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When I wrote "jobs that are beneath them", the quotes around this term were meant to imply sarcasm and I was stating that some people would be employed, possibly with meaningful work, if not so many of us were dreaming of posh office jobs. I don't look down on any honest, purposeful work, and I am grateful for all the people doing dirty, uncomfortable jobs so that the rest of us benefit from such work.
What I don't like is unbridled immigration to fill such spots, and I implied one of the reasons some Americans are jobless is because of unbridled immigration.
If your family is made of European immigrants, then I am grateful for their work. If your family is part of the masses of recent immigrants who have no loyalty to or love for this country and came here to sponge off the initial work of Europeans, then I am not so grateful generally, regardless of the work they do. Sorry, I don't have gratefulness for the entire world's inhabitants, particularly those who are hostile to my own country and displace those once employed and living in it.
I'm not a zero sum guy that says there are only "X" number of good jobs out there, but there are too many people chasing too few good jobs.
For some, once they get the "good job," they end up not liking it for whatever reason. I made $52,000 at my last job - which just turned over to hourly. Even on salary, I rarely got an after hours call and if I did, it was something I could usually answer in a couple minutes. If we did have a weekend event, we usually got comp time for it.
My current position is a step up in terms of title and I went $60,000/year, but I worked both days this weekend, on site. The hours are worse, and it's not the right fit at all. Even though I've moved up, I'm not happy about it.
DownHill, I think we are communicating on two different channels. There's been a lot of crap in this thread about entitled tech workers who sit on their asses all day shooting of emails to no end with little respect for those who do more manual labor. My family has made its living off of tech for the past twenty-five years. We paid for our degrees by doing exactly the kind of work some here think we disdain. Nothing could be further from the truth. But tech is real work, and every single day those on the lowest rungs of the ladder to the highest echelons benefit from the work tech workers perform do to keep the banks on-line, movies streaming, grocery store shelves stocked, and emergency services operational, among many other essential and non-essential services. It's not as visible as the person actually carrying the boxes of cereal and placing it on shelves at Walmart, but it's still important, and things would come to a screeching halt if the key-tappers stopped doing what they do.
Last edited by randomparent; 06-27-2016 at 01:20 PM..
I think one of the biggest changes to "getting ahead" is globalization. Companies in a heartbeat will move a factory or business to another country. Millions are saved and shareholders and CEO's make money while those that lose their jobs are the ones that suffer. Companies get bought out all the time. My husband is going through a midlife crisis of sorts with his career in energy. He always thought at his age he'd be in a solid company with security but the opposite has happened. His first two jobs out of college last 9 years and 5 years respectively, but since then his jobs have lasted an average of 3 years due to company buyouts and layoffs and the downturn in the industry. He has reached a point where he realizes he will never be more than an "individual contributor" which is pretty depressing for someone who always felt he was going to be in a leadership role.
Do you have prove everyone is trying to get ahead?
Well I probably am but not by much.
A job is just a job do your 8 hours, pay the bills, then go home and enjoy the weekends off.
DownHill, I think we are communicating on two different channels. There's been a lot of crap in this thread about entitled tech workers who sit on their asses all day shooting of emails to no end with little respect for those who do more manual labor. My family has made its living off of tech for the past twenty-five years. We paid for our degrees by doing exactly the kind of work some here think we disdain. Nothing could be further from the truth. But tech is real work, and a every single day those on the lowest rungs of the ladder to the highest echelons benefit from the work we do to keep the banks on-line, movies streaming, grocery store shelves stocked, and emergency services operational, among many other essential and non-essential services. It's not as visible as the person actually carrying the boxes of cereal and placing it on shelves at Walmart, but it's still important, and things would come to a screeching halt if the key-tappers stopped doing what they do.
When I said "tech, tech, tech," I was not discrediting tech at all! Again, what I was implying was that the reason many are disgruntled is because many are gunning for the same damn field as the next guy, especially if it's an in vogue job, that appears glamorous, instead of actually seeking a field in which there is plenty of work to do with decent pay and a shortage of workers.
I have not disagreed with any of what you say! Perhaps I didn't explain myself as best as I could.
I don't look down on manual labor, tech work, or any work for that matter!
It seems everyone wants to move up the ladder, get a raise, a bonus, all that. You ask young people these days what they're doing in life and many say "I'm focusing on my career" -- whatever that means. But if you think about it, don't we need the majority of people to be worker beers? It's not possible to have an economy where everyone gets paid 6 figures to attend meetings and blast off emails. There are thousands and thousands of MBA grads every year and if they're all going to shuffle papers, then who's going to actually do productive work?
True, it can't be everyone. As long as I get to move up and make six figures, I'll be okay with everything else.
It seems everyone wants to move up the ladder, get a raise, a bonus, all that. You ask young people these days what they're doing in life and many say "I'm focusing on my career" -- whatever that means. But if you think about it, don't we need the majority of people to be worker beers? It's not possible to have an economy where everyone gets paid 6 figures to attend meetings and blast off emails. There are thousands and thousands of MBA grads every year and if they're all going to shuffle papers, then who's going to actually do productive work?
That's why you pick something you like to do or believe in.
If you love to cook and you're a pastry chef and you get surpassed for a promotion by somebody who is less hard working than you, yea, it sucks, but you still love what you do.
If your co-workers are annoying and one of your supervisors is a jerk, and you save puppies from being euthanized, you're still saving puppies from being euthanized.
If your whole goal is to move up the ladder and/or make more $, and overtaking everybody else for no good reason except to be better than everybody else, then if you fall short, your job just plain sucks all around.
It seems everyone wants to move up the ladder, get a raise, a bonus, all that. You ask young people these days what they're doing in life and many say "I'm focusing on my career" -- whatever that means. But if you think about it, don't we need the majority of people to be worker beers? It's not possible to have an economy where everyone gets paid 6 figures to attend meetings and blast off emails. There are thousands and thousands of MBA grads every year and if they're all going to shuffle papers, then who's going to actually do productive work?
Not everyone focuses on superficial things. I have known plenty of people making great money who were broke all the time. The people who really "get ahead" are the ones who manage their finances, plan for the lifestyle they want to lead, and work toward that goal. If bleeding $500 a week on restaurant meals and cab fares is your thing, go for it. For many other people, that lifestyle is just a nuisance.
If everyone is trying to get ahead, won't most end up disappointed?
That's like saying, "Why play the game if you don't know you'll win?"
Because you can't win if you don't play at all.
Silly.
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