Job Security
by My grandmother once told me that I was lucky to be young. Lucky that my whole life is ahead of me, full of opportunities and exciting propositions on the horizon just waiting to be taken advantage of. In her glowing recount of her youth, however, I think my grandma conviniently omitted the facts that really effect me as a young person. She forgot to tell me that it seems to be a law of nature to give young people employment that aims well below their intellectual ability, coupled with the fact that in order to somehow circumvent this law, a peice of paper with the word "DEGREE" in gilded calligraphy across it must be in your possession. I have no such possession, and am therefore subject to the aforementioned law. I've sustained my present employment for close to two years, and although I'm satisfied with the status, I wonder if I could be doing better. My job offers many perks that are quite savory: 1) Distance from home-about 2 miles(or five minutes), this allows me to go home for lunch, which any spendthrift would recomend, 2) Flexibility; I usually have no problem getting time off, 3) Family environment; I had a car accident over a year ago and my boss actually offered to pay for the damages because she knew I was running short on cash, 4) Challenges; I learn new things consistenly, and really have to apply myself to master new skills. Now, the above list may imply that I really like my job, and sometimes I do- - This week, however, is not one of those times. Our receptionist is on vacation and I have to assume her job until next Tuesday. That fact of itself is mildly annoying - that I have to put on hold all the work that I've been doing to take over someone else's job. That cycles back to my original thought of youthful employment generally sucking. Since I'm the youngest at my office, it's thought that I can just be placed in whatever position my services are most required, be that receptionist, secretary, or garbagewoman(THAT's an interesting story). My point is, to get a good job, experience is required, but in order to get that experience, you need the job, so the cycle is never conquered. So the question is: Do I quit a job I know I moderately like to run the risk of getting another job that I may completely despise? How do you find a job that you know you'll love for the rest of your life? Is such a job possible? The previous has been the ramblings over hot chocolate at 10am, I hope you were stimulated.
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33 Comments
ever watch the movie "the hudsucker proxy?" theres a good sequence at the beginning of that movie showing the endless loop you talked about. even though you make a point about needing to be older to get respect, I think i would rather be young and broke than old and in the money though. plus being older doesn't automatically get you the respect, you still need to constantly prove yourself, but you do get the benifit of the doubt more than a young person would.
Todd told me about the same movie; I haven't seen it, but I may need to make a rental. Is it similar to "Office Space"? Because I think that accurately depicts my job.
I doubt it's anything like office space. its an artistic type of movie, its really cool, definitely worth watching. todd watched it over my house last week, it was the first time in years i had seen it, but its so good, definitely rent it
I LOVE that movie! just like everyother movie too...right matt?
haha office space, thats exactly what i want to do. But i actualy get to throw computers on the floor, break printers, and throw hardware around like its my boss :)
i was definately stimulated. my tendrils coiled.
hmm.. work.. i sat there thinking such a thing not to long ago..
i thought to myself why do i work.. why don't i work for 6months..save as much money as i can and leave this country and do like a 6 month backpacking across the world.. i thought to myself why don't i do that.. i'm young.. lets migrate somewhere ever so often.. there's only two things.. two small things stopping me from doing that.. 1) i feel that if i quite work,school i wont have enough money to start a wonderful financially free family 2) no one would ever want to do that with me.
so if you're a wild and crazy person willing to drop everything you have now.. and go on an adventure.. please let me know.. only seriuos adventures need apply
I'm actually planning a backpacking trip in October. But I don't like birds.
that's a cool idea, but its nuts to do that if you can't afford it
The train ticket is around $500, and hostels are free to $5/night. It shouldn't be too expensive. You just have to budget.
last time i checked there wasn't a train that cirumvented the entire globe. must be some new fangled globular train or something. i think that if you spent 6 months traveling the world, its gonna run you a couple grand... at least $7,000 - $20,000
I'm sorry - I meant just Europe. The Eurotrain.
Hotels are free to 5 bucks? I'm interested in NEW ZEALAND !
Not HOTELS, HOSTELS. Big difference. yha.org/uk
for a second there i thought you said "brothels" ... dang
what the heck are hostels... i tried going to that site. but server not found.
hostels don't sound too friendly. Hostels are a very cheap way of finding shelter. You stay in a one room house big enough to fit....ohhh....20 cots or so, and everyone else sleeps on the floor, and you can stay real cheap or for free. People cook you breakfast in the morning, and at night--free of charge also. It's an awesome thing, it's almost like what the new system would be like, you know?
Do i get a complimentary mint on my pillow ?
It's not supposed to be luxury...it's just a place to sleep that's safe and warm. Ever watch "Road Rules Europe"? They stayed in hostels. Some are pretty nice.
a complimentary mint is not luxury... a complimentary aromatherapy massage.. now thats luxory.. a complimentary mint is more GENOROSITY
R-E-S-P-E-C-T...THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO ME!! SOCKITOMY, SOCKITOMY, SOCKITOMY!!
Ramble, ramble, ramble. Stop clouding up my journal entry with drivel. You can talk, but all you do is moan.
I dont drivel...because there isnt any point system anymore, so its not drivel.....
Without the point system it's the epitome of "drivel" -
2. Inarticulate or unmeaning utterance; foolish talk; babble.
3. A driveler; a fool; an idiot. [Obs.] --Sir P. Sidney. *
*Dictionary.com
number 3 really applies to gfs
Which one applies to you?
number four--- none of the above
Are you talking about funky??
im talking about any one but you
so that would mean......
Well at least you work in a nice cozy enviroment. I work as a intern for the past 2 years full/part time ( and interned for 2 summers before that)and have watched over 700 people lose their jobs at my company. I worked their at the high time when money was thrown around like cash to now see people who are very productive and needed getting fired just so we can make stockbrokers see a profit. Not only that but it seems i won't be even getting a job here because they are not hiring anymore. I really don't mind it that much cause i could always be a person that got fired after 10 loyal years there and have to start all over again finding a job while trying to take care of a family.
This is just how things go, nothing is secure anymore in the work place. I am sure that degree would help but there is always people unqualified but have so many degrees and certs they some how get a job they are incompetent for and yet become your boss. I think thats how things go these days. If you like it stay but be prepared to maybe to not get promoted at all and be stuck their for the rest of your life. Or take hold of your life and go find another one. I have asked myself the same questions to how will i find a job i like. Welp the answer is you can't. Look for something that suits you and try it out. If it doesn't work out go elsewhere but don't stay unhappy forever. The nature of the bussiness these days is not to stay at any one job anyway.
i totally understand. somehow manual labor factored into the "receptionist" position. remember over the summer when i was carry boxes, carpet, and wallpaper into the [unsturdy] attic in my office? I'm sorry, di...
there used to be company loyalty to their employees, and employee loyalty to their companies, but things have changed, as others have already talked about.
the most important things in a job (to me) are: friendly working environment, challenging work, learning new things, flexible hours, and internet access. haha.
my current job - which i've been at for over 5 years - gives me all these things. i have seriously thought about leaving more than once, mainly because i got bored, and felt i was underpaid. but, i've stuck around. the job has changed a lot over the years, and i've gone through different positions, and seen about 80% of the employee-base come and go.
but, i have a great boss, great coworkers, a flexible schedule (4 days a week, come in at 10am), i'm well respected, i'm always learning new things, and although at time the work can be monotonous, it can also be exciting sometimes. and of course, i still have unhindered internet access, haha.
so, basically what i'm saying is that the most important thing about a job is that it meets your requirements, and you're happy working there. if working there makes you unhappy, then i'd say it isn't worth it. figure out what your list of important things are, and compare them to your job. if you feel that you might be better off working somewhere else, then start looking. don't just quit. look around, go on an interview or two, and feel out some other jobs. see how other companies work, if you can. every single job is different. and hey, if you find that perfect match, then let your current employer know, and see what happens. ain't nothing wrong with checking out other options, and often your employer won't begin to think about how important you are to the company until you tell him you've got another offer.
anyway, sorry about the ramble... just wanted to write this all down - for future reference!
excellent ramble