propaganda and garbage.

Home to the most inmates in the world,home to more captive lions then there are lions free in the wild....go figure.
Hitler would envy your government.

reply to post by NotAnAspie


Rockwell, Collins Division, we made aircraft radios.

Originally posted by matadoor
reply to post by NotAnAspie

 

Rockwell, Collins Division, we made aircraft radios.

Oh, I was hoping you were talking about this guy...



Check out the newspaper... Is that Chinese or Japanese?

Clearly the guy was a genius decades ahead of his time for this song.

We must make a viral revisit of this right now!