ExiledInIllinois Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Really? Probably a dumb question, but why should someone strive towards 40 years of Walmart or Jewel/Osco? Shouldn't they aspire and work towards doing something more than just ringing up groceries by the time they're 60? Hard to believe aye? ;-) ;-) A butcher and store manager are honorable professions... Even the grocer ringing it up. Maybe that is the problem w/our culture. It is okay to run a candy store w/a MBA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdnlng Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hard to believe aye? ;-) ;-) A butcher and store manager are honorable professions... Even the grocer ringing it up. Maybe that is the problem w/our culture. It is okay to run a candy store w/a MBA... Even better if you spend 50 grand a year getting that MBA and can never pay back your student loans on what you make at the candy store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Probably a dumb question, but why should someone strive towards 40 years of Walmart or Jewel/Osco? Shouldn't they aspire and work towards doing something more than just ringing up groceries by the time they're 60? Some people would rather put in their 9-5 and then go home and enjoy family/life, and there's nothing wrong with that. My parents were exactly like that (and my mom still is). They never made work a priority in life for whatever reason, and they've made a decent living I suppose -- my mom still makes just slightly over minimum wage, and the work is hard and grueling, but she does it every day. That said, in general I've noticed that many people just expect their job will always be there and will always pay a certain amount, and that's where problems come in. You can't expect that you'll always make $15/hour cleaning bathrooms in an airport, for example. There definitely is a cultural problem in this country though. While cleaning a bathroom isn't really a difficult skill, this country seems to frown upon anyone who isn't college educated. The general thought is that you HAVE to go to college, which is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with learning a trade - carpentry, plumbing, electrical work are all good trades that can lead to high paying jobs (especially as more people just go to school, don't learn these things on their own, and end up having to hire them out all the time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hard to believe aye? ;-) ;-) A butcher and store manager are honorable professions... Even the grocer ringing it up. Maybe that is the problem w/our culture. It is okay to run a candy store w/a MBA... There's nothing 'dishonorable' about any of those professions. But there also isn't much skill involved in ringing up the groceries and unfortunately for the checkout clerk not much value in the position for the store owner either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TakeYouToTasker Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Some people would rather put in their 9-5 and then go home and enjoy family/life, and there's nothing wrong with that. My parents were exactly like that (and my mom still is). They never made work a priority in life for whatever reason, and they've made a decent living I suppose -- my mom still makes just slightly over minimum wage, and the work is hard and grueling, but she does it every day. That said, in general I've noticed that many people just expect their job will always be there and will always pay a certain amount, and that's where problems come in. You can't expect that you'll always make $15/hour cleaning bathrooms in an airport, for example. There definitely is a cultural problem in this country though. While cleaning a bathroom isn't really a difficult skill, this country seems to frown upon anyone who isn't college educated. The general thought is that you HAVE to go to college, which is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with learning a trade - carpentry, plumbing, electrical work are all good trades that can lead to high paying jobs (especially as more people just go to school, don't learn these things on their own, and end up having to hire them out all the time). It's a supply and demand issue, as most things are. The national push for all children to receive a college education has resulted in a circumstance where there is such an abundance of degrees that most employers will require one as a baseline standard for any sort of professional employment, where as 50 years ago most professions, including nursing, teaching, book keeping, banking, ect, required nothing more than some vocational training and certifications. A Bachelor's has become the new high school diploma, and in many professional circles, we are rapidly approaching a place where having a Master's is the new standard. In a world where having a Master's earns you a starting salary of less than 60k with the only hope of earning more being tied directly to professional development and individual growth curve, the person who lacks even an Associate's, or worse a high school diploma, will inevitably see their earning potential decrease as the worlds standards increase around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whateverdude Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 (edited) True competition began in the '70s, as that's when Japanese products started to be world class and began knocking the socks off lazy US industries. You are right but Japans resurgence actually started in the 50's under the tutelage of an American William Edwards Deming. Edited December 14, 2012 by whateverdude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Some people would rather put in their 9-5 and then go home and enjoy family/life, and there's nothing wrong with that. My parents were exactly like that (and my mom still is). They never made work a priority in life for whatever reason, and they've made a decent living I suppose -- my mom still makes just slightly over minimum wage, and the work is hard and grueling, but she does it every day. That said, in general I've noticed that many people just expect their job will always be there and will always pay a certain amount, and that's where problems come in. You can't expect that you'll always make $15/hour cleaning bathrooms in an airport, for example. There definitely is a cultural problem in this country though. While cleaning a bathroom isn't really a difficult skill, this country seems to frown upon anyone who isn't college educated. The general thought is that you HAVE to go to college, which is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with learning a trade - carpentry, plumbing, electrical work are all good trades that can lead to high paying jobs (especially as more people just go to school, don't learn these things on their own, and end up having to hire them out all the time). Agree completely with the bolded. The key is, for those positions the person actually has a marketable skill which is the reason the jobs actually pay well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koko78 Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 (edited) Agree completely with the bolded. The key is, for those positions the person actually has a marketable skill which is the reason the jobs actually pay well. There's nothing wrong with having a menial job. Hell, I'm proud of my cousin that she has a part-time job at McDonald's so that she can help feed her children. She is in her 30's and her husband works full time as well. There is no shame in doing what you have to do to make ends meet. The problem comes with this entitlement mentality that people with no job skills who are doing work that a trained monkey could accomplish seem to think that they deserve far more than their labor is actually worth. Edited December 14, 2012 by Koko78 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomato can Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/13/flight-attendents-for-hong-kong-airline-threaten-to-not-smile-serve-alcohol/ The union is also considering working to rule, which involves doing no more than the minimum work required in contracts and precisely following safety regulations. Such tactics could include strictly enforcing size limits on hand luggage or waiting for all cleaning staff to leave the plane before boarding. The measures could delay flights by 20 to 30 minutes, Tsang said. Sounds to me like them union workers go above and beyond to meet the needs of the customers..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 There's nothing wrong with having a menial job. Hell, I'm proud of my cousin that she has a part-time job at McDonald's so that she can help feed her children. She is in her 30's and her husband works full time as well. There is no shame in doing what you have to do to make ends meet. The problem comes with this entitlement mentality that people with no job skills who are doing work that a trained monkey could accomplish seem to think that they deserve far more than their labor is actually worth. That's true. There's no shame in hard work, but hopefully at some point in time she can get skills that would allow her to get a better job if she wants a better job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Some people would rather put in their 9-5 and then go home and enjoy family/life, and there's nothing wrong with that. My parents were exactly like that (and my mom still is). They never made work a priority in life for whatever reason, and they've made a decent living I suppose -- my mom still makes just slightly over minimum wage, and the work is hard and grueling, but she does it every day. That said, in general I've noticed that many people just expect their job will always be there and will always pay a certain amount, and that's where problems come in. You can't expect that you'll always make $15/hour cleaning bathrooms in an airport, for example. There definitely is a cultural problem in this country though. While cleaning a bathroom isn't really a difficult skill, this country seems to frown upon anyone who isn't college educated. The general thought is that you HAVE to go to college, which is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with learning a trade - carpentry, plumbing, electrical work are all good trades that can lead to high paying jobs (especially as more people just go to school, don't learn these things on their own, and end up having to hire them out all the time). Totally agree. The part about not making work a total part of one's life is quickly fading. The part where an occupation is not salvation and one still make a decent buck to form and support a family. It is Christmas time again... We've distanced ourselves from the Bedford Falls model for the Pottersville scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 Totally agree. The part about not making work a total part of one's life is quickly fading. The part where an occupation is not salvation and one still make a decent buck to form and support a family. It is Christmas time again... We've distanced ourselves from the Bedford Falls model for the Pottersville scenario. I'm guilty of that -- I love my job (usually...) and find great pleasure and accomplishment in in. I told my wife that if we had won the $500M Powerball, I wouldn't quit - at least not right away. Maybe there's something wrong with me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 I'm guilty of that -- I love my job (usually...) and find great pleasure and accomplishment in in. I told my wife that if we had won the $500M Powerball, I wouldn't quit - at least not right away. Maybe there's something wrong with me.... No nothing wrong with you. You no doubt keep your vocation in perspective... You have your wonderful parents to thank for that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted December 15, 2012 Share Posted December 15, 2012 No nothing wrong with you. You no doubt keep your vocation in perspective... You have your wonderful parents to thank for that! I don't know, my job probably consumes about 60-75% of my life. I'm one of the first in the office and one of the last out, but I don't find that a burden because I love what I do. My parents say I work too much, and my wife schedules vacations on cruise ships far away from land so that I can't work when on vacation. I guess there's my balance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts