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My tool box is filled with US made tools, I could've bought Chinese for less but I did some legwork and bought US made. Believe it or not there are still some Americans who aren't selling their neighbors out.
I use my hands to type code but as far as I know I don't like working with my hands.
and why do you doubt it? Is it because I said that I was an A student? Do you by any chance belong to the bandwagon of people who don't believe a person like me could possibly NOT be stupid?
The ADD is at the root of everything. If I hadn't had ADD I wouldn't have been socially 'slow', people never would have been cruel to me, and there would have been nothing for me to end up traumatized with.
I collect and I have money saved in the bank. The copay for the pills is $40. The rest of the bill is paid by state-subsidized health insurance.
As another poster said-- I am almost wondering if you are using the ADD as a crutch for why you have not been "successful."
My mother is ADD-- she was an A student. My cousin is ADD-- he excelled in college, excelled tremendously in the military (special forces, multiple honors), excelled with super high As in a pre-medical program, and will be attending medical school in the fall.
Lessee-- my former boss's husband was ADD. He graduated with top honors from an engineering school, also excelled in his military career as well as professional career, graduated a couple years ago at the top of his class from a top 10 MBA program.
So really-- I never once knew people to think-- oh ADD means poor student performance and low intelligence.
andywire, Medical equipment is something I would not skimp on, but the reality is, for most corps, shoddy work from China plus repair costs are less than US employee costs with benefits. I would love to see US tax code changed, and be revenue neutral, where we all got taxed on our gross pay plus employer benefits, but the IRS rates were lowered to make the total collected neutral.same as now. That would mean an employee making 35k with benes worth 20k would pay more than one grossing 35k with benes worth 17k. It needs to be done, as we disconnected the user of the benes from the costs of the benes. McCain proposed it in 2008, but I doubt anyone has the guts to take this much needed step.
We're a throwaway nation-something Germany is not content to be. That means the Wal Mart mantra "Why Pay More" is representative of America, and for that reason, we need to get Employer Paid Benefit costs under control. Until we do, no positive changes will occur. Obamacare did squat, as it did nada to tackle costs, which is the true issue.
Exactly.
The European countries I have experience with (and I am talking living and working) are NOT like the US where we are almost like a country full of hoarders. We WANT stuff! We want stuff CHEAP! Why have 3 pairs of shoes when you could have a whole small closer FULL of shoes!
In France, you walk around a store and pick up every shoe and most of them will be from France, Italy, Portugal. You MAY find one or two from China. MAY.
The difference? A decent pair of shoes will be at least 100 euros. You can find cheaper stores with shoes around 40-50 euro. They may be made in poorer european countries. Of course then you have your MUCH nicer shoes that are still European at a much HIGHER price than 100 euro.
A few months ago I walked around Nordstroms-- and without fail all shoes I picked up were Chinese with the exception of some fugly italian shoes that were close to 200+ dollars. Even the "higher end" American shoes such as Cole Haan were all made in China.
Our cultures are vastly different. What we value is vastly different. You don't see the average French kid wanting a dozen pairs of athletic shoes that will never be used in any sport.
People understand and value products made in their countries per my experience. They celebrate the craft and history behind their products. Whereas the vast majority of Americans want to be able to acquire stuff.. the cheaper the better.
As another poster said-- I am almost wondering if you are using the ADD as a crutch for why you have not been "successful."
In light of the fact that I didn't discover I have ADD until last year, until my life was already in the toilet, I doubt it. I am merely looking back and trying to understand what went wrong. Also the fact that I am hispanic... Hispanic, ADD - quite an attractive employee indeed.
I already figured out what I want to do. I am just not getting job offers. **** not even job interviews
Well, then, do something you don't want to do until you get your dream job. Have you placed any bids for freelance IT projects? I don't seem to have too many problems getting freelance jobs. Check out Elance.com, Odesk.com, vworker.com. I am sure there are others. I prefer Elance. I have an account on Odesk, but I haven't been able to get hired.
Heck, since you clearly like to type, I would try mturk.com. Those jobs don't pay hardly at all, but every little bit helps.
In light of the fact that I didn't discover I have ADD until last year, until my life was already in the toilet, I doubt it. I am merely looking back and trying to understand what went wrong. Also the fact that I am hispanic... Hispanic, ADD - quite an attractive employee indeed.
All my hispanic friends are employed so I don't think that is a problem for you. Some are even employed in good jobs. Although, one of my hispanic friends is a stay-at-home mom right now. If you are bilingual, that should make you quite employable.
Maybe get live help rewriting the resume and sorting out the past.
Don't let the lack of interviews discourage you, just make sure you are lining up with the jobs as best you can and keep going.
All my hispanic friends are employed so I don't think that is a problem for you.
Depends on where they grew up. Let me ask you something. Do you think they are perceived as hispanic immigrants or as Americans who are hispanic?
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Some are even employed in good jobs.
Depends on what you consider a "good job".
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Although, one of my hispanic friends is a stay-at-home mom right now. If you are bilingual, that should make you quite employable.
It depends. Programming jobs in the US don't require me to know any languages other than English and C++. C++ is the same in English and Spanish so the Spanish is irrelevant. Also, I would have a hard time convincing an interviewer that given my education and work experience a customer service job (about the only 'entry-level' job where bilingualism might help) is what I had been waiting for. I could tell the interviewer something like "I got tired of writing code, and one day discovered that my true passion is providing information over the phone and assisting angry customers", but is he going to buy it?
15 million unemployed, so no andywire, employers are not unable to fill positions requiring intelligence. Call me when we have added 8 million more jobs, so the normal supply/demand ratio is back.
John Deere is doing ok, but many corps who outsource, make far higher operating profits in their US operations. Its not a one size fits all decision; the reality is clothing manufacturers and towel makers would be idiots to make it in the USA, while some products are more cost effective to make here. Carlisle Tires are coming back to America, and our subsidiaries have insourced many products from Asia to the USA..for monetary reasons solely.
The first questions to ask andywire to know where something will end up are (1) Is it labor intensive? (China has no edge on material costs), and (2) does it nest well? 40' container costs the same, no matter how many widgets can fit inside. If too few fit, labor savings are overwhelmed by container shipping costs.
If you want US mfg to rebound, as I do, you'd root for EXPENSIVE oil.which raises the cost of the 40' container, and makes products more material intensive, which reduces the percentage attributed to labor costs.
Bob, this is why I still recommend people to consider manufacturing. We have unemployment, and most shops still cannot find qualified staff to do the work. It's an anomaly, and perhaps some of it has to do with lower wages these days. Still a job that pays the bills, and with overtime, you can earn a pretty decent middle class income. We've been cutting machine shop classes in the high schools for years, getting rid of college technical programs, and telling all our kids to run elsewhere. Well guess what... Not enough skilled tradesman these days! This is likely the single greatest challenge for manufacturing in this country.
Clothing work won't be returning to America until they figure out a way to automate the processes. Most clothing from what I understand is still being done by hand. Since it is so labor intensive, it makes sense to have it done elsewhere, unless you want a high end item. We make plenty of other things in this country like silverware, napkins, toilet paper, the list goes on. That's because those items are not labor intensive, but heavily automated.
So, I don't see any reason for people looking for a career not to look into manufacturing as a viable option. I myself could have a job in almost any state in this country, even in places with 10% unemployment, because there are simply not enough skilled workers left anymore. We don't need anywhere near the labor force that was required in the 70s, but we don't have nearly enough to fill the current demand. The trick is, get the right skillset in what is relevant today. That means programming, maintenance, troubleshooting, welding, fabrication, things of that nature. The workers who do not updates their skillset will find themselves obsolete rather quickly.
Bob, I sent out resumes over the weekend. I have 9 people in 4 states wanting to speak with me in short order. Manufacturing is alive and well. There will even be a likely revival in the great lakes manufacturing scene, since China's water is too polluted for even industrial purposes. This is why we have environmental protection laws!
My tool box is filled with US made tools, I could've bought Chinese for less but I did some legwork and bought US made. Believe it or not there are still some Americans who aren't selling their neighbors out.
I bought a crescent wrench set last year, made in Michigan, standard and metric, for the whopping price of $8.99. They fit nice and snug, and are the most comfortable set I've ever used. Picked up an awesome fabricating hammer that feels light as a feather, and has lasted through heavy use for about 3 years now. Cost me 5.99 at the time. Wish I woulda bought more, cause it's also the best I ever owned. My Kennedy tool box cost about as much as a cheap used car, but I feel I have completely got my money's worth. I love American hand tools, although most of my precision tools are German or Japanese. I buy American when I can, but for some things, I believe we have lost our competitive edge.
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