So I have two jobs this summer. I work at an accounting firm where I basically push paper all day long. Its a job I feel like a sixth grader could do, but they pay me very well and I am very grateful to have the job. My second job is at a local family Restaurant where I wait tables and help out in the kitchen. after two weeks of work I have come to three life revelations:
1) I cannot spend my life in a cubicle
A lot of people work hard in college. They get good grades they work for their bachelors degree maybe they go to grad school, maybe they just enter the work force. They marry, have kids, place a down payment on a house and start a family. It is the American dream. They hopefully act responsibly save enough for retirement and hopefully a little extra to get their children through college. Though this is a fulfilling route for most (and no disrespect to those at all who pursue it) I realized it is not the path for me.
As I sit in my cubicle doing my work and my mind wanders I start to think: what if I had to do this for a year. Two Year? What about of an entire lifetime? A lifetime of pushing paper for other important partners helping the very wealthy and companies pay little to no taxes. Where is the fulfillment in that? Where is the satisfaction?
I have worked this job for about there summers now and I have come to realize that I hate working in a cubicle. First it is way too claustrophobic. There is little to know sunlight, and I am completely isolated from all human contact (other than the small jaunt to the water cooler or the bathroom). This maybe the path for some people, but frankly if I spent my life in a cubicle I might just breakdown one day and do this:
2) Madison's economy has taken a dramatic hit
Working at a pretty mid level restaurant I get a pretty good gauge of where people's spending is at. In good times the restaurant is packed and people are willing to buy big and leave nice tips (which is almost my entire income but I will get to that in a bit). Now I have only been back in the restaurant the past two weeks and the season is still early (my restaurant is primarily outside food service so weather does effect attendance). That being said there are significantly fewer people going out to eat.
Business is very slow, even on night where it should be jammed packed. I worked Sunday brunch this morning which is a always a huge seller and we were severely understaffed. We were waiting for the impending doom of the morning rush coming and the few servers running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but the rush never came.
Now when we suffered total collapse of the economy back in late 2008 Madison was doing better than most areas of the country. Why was Madison protected and why has it now fallen in harder times? The answers to both those questions is public-sector unions. With all of the school districts, government agencies, UW hospital, and the University of Wisconsin all in Dane county a fairly large percentage of our market have union contracts.
Now I'm not here to start a political fight of whether what has happened to public unions in my state is right, at this point that is for the voters to decide at the polls on Tuesday June 5th (PLEASE GO VOTE WISCONSINITES!!). Instead I am just sharing my observations:
- When the economy got hit hard the unions help keep Madison afloat
- Now that the unions are under attack it seems like the whole boat is sinking.
Food for thought...
3) I am very lucky to have just not just one job but two.
Several of my friends are home from college and now looking for employment. They have student loans to be concerned with or are trying to avoid them. What they are finding though more and more is there are no jobs. Seasonal jobs that were always covered by college and high schools students are being now being filled by parents trying to pick up part time jobs to just get by.
I will share a few stories just to give you an idea how what the job market is like. I am changing names to protect identities of my friends but their story is what is important.
My friend Ted worked at a prominent clothing store for three years. He was very proud to get his three year pin last summer when they thanked him for all his service. Ted went out of state for college and therefore did not continue working at this clothing outlet. He left with the assumption and security of knowing he would have a job when he got back next summer. Ted got home and went in to give the store his availability. They then informed him that since he has not worked for so long that he would have to be retrained. Since he is only home for three months the only 8 hours of training weren't worth it and he was fired. How is that for loyalty? Three years and a spotless record and Ted is told he is a liability.
My Friend Robin dropped out of school this semester. Since she decided to take a break she decided she needed to save up some money so she has assets when she wants to go back to school. She spent a month unemployed. She filled out 40 job Applications, ans visited the employment pool several times. She was dodged for interviews left and right, lead on and then rejected. Robin finally got a job at a coffee factory, but with tuition hikes and cost of living for Minneapolis going up she realizes she probably needs another job to get back on track and get back to school. The search has started again and it is just as unfruitful as before.
My Friend Lilly is a great student. She is double majoring in global studies and economics. She went to one of the best public high schools in the country and in college she took on heavy loads both semesters and pulled off an impeccable GPA. There is no reason anywhere wouldn't be thrilled about hiring her. And yet she got home to find nobody wants her. She has filled out approx. 30 job application and only gotten two interviews. She even applied to Chick Fillet... and was rejected (quite demoralizing when even Chick Fillet doesn't want you). She might spend the whole summer on Pottermore now because nobody wants to hire a college kid for three months when there are plenty of laid off adults willing to work to just get by.
I have several other stories like these and I hope they ring true to you. I think everybody know someone that is looking for work. This just goes to show that the recovery Obama promised never happened. Unemployment even roused this past month even as Obama has been slowly chipping away at it month after month. We need a massive stimulus bill to get the economy going again. It should be real domestic spending for average working-class people. The corporations and the rich got their tax breaks and the results are in. The jobs supply side economics were suppose to delivery never happened. Lets put these signs to real use:
Walker Lies again
I am not going to go on another Anti- Scott Walker rant again (If you want to read that go here.) Like I said people's minds are made up and it is time to see what happens at the polls on Tuesday, There was a news update that was just too important to let slide.
Scott Walker has been running one of the ugliest smear campaigns against Tom Barrett in Wisconsin state history. Watch this ad and Barret's response:
Now the quote he used is from a criminology professor. The quote makes Barrett look especially bad... too bad the professor was never talking about Mayor Tom Barrett. The professor held a press conference late this week where he said basically that Walker was misusing his quote and that Mayor Tom Barrett has no control over whether the Milwaukee police department is corrupting their crime statistics. I will end with this bombshell quote from Barrett on Thursday nights debate.
"I have a police department that arrested felons you have a habit of hiring them!"
Peace and Love,
Will
Expect a reaction post to the election Wednesday. Also Thank you all for your continued readership and support. If you like what I am doing here you can do three things to help:
My Friend Robin dropped out of school this semester. Since she decided to take a break she decided she needed to save up some money so she has assets when she wants to go back to school. She spent a month unemployed. She filled out 40 job Applications, ans visited the employment pool several times. She was dodged for interviews left and right, lead on and then rejected. Robin finally got a job at a coffee factory, but with tuition hikes and cost of living for Minneapolis going up she realizes she probably needs another job to get back on track and get back to school. The search has started again and it is just as unfruitful as before.
My Friend Lilly is a great student. She is double majoring in global studies and economics. She went to one of the best public high schools in the country and in college she took on heavy loads both semesters and pulled off an impeccable GPA. There is no reason anywhere wouldn't be thrilled about hiring her. And yet she got home to find nobody wants her. She has filled out approx. 30 job application and only gotten two interviews. She even applied to Chick Fillet... and was rejected (quite demoralizing when even Chick Fillet doesn't want you). She might spend the whole summer on Pottermore now because nobody wants to hire a college kid for three months when there are plenty of laid off adults willing to work to just get by.
I have several other stories like these and I hope they ring true to you. I think everybody know someone that is looking for work. This just goes to show that the recovery Obama promised never happened. Unemployment even roused this past month even as Obama has been slowly chipping away at it month after month. We need a massive stimulus bill to get the economy going again. It should be real domestic spending for average working-class people. The corporations and the rich got their tax breaks and the results are in. The jobs supply side economics were suppose to delivery never happened. Lets put these signs to real use:
Walker Lies again
I am not going to go on another Anti- Scott Walker rant again (If you want to read that go here.) Like I said people's minds are made up and it is time to see what happens at the polls on Tuesday, There was a news update that was just too important to let slide.
Scott Walker has been running one of the ugliest smear campaigns against Tom Barrett in Wisconsin state history. Watch this ad and Barret's response:
Now the quote he used is from a criminology professor. The quote makes Barrett look especially bad... too bad the professor was never talking about Mayor Tom Barrett. The professor held a press conference late this week where he said basically that Walker was misusing his quote and that Mayor Tom Barrett has no control over whether the Milwaukee police department is corrupting their crime statistics. I will end with this bombshell quote from Barrett on Thursday nights debate.
"I have a police department that arrested felons you have a habit of hiring them!"
Peace and Love,
Will
Expect a reaction post to the election Wednesday. Also Thank you all for your continued readership and support. If you like what I am doing here you can do three things to help:
- You can click ads. Many, many many ads. It brings a little income and helps me justify spending time on this blog.
- You can invite people to come read my blog. Spam your friends with the link. Once things get huge for me you can say you were there in the beginning and help me expand the readership
- you can friend me on G+ and send me feedback on the blog. I consider all of your comments and feedback and your critique improves my writing.
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