Maybe I'm just an old man, but...
Ok, so earlier, a friend of mine posted this comic strip where a man tries to get a number of increasingly ludicrous jobs and eventually has to settle for working at Wendy's
http://imgur.com/a/mTWpc
Now, the the strip is a very poignant and sad illustration of the futility of how hard it is to get a job in today's day and age. It can be very frustrating for some people, and unemployment effects people in more ways than just in the pocketbook.
That being said: I have no fucking sympathy for the guy in this strip. At all.
Ok, don't get me wrong, I have sympathy for people that are looking for a good job, preferably something in their field. But sometimes, you just have to suck it up and get the job you don't want, the job you hate, but the job you need before going out and trying to get your extremely limited and low demand but high paying job that your soul cries out for. I have seen so many people do exactly what this guy did, however: they whine and complain about there not being a job "for them" out there, when you know what, maybe flipping a burger or stocking a shelf IS the job "for them" right now. Granted, my friends were not trying to get a job as a walrus or a fog horn, but the gist is the same. This guy should have been getting that job at Wendy's in the first panel, the second at the latest. Yeah, It's not glamorous, but hey, it get's money coming in, it shows employers that you are employable, and hey, free Baconators! An old saying goes: It's a lot easier to find a job when you already have a job. And for those that feel that working in Fast food or retail or some other service industry is beneath them, guess what: when the rent comes due and those bill collectors start calling and your significant other starts making overtures about leaving you because you aren't bringing anything to the relationship, then those jobs are going to look a lot better.
A long time ago, I had someone in my life that constantly pushed me forward. That's awesome and all, but that's the thing: Forward was the only direction she knew. The thought of taking a job that she felt beneath the job you were at was repulsive to her. she felt that the only way to go was up and wouldn't accept that sometimes, when you are just ramming into a brick wall, you have to take a step back, change directions, and find a way around that wall. if I had listened, if I had stayed where I was and kept slamming myself into that brick wall, I wouldn't be here today, with a job I actually like, and in a place where I can do the things I want when I want to.
Unemployment sucks. I've been there. I've done the scrounging for loose change so that you can find enough to get a combo meal or at least some ramen. I've done the sell your possessions off on ebay just so that you can hopefully make rent next month thing. I've suffered the embarrassment of having to ask my parents for money because I don't have change to wash my clothes and go out and job hunt. But during that time, I kept things realistic. I knew that sometimes, you have to go back to the bottom in order to work your way to the top again.
Dreams are wonderful things to have. They can keep you going and be your guiding light as you slog your way through the hell that is every day life. But you can't let them take control of you. You can't let yourself get in the mind set that says that nothing less than your dreams is acceptable. Achieving your dreams in one fell swoop almost never happens in real life. in real life, achieving your dreams takes baby steps, crawling, stumbling, setbacks, and most of all, patience. You know what my first job was after getting off active duty in the Marines was? Burger King, serving food to the Virginia Tech's student body at it's absolute worst: 2 AM and the bars just closed. I hated every second of it, but I stuck with it until I found another job at the Virginia Tech Airport, and that kept me going until I got a job at one of the on campus dining halls. since then, I've had steps forward, and I've had steps back and guess what: I think I've turned out pretty all right.
Sorry if I bring anyone down with this.
http://imgur.com/a/mTWpc
Now, the the strip is a very poignant and sad illustration of the futility of how hard it is to get a job in today's day and age. It can be very frustrating for some people, and unemployment effects people in more ways than just in the pocketbook.
That being said: I have no fucking sympathy for the guy in this strip. At all.
Ok, don't get me wrong, I have sympathy for people that are looking for a good job, preferably something in their field. But sometimes, you just have to suck it up and get the job you don't want, the job you hate, but the job you need before going out and trying to get your extremely limited and low demand but high paying job that your soul cries out for. I have seen so many people do exactly what this guy did, however: they whine and complain about there not being a job "for them" out there, when you know what, maybe flipping a burger or stocking a shelf IS the job "for them" right now. Granted, my friends were not trying to get a job as a walrus or a fog horn, but the gist is the same. This guy should have been getting that job at Wendy's in the first panel, the second at the latest. Yeah, It's not glamorous, but hey, it get's money coming in, it shows employers that you are employable, and hey, free Baconators! An old saying goes: It's a lot easier to find a job when you already have a job. And for those that feel that working in Fast food or retail or some other service industry is beneath them, guess what: when the rent comes due and those bill collectors start calling and your significant other starts making overtures about leaving you because you aren't bringing anything to the relationship, then those jobs are going to look a lot better.
A long time ago, I had someone in my life that constantly pushed me forward. That's awesome and all, but that's the thing: Forward was the only direction she knew. The thought of taking a job that she felt beneath the job you were at was repulsive to her. she felt that the only way to go was up and wouldn't accept that sometimes, when you are just ramming into a brick wall, you have to take a step back, change directions, and find a way around that wall. if I had listened, if I had stayed where I was and kept slamming myself into that brick wall, I wouldn't be here today, with a job I actually like, and in a place where I can do the things I want when I want to.
Unemployment sucks. I've been there. I've done the scrounging for loose change so that you can find enough to get a combo meal or at least some ramen. I've done the sell your possessions off on ebay just so that you can hopefully make rent next month thing. I've suffered the embarrassment of having to ask my parents for money because I don't have change to wash my clothes and go out and job hunt. But during that time, I kept things realistic. I knew that sometimes, you have to go back to the bottom in order to work your way to the top again.
Dreams are wonderful things to have. They can keep you going and be your guiding light as you slog your way through the hell that is every day life. But you can't let them take control of you. You can't let yourself get in the mind set that says that nothing less than your dreams is acceptable. Achieving your dreams in one fell swoop almost never happens in real life. in real life, achieving your dreams takes baby steps, crawling, stumbling, setbacks, and most of all, patience. You know what my first job was after getting off active duty in the Marines was? Burger King, serving food to the Virginia Tech's student body at it's absolute worst: 2 AM and the bars just closed. I hated every second of it, but I stuck with it until I found another job at the Virginia Tech Airport, and that kept me going until I got a job at one of the on campus dining halls. since then, I've had steps forward, and I've had steps back and guess what: I think I've turned out pretty all right.
Sorry if I bring anyone down with this.