Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Need Not Apply

If I can properly tweak this flux capacitor- and get my hind quarters back to the year 1985- I have a useful message to deliver.

If you are unwilling or unable to be a technician or specialist of some kind, you’ll need a Plan B through Plan Z on how you will earn your daily bread. The days where salaried employees spend considerable chunks of time bored out of their skulls (while on the clock) are rapidly reaching the finish line. Government jobs will be protected from this until either: 1.) Politicians have the guts to tell their constituents the truth and take necessary action, or 2.) Wide ranging anarchy on a global scale and the dissolution of the current systems government, finance and all relevant institutions. (On a lighter note, Keeping up with The Kardashians may be renewed for another season)

The reason is incredibly simple.

The creation and the rise of the modern day corporation happened because it made economic sense. The Industrial Revolution, mass population migrations and various standardizations across a spectrum of industries meant groups of “employees” would be necessary to provide these new markets with what they needed. If this meant some employees had extended “down time” during their work day- so be it. The market could support this because it couldn’t wait when needs arised. Temporarily short-handed companies that couldn’t meet the markets demands went out of business so they needed a roster of full-time employees.

If you haven’t noticed, things have changed a bit. Information Technology obliterated almost the entire model.

A sizable and growing portion of the specialized labor necessary to support the demand of the market can be provided on an “as needed basis”. Unless your occupation requires your physical presence in congregation, you can hardly expect to be paid for 40 hours because you’re there 40 hours . This change has already been underway for several years and, like Arnie The Terminator, will not stop.

The reason there is a 100% chance this will continue is because of money. Money gives us the illusion of security and that is something we all desperately cling to. It’s more important to us than anything, this concept of security. I say “illusion” because there is an endless list of things that money is powerless to protect you from- but it does cover the rent, toothpaste, basic cable, $8,000 weddings and a handful of other needful things. And money will ensure that money isn’t spent on things that are not necessary (That means you Mr. $120,000 a year Marketing Manager who uses the word strategic all day..and millions of other jobs that sound just like that one).

Unless you are uniquely brilliant and ambitious, you might want to learn how to do something that people want or need. Getting a four year degree in “business” may be entirely useless unless you’re wildly charismatic AND ambitious OR you’re in the business of repairing flux capacitors or silencing Terminators.

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