In a low paying job Get off your duffs!I was listening to this talk show host on the radio, apparently they got to talking about min. wage jobs. Apparently it was about something that people wanted to pass in govt about raising Min Wage to a higher pay, because they just simply cannot LIVE on it. His response, an arrogant one was, "If you' re working in such a job, THAT ALONE should be motivation to get your butts into a HIGHER PAYING job!!" Apparently, our m isery workingin a crappy low paying position, should be motivation for us to pursue HIGHER Paying jobs. There are a lot of people who still don' t get it - decent jobs are hard to come by! There are more workers than jobs, and experienced, well educated, well trained job seekers are taking minimum wage jobs simply to keep a roof over their heads. However, these ostriches have never been through it and refuse to see what' s right in front of them. They seem to have missed every newscast, newpaper, magazine and website for the past 10 years or so, and still think all you have to do is go in to an employer' s office building, ask to see the HR Manager, fill out an application and report for work. A lot of people embrace the notion that "If you just work hard enough, success in your career will follow." Of course, generally people who state this sort of thing I' ve found either A) Have never worked at a low-paying job like fast food, retail, construction, and so on, or B) Based this line of reasoning on their experiences 40 years ago. If you' re working a low-paying job such as the ones I' ve mentioned, just working harder can get you absolutely nowhere. For one, workers are really treated more as commodities than as potential managers...just shining as a cashier seldom gets one into corporate America. These jobs are also HARD WORK. Also, if you' re not making a lot of money, you' re likely working more than 30-40 hours a week or have two jobs...where do you find time to interview? And when you do, experience in these fields aren' t terribly big resume-builders. A good book on the subject is "Nickled and DImed to Death" in which the author (a well-educated and successful woman) tries to live on minimum wage type jobs such as waitressing, Wal-Mart employee and cleaning service worker. Her insights are excellent as she unravels the mysteries of why people in these positions just simply don' t "find a better job". My workplace is a perfect example of "working class poor" who are very young and should be pursuing higher-paying jobs. But they' re not doing this because they are scared or lazy. They have it made in some ways. Our boss is very lenient because the workload has slowed down in recent months. We do not have that many clients any longer and the ones we have tend to use our services for a while and then move on. The working environment is very nice and the hours are part time and flexible. Actually - I am talking about a couple of young women who are considered more or less permanent staff members.They' re from the ghetto and related (cousins and sisters). I think they have so many family responsibilities that they are concerned about getting involved in serious higher education and qualifying for real career opportunities. They are stagnant; they are overwhelmed. You know what you have, they feel, but you do not know what you would be getting into. Briefly, they are afraid to take risks. Only when they get a little older and their support systems in their families are dwindling and they are beginning to live a life of serious deprivation and poverty, will they make necessary changes! You have to hit rock bottom before you can move up. If I had a job interview while I was working some pissant 2-bit job at Lowes or HomeDepot or Office Depot, I'd tell my supervisor I need a certain day off for a job interview (yes, I'd tell them I have an interview) Typically, I would THINK bosses at these min wage jobs would understand that a 35 year old man would need a REAL job and say "Sure, go ahead, good luck!" If they are arseholes, and prefer to keep me there shackled to the HomeDepot, I'd tell them, "Sorry, but I have an interview" and not show up that day for work. Or, even better, call in sick (Of course I won't be sick I'll be at an interview where the job pays 2 x as much). Any one know of retail supervisors that let their employees take a day off for a "real job" interview? What is it about companies. It seems as though the lower the pay the more demanding the job. It seems as though when the pay is higher the less demanding the job is. What is the reason behind that. Yeah, believe it or not, one time I was "let go" from a min wage MALL Job after my 30 day probationary period due to performance in 30 days. lol....But when I worked at a Govt job, I lasted over 2 years. IT's weird like that. As for "asking for a day off" that is often easier said than done for someone just getting by...everything from the lost income, a wardrobe with no budget for interview clothes, to managers who simply say ' no' , to child care and transportation issues can get in the way. I' m not saying that someone in this position CAN' T do it, but most people don' t recognize how difficult it can be for a person in poverty to even get in the door for the interview. | |
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