Do we deserve the job market we have?

[Bill Foster]

Do we deserve the job market we have?

There is a YouTube video that shows the chairman and CEO of General Motors, Daniel Akerson, bragging about the fact that 70% of GM cars will be made in China http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvl5G...ature=youtu.be . Yes, the chairman

[protus]

What did the average American do to deserve this?

the avg. American works more than what he should..so the rest "un average" Americans can sit back and enjoy the ride.....

[610Alpha]

You think taxes are bad here you should look at Belgium.

[jimmycthemd]

This is a discussion my family's had for several years. It seems that the government and society in general thinks we're too good for blue collar work. The emphasis for the last several decades has been to get a 4 year degree and a white collar job. This is great for some, but we're now in a dire shortage of skilled blue collar workers. We've sent manufacturing jobs overseas because the popular thinking is that manufacturing is not a good enough carreer for our children. I have no issue with folks wanting their children to have it better than we've had it. I DO have an issue with our country not having the infrastructure to be self-sufficient. Although global inter-dependancy is a fact of life these days, we should still strive to have the infrastructure to be self-sufficient in hard times as todays' allies could easily become tomorrows' enemies. Stating the obvious.

[610Alpha]

I have had similar discussions with coworkers. I believe in the UK (maybe triple sod or someone from the UK will chime in and correct me if I am wrong) during some point in a persons education they start testing the kids to see where their interests and talents lay to help guide them into a career that is fulfilling. Not everyone is meant for white collar work and not everyone is meant for blue collar work (some people are just to accident prone to have on a job site or lack common sense or both).

I have worked in both and I am currently doing white collar work but I still enjoy doing my own blue collar work, I only have someone do the trade work where I don't have the skill/knowledge to do it myself. I never found a blue collar career that made me feel like this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I will be putting on the tool belt tomorrow to help sheet the roof of my FIL's barn addition.

I hated assembly jobs...I was bored out of my mind and I could have sworn I was going to self-combust one day LOL. Kudos to those that can do assembly jobs that is the most mind numbing job. I hated feeling like a robot, could be why they are using robots in those jobs...it made me feel like my humanity was being stripped away.

[jimmycthemd]

Not everyone is meant for white collar work and not everyone is meant for blue collar work (some people are just to accident prone to have on a job site or lack common sense or both).

I have worked in both and I am currently doing white collar work but I still enjoy doing my own blue collar work, I only have someone do the trade work where I don't have the skill/knowledge to do it myself. I never found a blue collar career that made me feel like this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I will be putting on the tool belt tomorrow to help sheet the roof of my FIL's barn addition.

I hated assembly jobs...I was bored out of my mind and I could have sworn I was going to self-combust one day LOL. Kudos to those that can do assembly jobs that is the most mind numbing job. I hated feeling like a robot, could be why they are using robots in those jobs...it made me feel like my humanity was being stripped away.

I totally agree. The problem is that these days, at least here, most kids feel they're 'entitled' to the better jobs right off and stick their noses up at the other jobs. I now have a white collar job but started my life shovelling cow dung and, for a while while I was in the military, working part time at a slaughter house. There are jobs out there that I definitely not choose but am glad there's somebody out there willing to do them (cleaning septic tanks for one). What a lot of people don't realize is that a lot of these blue collar jobs pay pretty well if you're willing to work hard.

I'm like you. I've remodelled our kitchen myself, built our own furniture, built the deck on our house. If I have the time and skillset, I HATE paying someone else to do the work. Since I work in a cube farm day-to-day, I really enjoy being able to look at the physical results of those projects.

[610Alpha]

yeah these kids that come out of high school/college thinking they should be making 6 figures got sold a bill of goods.

I have been telling people I know (parents/teachers/voters) about Seth Godin's free pdf titled "Stop Stealing Dreams" it focuses on education. I learned that MIT offers past courses online for FREE. He was very thought provoking.

Kids need an appreciation of the various jobs that are done...my kids are already signed up for pooper scooper duty at their Grandpa's horse barn.

[Triple-sod]

I have had similar discussions with coworkers. I believe in the UK (maybe triple sod or someone from the UK will chime in and correct me if I am wrong) during some point in a persons education they start testing the kids to see where their interests and talents lay to help guide them into a career that is fulfilling. Not everyone is meant for white collar work and not everyone is meant for blue collar work (some people are just to accident prone to have on a job site or lack common sense or both).

Yeah, recently they've upped the school leaving age from 16 to 18 and by the looks of it the emphasis seems to be on getting them into a career. So basically it

[SCinPNW]

yeah these kids that come out of high school/college thinking they should be making 6 figures got sold a bill of goods.

I have been telling people I know (parents/teachers/voters) about Seth Godin's free pdf titled "Stop Stealing Dreams" it focuses on education. I learned that MIT offers past courses online for FREE. He was very thought provoking.

Kids need an appreciation of the various jobs that are done...my kids are already signed up for pooper scooper duty at their Grandpa's horse barn.

Thank you for mentioning the pdf by Seth Godin, I have downloaded it and started to read it, it is very interesting. From the little I have read I agree, our edcuational system is outdated and we truly need to sit down and think, especially as parents, what type of education do I want for my children and what type of people do I want them to grow up to be. Will the education that my children are currently receiving help them be the type of people that I hope and pray they become?

Here in the U.S. we are very fortunate as we have many options for our children, in particular, homeschooling which is illegal in many countries. We are no longer homeschooling our daughter as she is currently enrolled in a private school, however, I am still a huge proponent of homeschooling as I think it is a great option for families allowing them to provide their children with an education that the public school system cannot and will not provide. And as we all know, the future of our country is not only in our hands, but that of our children. Hence the reason (in my opinion) to make sure we raise our children up with the values and faith that we find important so that our children will not be lost in the ilberal/progressive abyss that is served up in large portions at our public educational institutions at all levels.

To answer the original poster's question, I guess in some ways we do deserve the job market we have because it is a result of the values, or lack thereof, coming from the politicians we have voted into office and the decay of our values and faith. As has been said up thread, we have a segment of society who works very hard and ultimately is supporting a growing segment of society who does not work at all or produces very little. We definitely have our work cut out for us to try and change this downward spiral.

Thanks for the great thread,
SC

[WiseOwl]

The one major thing that ticks me off about this economy and market is the attitudes. I run a retail store, I sell truck/van/SUV accessories and the such. Some things are a need, some are a want. I cant stand the guy that comes in telling me that I need to cut him a deal, states "well in this economy", complains that he can find product x on google cheaper, etc. and goes out in gets in his 2012 F950 with all the bells and whistles. God bless em if they can afford that but dont come in my store trying to cheap me down. I always ask them if they go into WalMart and tell the cashier that pitch. Or go in the car lot next door and tell them you are only willing to pay what you think that car is worth.

Then you get the folks that come in that are all USA USA USA, I only buy stuff made in the USA...blah blah blah. Well, keep a good bit of stock in that stuff and I offer tons of USA products. Well, when I tell them the price and explain why it is that high, they go for the china stuff and complain.

I always hear it takes a special person to work in retail and deal with the public. I am glad sometimes I am that person.