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Not just grandfathers but this sounds like my fathers generation, he's in his early 50's and has his own firm but always said people without jobs need to just go walk in somewhere and tell them they need a job like it was some magical solution.
Another thing I find funny about the older generation is not only do they believe that you can just get a job that easily but then they also say things like "Well if you start working there you will be manager in a couple of years" lol like that really happens anymore.
One thing I definitely don't understand about some employers these days is the whole credit check thing, I had a friend back in VA recently tell me she was denied a $11 per hour job at Geico customer service because her credit wasn't that good, I mean who expects someone applying for a job that pays just a little above minimum wage to have spotless credit, background checks I understand and credit reports I would understand for well paying financial positions but for low end jobs it sounds ridiculous.
How many times do we hear on this forum alone about how people "just walked into a place and had a job that day." or "I got a job at the bottom and worked my way up?" There's no shortage of stories such as these which no longer reflect the modern economic reality.
Here are the sad facts: That lawnmowing job you had when you were a kid "back in the day" has been taken by illegal aliens. That old mill you got your first job at and worked your way up in? It's been closed for years and the jobs are gone, never to return. That white collar job you before you retired? That company sent most of its work overseas, though the vulture capital firm that bought them out make a lot of money gutting the place while laying everyone off.
Its funny because people really think our grandfathers had it that easy then, and couldn't possibly understand what they are going through now.
My granddad had a terrible time after coming back from WW2. He couldn't get any job in his town (due to racism) despite having a college degree at a time when only 10% of people in his town graduated from high school. There is a reason the guy in the video was an old white guy.
My granddad ended up getting a masters in Theology, became a minister and ran a corner store.
A bit of an exaggeration but I know in the 80's you pretty much had a job when you graduated college. The only ones who didn't were going on to graduate school or had a military (ROTC) obligation.
I wouldn't totally disregard it. One of my relatives who was born in 1919 talked all the time about her youth, and one thing she mentioned was a job she quit. She said in those days you could quit your job and have another job the same day, and that's what she did. I believe it. Her brother left Missouri at 16 and went to California and got a job in a shoe factory, worked his way up, got better jobs, and retired comfortably in California.
I have never known getting a job to be harder than it is right now. My first job was in 1973 when I was 16 and I was literally offered every job I ever applied for until the 2010s. Things are different now.
One thing I definitely don't understand about some employers these days is the whole credit check thing, I had a friend back in VA recently tell me she was denied a $11 per hour job at Geico customer service because her credit wasn't that good, I mean who expects someone applying for a job that pays just a little above minimum wage to have spotless credit, background checks I understand and credit reports I would understand for well paying financial positions but for low end jobs it sounds ridiculous.
It is not really about if it is "low end" or high end. It's really about if there is access to cash and credit. Those in debt are more likely to steal then those that are not. I used to do collections and I can attest that downward spirals can occur once debt starts mounting.
I'm not talking about a few hundred dollars here. I'm talking five five figures or more.
Even if it is not direct cash or credit card numbers it could be access to identification with SSN's and that attaches onto credit easily. Since so much is user based with id by default this does shut people out.
We live in a much different time, and if a person were to walk in off the street and ask for a job, most people would look at them like they had broccoli growing out of their ears, or something...
It is not really about if it is "low end" or high end. It's really about if there is access to cash and credit. Those in debt are more likely to steal then those that are not. I used to do collections and I can attest that downward spirals can occur once debt starts mounting.
I'm not talking about a few hundred dollars here. I'm talking five five figures or more.
Even if it is not direct cash or credit card numbers it could be access to identification with SSN's and that attaches onto credit easily. Since so much is user based with id by default this does shut people out.
You make a good point, I forgot about the fact that she would have been working inside sales at Geico and that requires you to get SSN's and other sensitive data from customers.
Sure but those were for menial factory jobs and other related jobs. Today's jobs requires years of schooling and experience.
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