What is Reality?

For the second time in my life, I am dealing with severe underemployment. As a matter-of-fact, I have probably never really been adequately employed. I do have a Liberal Arts degree (gasp) and my major was in English (Ha! Ha! Ha!), but I have had trouble finding a good job with halfway decent pay.

My first stint with this was when I finally graduated college with my BA. It had taken a long time to work my way through school. Today it would be nearly impossible, because the University of Minnesota (where I went) has made it hard to go to college part-time. Back when I went, registration order was based on credits earned. Today, part-time students are always last to register for classes.

During my first bout of underemployment, I left my job in the nursery/landscape industry when I got my college degree. About that time, a certain George Bush was President and the USA attacked a country called Iraq with a nasty guy named Saddam Hussein in charge. Now years later, the names and places are the same during my second major bout with underemployment.

Over the weekend, I received a letter from the county regarding a job I had applied for. The job was Visitor Center Supervisor at a regional park. Having significant customer service experience, experience working for government, experience as a supervisor, and the fact that I am currently a volunteer park ranger (in a Federal Wildlife Refuge); along with my skills in outdoor sports/recreation, I was found by the people of human resources –to “not meet the minimum qualifications.” Had they read my resume and application??? I wondered how they came to this conclusion.

I have a few conclusions of my own. First, employers are currently in “weed-out” mode. This means that they are not looking at what you bring to the job as much as what fine details of experience, etc., that you don’t have. Second, the people hiring often have little idea about what the job entails or what the skills are for it. Third, they don’t care to find out. Fourth, the world is being run by a lot of cowards.

Why would I say that? Because the general trend in “letting someone go” now is to fire them as they are leaving or (this recently happened to a friend of mine) after they have left on Friday. This gutless tactic is now standard procedure in many companies.

In a semi-related situation, while the president of a certain “super power” likes to say things like, “bring it on,” if he was to meet a certain dictator from a now occupied country; one-on-one in a street fight, the dictator would pummel him! Lots of people like to act like they’re tough because of their jobs. Too many of them couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag if they needed to.

Finally, once the middle-class is finally squeezed out and there are only the rich and the not rich, this country is in for a world of hurt.