Growing up in the United States. Most of us, or the best of us learn to strive for the best. Competition is a good thing. We want to get the best grades in school. We play high school or college sports and strive to win our event our have a winning season. As we progress into Adulthood we concentrate on buying the best home we can afford or drive the best car. I am no exception to this, I prefer to have nice things to a point. I also believe if its not broke, dont fix it. Over the years I have worked at some futile jobs for some less than deserving companies, as well as have been hound dog loyal to some friendships that I should have never started in the first place. Anyway I have matured into a walking contradiction about life. My everyday clothes usually look like something that came from the free rack at the good will, but I have an almost paralyzing addiction to silk short sleeve summer shirts from Tommy Bahama. I also have an addiction for anything Ralph Lauren or Polo. It used to be Nautica, but they all got to looking the same so I gave up on them. When I used to show horses I could go 6 weeks and show 4 days a week and not have to go to the cleaners. I did not have to wear each shirt more than once, although I do have several that are the same color. I have a fetish for nice suits. As well. Few 40 year old men can wear a different Italian suit every day of the week and have their own tux. I can and all I do is look at them. I actually loathe going to anywhere I would have to wear one. I just like having them there. Recently I have been bored to death with the job I have had for the last three years. It started out as a real challenge and had great potential. Its also one of those exercises in futility that I mentioned earlier. I have never been a quitter and I blindly went along for too long thinking I could right the ship from below. Truth is sometimes one must have an owner, boss, leader, that does more than take up space, strut around and look pretty.
My recent quest for a new and challenging job has brought about frustrations and realizations. I have been very frustrated at the whole process in the first place. Three years ago when I boarded the sinking ship the job market was considerably better that it is today. Median salary available in the local job market was about $10.00 per hour. Now analysts may try and tell you otherwise, but when you put all the available jobs together in one pot thats what you get. There were pages and pages of them in the newspaper, online, and looking with the job service. This time around, three years later. The median salary available in the job market is around minimum wage $8.00 per hour. Dont even try to argue with me. Ive looked. There are hundreds of jobs listed college degree required for under $10.00 per hour. What I want to know is why. Why has the base salary being offered dropping. Is it because the job market is flooded with qualified individuals, if you ask anybody in the HR department at a company you will find thats not the case. Is it because there are so many college graduates that have never worked before they are not worthy of much more. Is it because outside influences are forcing both private and public sector jobs to hire part time pay less jobs. Is it because of the trend to hire free intern help and work them to death. I dont have the answer but I do have a few ideas. Mainly I think its because true manufacturing has left the United States. Working a good steady production job has turned into the least desirable form of employment in this country. Since high school most of us have been pushed into higher education with the promise of big salaries, management positions, and over inflated salary bases said to be available to those college graduates. In talking to HR departement managers I have heard some of the most amazing shit. One in particular said they just pick the least offensive college graduate and put a warm body in that position and hope they can eventually be trained to be an employee worth having. One was actually told by a college graduate employee that he had to quit because the job required too much of his personal time and he couldnt keep track of facebook during the day. One graduated with a masters in business and was incapable of making a business plan. Frankly folks if this is what we are turning out of American Colleges I am glad I am old and on the downhill towards retirement because I damn sure dont want to be here when that group is in charge. I have had a flawed view of the college process for a long time. Right after I started actually, taking courses not pertinent to your chosen major because they are required is a crock. Those classes should have been covered in high school. One recent study has shown that 70% of all college graduates have never had a job. They have never worked in the private sector, they have $80k in student loan dept upon graduation and are looking at working for $10.00 per hour.
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