Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Would You Like Fries With That?

While David Rochester was studying Bankruptcy and Civil Litigation at Harvard Law preparing to graduate at the top of his class last spring, he never imagined that he would return home, struggle to find a job and end up asking his clients, “do you want fries with that?”

“I have thousands in schooling debts that need to be paid,” Rochester noted, “Harvard isn’t cheap.”

Most law students end up with well over $100,000 dollars in student loans that must be paid upon completion of school. With the current economy, how are students going to pay that back if they are unable to locate a job?

David finally took whatever he was able to find, which ended up being “counter help,” at a local McDonald’s. According to David, he currently rings up orders, bags your food, and even cleans the bathrooms once weekly.

“I attempted to apply first with all the firms I knew, and even lowered my expectations by applying with firms that do not have the greatest reputation,” said Rochester. He ended up even attempting to take a job as a paralegal only to be informed that he was overqualified as a member of the Florida State Bar, and a resume that boasts a 3.98 GPA.

“It isn’t even that I was told I was under qualified for a position with a firm… it is just that the jobs aren’t out there right now,” he explained, “and I’m not the only one.”

Rochester went on to explain that most of the students from his graduating class he has kept in touch with are also struggling to find jobs in their area of expertise, and many are working at gas stations, low level firms, or small businesses.

“I understood that it would be difficult starting out. As a lower level attorney I anticipated that I wouldn’t get the best jobs out there, but I thought I would at least get something.”

With unemployment numbers soaring higher daily in most major cities, these types of stories become less, and less appalling.

Over forty-five percent of Miami’s residents are currently under-employed, according to the 2010 Census. This means that a large percentage of people are currently working in jobs that are far below their qualifications and pay rate they require to take care of themselves and their families.

“I’m trying to remain optimistic that this is just a phase, or that more jobs will become available as the economy improves,” Rochester laughed, “but I had a better job than this on summer break when I was sixteen.”

David said that he is still continuing to look for work, and has even began submitting his resume in neighboring communities and bigger cities. Until he finds a position available in his line of work he will be currently offering to upsize that number five at a fast-food joint near you.



Haha, gotcha. Please note that this story is completely fictional, although written in a journalistic format. The characters in question are not real, and are not based on anyone. All numbers, are purely fictional, and not pulled from anything real. In other words this article is just like Pamela Anderson... COMPLETELY FAKE. I just took the opportunity to poke fun at a few different things (satirically of course) in a new format.....You believed it though.... so what does that say?

Saturday, September 5, 2009

My Rebellion

Employment. It is suggested that having a job can make one feel that they are a useful part of society. So, how does one feel if they cannot find a job? Answer: like crap.

I spent the better part of the last four years climbing the corporate latter, running the corporate rat race, wondering who not only moved my cheese, but then took a flamethrower to it and roasted it to a hardened crisp....and everything between at a stuffy office job. I always felt very comfortable in my employment with that company, and to be honest- finally settled into ,what I thought at the time, was my dream job. Then, out of left field this company decided that I, as a person, was not worth their money.

The papers tell me that the job market is "challenging" right now. Maybe even more so than the ever defining depression of the thirties. Some companies are laying off, and can afford to be very picky when choosing between applicants due to the dramatic jump in options.

I am a very able bodied, well rounded applicant and consider myself quite a catch for any company. However, I was not fortunate enough to have the option to acquire a piece of paper saying I sat in a classroom for four to eight additional years learning things I will never actually need to know to succeed in any normal position.

Right now, I find myself competing with people that have associates degrees, bachelors degrees, and in some instances doctorates which are applying for data entry, and customer service jobs. I simply cannot compete with that. I actually came across a posting on a job board the other day where the employer was requiring a two year associate degree for a receptionist job. I am sure that extra training will come in handy when they get themselves in a tight spot playing tetris between transferring phone calls.

I have applied for hundreds of jobs in the past six months. I have only had TWO interviews. My resume was once considered quite impressive, but may as well contain only four to five words because apparently no one is reading it. With this in mind, I have made some small adjustments to my resume that I feel appropriately represent me. Please see example below.

____________________________________________________










My worth as a person
cannot be contained
to a single sheet of paper.



Please call for interview ###-###-####





________________________________________