Well, I guess this is a question and it isn’t all at the same time.

With the current job market today, I really don’t understand how some of the bullshit works. You apply for a job and you can get a number or bad responses…thats pretty normal these days. But the responses that I really don’t understand are:

1- You are under qualified for this position..

Ok, that is understandable, but this next one:

2- You are over qualified for this job….

What in the fuck does that have to do with anything? I would think that would be a good thing, if you are OVER qualified, then that means the work should be pretty damn easy, most likely boring as hell but still, a job is a job and anyone would be lucky to have one right now.

It gets me because, companies always claim to want ”help” and are hiring, but then people apply, and they turn away the people who actually want to work, but they don’t get hired, they hire the dip-stick who doesn’t really want to work at all. Mainly because they know they can pay them less and fire them whenever the hell they want to.

Decent example. Friend of mine went to college, has 3 degrees(not sure what they all are, but I know one is in film), has been looking for a job for 4 years. Finally got a job….at Best Buy 4 months ago. But I can’t blame companies for that either on his behave cause part of why he couldn’t get a job is because of his own stupidity.

Anyway, I going to shut up now. I don’t except many to read this or even comment cause frankly, and i’m not making an attack on anyone, just stating how I feel…so if you take it as an attack then sorry, but it’s not; But frankly, not many people care or even bother to read, let alone comment if it has nothing to do with some form of porn. Same goes for photos. Most the time if it’s not something showing some skin, then it barely even gets looked at. But thats blogging for you. Yeah I probably just stabbed myself with a rusty knife for saying that, but I said what I said, I mean it and its my own opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, there are those who have always been here for me and others, that keep in contact but others, I barely even see at all, just once in a blue moon. I’ve said my peace. Don’t like it, then sorry, but thats me…

Greed is Terrorism

            Our modern society got whipped into an impossible to escape corner, where everyone is a victim to greed, even and especially the greedy themselves. 

            Politicians, oil company owners, religious leaders, any nation great or poor, and even crime and justice; every good aspect of life got polluted with the paranoia of those who would sue, those who would take actions in repercussions, and this overall feeling of on empowerment to take control of major situations and crisis in this world.

            Starvation, health care bills, reform, gas prices, any war that is going on, the actual terrorist and any extremist out there.  We lost value.  We lost a lot of major codes and ethics to be following.  We lost our sense of mannerisms and the importance of being a working functioning community.  We lost our ability to forgive sins and know that life will always go on.

            Everything I wrote so far, which probably is a bit confusing to digest and understand, is the accumulation of the nonsense plaguing some of my immediate friends and this country, as well as myself.

            We allowed debt and creditors to be a control factor.  We allowed everyone to be this pay to fix service and no guarantee that anyone can earn or have the money for any of these services.  A throw away and break down society.  A society that only hired people in part time droves and refuse to deal with benefits and health coverage.  A society that guns and feeds on other peoples lack of well being, education, and understanding.  A society that suffers from the ignorance of others, nonstop and constantly.  A society endangering itself to be annihilated.

            All in the name of pain, suffering, and material possession and obsession.

            All that is useless once you enter your grave. 

            So I continue to wonder what wake up call is needed to humble those whom stepped so far out of line that they need to remember why it is important to preserve humanity in masses.  Why should we rely on blood shed and sacrifice to make points?  What point in time do we consider the attacks on modern living a crisis? 

            Greed has destroyed this country in so many ways it isn’t funny.  I would end up writing encyclopedias of pages just to point out specific details.  Our over information world where there is no heads and tails anymore and everything is one giant greedy agenda after another is a formula for disaster. 

            The best way to resolve this problem is to enforce a unity and let all the self proclaim powers to be that the nonsense ends now.  Show force though non violent means.  Force the conscious of right decisions to be made.  The rest should fall into place.

            I’m definitely tired of the nonsense of job lost, hearing how hard work ends up meaningless and without proper results, how past sins can never be forgiven but we still just let people sit in rot mode without any answers or results to their needs.

            I’m also extremely tired of people’s rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness being violated in the mass droves that it has been.  Let’s work together united to end this plight of unemployment, under employment, better education, better banking and investing decisions, lowering the cost of living or making more people earn that cost of living, making laws to protect the masses, give reasons to never commit crimes rather than this ideal that deterrent is enough, protect peoples rights and ability to be self reliant, and stop with the constant inhibitions, oppressions, fears, paranoia’s, worries, concerns, and everything else under the sun, moon, and stars that creates this self perpetual spinning mass of disaster. 

            It’s also time to stop cowering behind all the vocabulary terms in distain to keep these ignorant agenda’s alive.  I don’t care what you call yourself.  I care what you are doing to help those upon the mass droves so everyone can live a better, happier life. 

            This is just a portion of the emotions I go through, when one friend fights to find employment, another friend is piss that more jobs are part time rather than full time, I’m fighting to make my bank account good and tired of the major lack of cooperation in just getting people to do anything with other people these days.  Let alone the possible passing of some health care reform bill where people will be fine $700 or $800 for not having health insurance, or how f’n high the cost of living became and every possible expectancy that exist out there but there is no guarantee or even a proper bone to begin a better growth process so these problems can be fixed and resolved.   

            Consider society a hand basket, and guess where everyone on earth will be going if we don’t start allowing common sense, will power, logic, a better forgiving game plan, and a united force to making this world better and more prosperous.  At this rate, we may as well make constitutional laws that protects a citizen’s right to an income source (one that will allow them to prosper and budget), and make it very clear that all people are equal and no one is exempt from whatever penalties place onto others, just because they aren’t upon some idiotic status of ignorance and greed.

            Basically people; greed is terrorism.  It will be the death of this country and the death of this planet if we don’t start putting those who stepped out of line back in their place.  Place in this case isn’t a specific noun position in life, but a position in life where your job is to make sure you help others prosper as well.

සති කිහිපයකට ඉහත ලේඛකයාගේ දුර ඥාතියෙක් මිය ගියේය. කිලෝමීටරවලින් පමණක් නොව සියළු ආකාරයෙන්ගෙන් කොළඹින් බොහෝ ඈත, දකුණු පළාතේ පිටිසර ගම්මානයක විසූ, ‘අමරසේකර මාමා/සීයා’ ලෙස හඳුන්වනු ලැබූ මේ ඥාතියා ලේඛකයා සමඟ හෝ ඔහුගේ පවුල සමඟ කිට්ටු සම්බන්ධතාවයක් පවත්වා ගත්තකු නොවේ. මේ ඥාතියා දුප්පත්ය. ඔහු තමන්ගේ හා බිරිඳගේ කුස පුරවා ගත්තේ කුලී වැඩ කිරීමෙන් ලද සීමිත ආදායමිනි. එතකුදු වුවත් ඔහු නොවේ අනුන්ට අතපාන්නට කැමති වූයේ, කරදරයකදීවත්. අළුත් අවුරුද්දට හෝ මුදලක් ඔහු අත තබනු හැකිවූයේ පෙරැත්තයකින් පසුය. ලද පමණින් සතුටු වීමට හැකිවීම උත්තම ගුණාංගයක් නම් ඔහු උතුම් මිනිසකු විය.

මේ ඥාතියාගේ අභාවයෙන් පසු එතෙක් කිසිවකු නොසිතූ තත්වයක් උද්ගත වූයේය. ඔහුගේ බිරියගේ යැපීම සඳහා ආදායම් මාර්ගයක් නොමැති බව කාටක් පසක් වූයේ හත්දොහේ දානය දුන්නාට පසුවය. (ඔවුනට දරුවෝ නොවූහ.) ඇය ජීවිතයේ කිසිදිනෙක රැකියාවක්, අඩු තරමේ ස්වයං රැකියාවක් හෝ කර නොතිබුණාය. සැමියාගේ ඉපැයීම් ඇගේ එකම ආදායම් මාර්ගය විය. කුඩා ගෙපැලක් ඉදිකර තිබුණාට අමතරව, ඔහු සතු ඉතිරිකිරීම් කිසිවක් වීය නොසිතමි. (අමාරුවෙන් එදා වේල සරි කර ගන්නා මිනිසුන්ට ඉතිරිකිරීම් සිහිනයක් පමණකි.) වයස අවුරුදු පනස් පහක මේ දිළිඳු නූගත් කාන්තාවට කවර ලෙසකින් නම් දිවි සුරැකීම පිණිස රැකියාවක් සොයා ගත හැක්කේද?

ඇයට හිමි එකම ඉරණම තම ස්වාමි පුරුෂයා අභිමානයෙන් පිළිකෙව් කළ අනුන්ට අතපා ජීවත්වීමේ මාර්ගයට අවතීර්ණ වීම පමණකි. කිසි ලෙසක ‘පොහොසත්’ යන විශේෂණය භාවිතා කොට විස්තර කළ නොහැකි ඇගේ ඥාතීන්ට එය අමතර බරක් වෙයි. දැන් ඔවුන්ට කරන්නට සිදුව ඇති කැපවීම අළුත් අවුරුද්දට දාහේ නෝට්ටුවක් හෝ සීයේ නෝට්ටු කිහිපයක් අතමිට මොළවනවාට කිහිප ගුණයෙකින් වැඩිය. වයස අවුරුදු පනස් පහක මහළු කාන්තාවකට අවශ්‍ය කුසට අහර පමණක් නොවේ. ඇගේ ඖෂධ සඳහාද මාසයකට නියමිත මිලක් වේ. මින් යම් කොටසක් රජයේ රෝහලින් නොමිළේ ලැබුනද ඊට යාමට පවා බස් වියදම් දැරුව මනාය. ඊට අමතරව ඈ ගිලන් වන කල්හි තනි නොතනියට කිසිවකු රඳවා තැබිය යුතු වේ. මේ සියල්ල මූල්‍යමය වටිනාකම් වලට පරිවර්තනය වන්නේය. ඒ දැරිය යුත්තේ ඥාතීන්ය. තමන්ගේද, තම දෙමාපියන්ගේද, තම දරුවන්ගේද, කුස පිරවිය යුතු, ලෙඩට බෙහෙත් ගත යුතු, කප්පරක් අමතර අවශ්‍යතාවලට උරදිය යුතු ඥාතීන්ය. ඒ තමන් දවසේ පැය අටක් දහයක් කඹුරා, ඉන්පසු තවත් පැය දෙක තුනක් බස්රියට දුම්රියට වියදම් කොට දුෂ්කර ක්‍රියා කොට උපයන සොච්චමිනි. ටික කලකට නොව අවම ලෙස තව වසර පහළොවක් විස්සක් ඔවුන් මේ බර ඇදිය යුතු වේ. මෙසේ පැවසීම අනුකම්පාවිරහිත කුරිරුකමකැයි කෙනකුට පෙනී යා හැකිය. එහෙත් ඒ වගකීම දරන්නට සිදු වන්නන්ට එය කිසි ලෙසකින්වත් ප්‍රසන්න කටයුත්තක් නොවේ. ඔවුන් මේ සමාජ කටයුත්ත කළ යුතු වන්නේ තමන්ගේ දහසකුත් එකක් සිහින ඊට යට කරමිනි. සමාජවාදය දේශනාවට වඩා භාවිතය ඉතා අසීරුය.

මේ හුදෙකලා ප්‍රශ්නයකැයි නොසිතමි. අද යම් රැකියාවකින් මුදලක් උපයන හැම කෙනකුටම පාහේ තම ආසන්නතම පවුලට (immediate family) අමතරව තව කටවල් කිහිපයකට ආහාර සොයන්නට සිදුවීම සාමාන්‍ය සිද්ධියකි. සමහරවිට ඒ මහළු දෙමාපියන් විය හැකිය. (රජයේ විශ්‍රාම වැටුපක් කියා එකක් තිබුණාට, අපේ රටේ විශ්‍රාමිකයන්ගෙන් 90%ක්ම ලබන්නේ රුපියල් 3,000ට අඩු මාසික ආදායමකි. මේ නිසා අති බහුතරයක් විශ්‍රාමිකයන්ට අනිවාර්යයෙන් අනුන්ගෙන් යැපීමට සිදුවේ. දරුවන් සෙවනෙහි සිටිය යුතු දෙමාපියන්ගෙන් මහළු නිවාස පිරී යන්නේද එනිසා විය යුතුය.) සමහරවිට ලේඛකයාට මෙන් දුර ඥාතීන්ය. සමහරවිට ආබාධිත දරුවන්, සහෝදරයන්ය. තම ලේ නෑයින්ගේ නැති බැරිකමට පිහිටක් නොවී ස්වාර්ථය සලසා ගත හැක්කේ අප අතුරින් ඉතාම ආත්මාර්ථකාමී සුළු කොටසකට පමණකැය සිතමි.

තනිව නැඟීමට පවා අසීරු කඳු ගැටයක් වන ජීවිතය තවත් කෙනකු උසුළාගෙන කෙලෙස නම් තරණය කළ හැක්කේද?

අපේ පැත්ත සම්පූර්ණයෙන් අමතක කොට යැපෙන්නන්ගේ පැත්තෙන් බැලුවද මේ පිළිගත හැකි තත්ත්වයක් නොවේ. තමන්ගේ බත්පත පිණිස අනුන් මත යැපෙන්නට කැමති කවර මිනිසාද? ගැහැණියද? තමන් “පිං” හැර නැවත යමක් සමාජයට නොදෙන බව දැන දැනම අනුන්ගේ යමක් බලපොරොත්තු වන්නට වීම ඔවුන්ගේ අභිමානයට පහරක් නොවන්නේද, විශේෂයෙන්ම අනුන්ට අතපා ජීවත් වීම අනුනොදක්නා සංස්කෘතියක් තුළ?

අපේ රටේ මේ ගැටළුව තවදුරටත් උග්‍ර වීමට හේතුව දිනෙන් දින වයස්ගතවන ජනගහණයයි. වඩා දියුණු වූ සෞඛ්‍ය සේවාවන්හි පිළිසරණ ලබන ජනතාව දීර්ඝායු ලබති. එහෙත් යම් වයස් මට්ටමකදී, ආර්ථික හා සාමාජීය හේතූන් නිසා ඔවුන් ශ්‍රම බලකායෙන් ඉවත් කරනු ලබති. මෙහි නොවැලැක්විය හැකි ප්‍රතිඵලය රටේ වැඩකරන්නන්ට සාපේක්ෂව නොකරන්නගේ (යැපෙන්නන්ගේ) ප්‍රතිශතය ඉහළ යාමය. අඩු වයස නිසා ශ්‍රම බලකායට ඇතුළු කරගත් නොහෙන ළමුන්ද, ආර්ථික වශයෙන් සඵලදායී නොවන ශිෂ්‍යයන්ද ඊට එක්වූ විට යැපෙන්නන්ගේ ප්‍රතිශතය තවත් ඉහළ යයි. (වෙන රටවල මෙන් පාර්ට් ටයිම් ජොබ්ස්, සමර් ජොබ්ස් කර ආදායමක් උපයා ගන්නා සිරිතක් නැති අපේ රටේ බොහොමයක් තුන්වන වසර හතරවන වසර සරසවි ශිෂ්‍යයන්ගේ පවා බරපැණ දරන්නේ දිළිඳු දෙමාපියන්ය. ඔවුහුද කිසිම ලජ්ජාවකින් තොරව තම දෙමාපියන් දවස තිස්සේ කඹුරා උපයන මුදල තම පැවැත්මට පමණක් නොව පෙම්වතියට සුවඳ විලවුන් මිලට ගැනීමටද වැය කරති.)

මාක්ස්වාදියකු ලෙස හිතන පතන සමයේ ලේඛකයාට මේ සියල්ල ධනේශ්වර ක්‍රමයේ වැරදි ලෙස සිතා ලෙහෙසියෙන්ම හිත හදා ගැනීමට පුළුවන්කම තිබුණේය. ලෝකයේ සියළු ප්‍රශ්න ඇතිවන්නේ ධනපති ක්‍රමය විසින් පීඩිතයන් සූරාකන නිසාය යන්න ප්‍රායෝගික නොවුනද අතිශයින් සුන්දර සිතිවිල්ලකි. දුකට මුල පෙර භවයන්හි කළ කර්මය යැයි බෞද්ධයන්ගේ කල්පනාවට සමාන සොඳුරු සිතිවිල්ලකි ඒ. එයින් මේ සියල්ලන්ගෙන් අපට අත සෝදාගෙන ඉවත් වීමට හැකිවෙයි. ධනපති ක්‍රමය අපේ නිර්මාණයක් නොවන නිසාය. කවදාවත් ඇති නොවන බව දන්නා විප්ලවයක් මාර්ගයෙන් මේ සියළු ප්‍රශ්න දූරිභූත වේයැයි අප පැරැන්නන් දියසේන කුමාරයා ගැන තැබූ විශ්වාසයෙන්ම විශ්වාස කරන්නෝද වෙති. ලේඛකයාට ඇති ගැටළුව තව දුරටත් එවැනි රෝමෑන්තික සුරංගනා ලෝකයක ජීවත් වීමට ඇති නොහැකියාවය.

යැපෙන්නන්ගේ ගැටළුවට මුල (ඕනෑම අර්ථ ක්‍රමයකට පොදු) සූරාකෑම නොවේ. සූරාකෑම (exploitation) ගැන ගැටළුවක් මතුකළ හැක්කේ පවා මේ පිරිස ආර්ථික ක්‍රියාවලියෙහි කොටසක් නම්ය. එහෙත් මේ කිසිවෙක් ආර්ථික ක්‍රියාවලියෙහි කොටස්කරුවෝ නොවෙති. ඔවුන් විසින් කරනු ලබන කිසිම නිෂ්පාදනයක් නැත. ඔවුන් සමාජයට බරක් වන්නේද එනිසාය. මොන තරම් යහපත් ලෙස ආදායම් බෙදීයන අර්ථක්‍රමයක් නිර්මාණය කළද මොවුන්ට අනුන්ට බරක් වීමට සිදුවේ. බෙදී යනු ඇත්තේ අනුන් උපයන ආදායම්ය. න්‍යායාත්මක පූර්ණ කොමියුනිස්ට් ක්‍රමයක් තුළදී ඔවුන්ගේ බර ඥාතීන්ට නොව සමස්ත සමාජයට ඉසිළීමට සිදුවනු ඇත. එය කිසිසේත් ගැටළුවට විසඳුමක් නොවේ. චීනයේ සිදුවන්නට ඇත්තේ මෙයයැයි සිතමි. ග්‍රාමීය චීනය තවමත් අපටද වඩා දුප්පත් එනිසාය. තමන් රැකියාවක් නොකොට අනුන්ගේ යැපෙන්නන් විශාල ප්‍රතිශතයක් ඉන්නා ප්‍රජාවන්, කවර අර්ථ ක්‍රමයක් යටතේ වුව සඵලදායී (productive) නොවේ.

යැපෙන්නන් විසින් ඔවුනට පමණක් නොව සමස්ත සමාජයටම ඇති කරනු ලබන ගැටළුවට ලේඛකයා දකින්නේ එකම විසඳුමක් පමණකි. ඒ ඔවුන්ගෙන් කොටසක් වත්, පාර්ශ්විකව හෝ නිෂ්පාදන කාර්යයට දායක කර ගැනීමය. මෙය වසර හැට ඉක්මවූ කාන්තාවන් ගාමන්ට් ෆැක්ටරියක සේවයට යැවීමට අනුබල දීමක් සේ වරදවා තේරුම් නොගත යුතුය. එහෙත් ‘ආකාස කුසුම්’ හි සන්ධ්‍යා රාණි පැටිස් තනා වෙළඳපළට නිකුත් කර දිවි සරි කරගන්නවාක් සේ යැපෙන්නන්ද ආදායම් මාර්ග විවෘත කර ගැනීමට උත්සුක විය යුතුය. මේවා අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම කය වෙහෙසා කරන රැකියා විය යුතු නොවේ. දියුණු අර්ථක්‍රමයන්හි කය නොවෙහෙසා වුව, ආබාධිතයකුට වුව කළ හැකි රැකියා අවස්ථා වේ. රජයෙන් ඔවුන්ට ඒ සඳහා පහසුකම් ලැබෙන ආකාරයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති සම්පාදනය විය යුතුය. එසේ නොවන්නේ නම් යැපෙන්නන් සමාජයට පමණක් නොව ඔවුනටද බරක් වීම නොවැළැක්විය හැක්කේය.

The Black EOC Journal has published a list of top diversity employers for African Americans. Companies like Toyota, Sprint, American Airlines, and Bank of America made the list. Use the link below to see what other companies made the list:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

It’s official — following several tweets today from Adobe (s ADBE) employees, a company spokesperson confirmed for us that Adobe “filed an 8-K this afternoon [that]  reports a company restructuring which will result in a 9 percent reduction in the company’s work force (approximately 680 employees).” You can read the filing here.

“Adobe is restructuring its business to align costs with its fiscal 2010 operating plan and budget, the company’s three-year strategic priorities and the realities of the business environment, as well as to ensure its ability to continue investing in long-term growth opportunities,” the spokesperson continued. The advisory we received also noted that at the close of its acquisition of Omniture, Adobe reduced the Web analytics firm’s work force by 9 percent.

These are tough times for some folks in the software industry. Adobe’s announcement comes right on the heels of Microsoft (s msft) laying off 800 employees.

Another Great Lakes region that is trying to redefine itself:

Buffalo Niagara Enterprise

And yet another must read from the Brookings Institute:

The Vital Center: A Federal-State Compact to Renew the Great Lakes Region

Eric

It’s exciting to see something come to fruition…even when you are just getting involved in the process.

In 1978, the former Erie Lackawanna railroad was being abandoned from Marion, Ohio westward. Some local industry leaders in western Ohio saw this as a potential downfall and banded together to purchase the line from Lima, Ohio westward to Ohio City. While the beginning seemed promising, the ups and downs of economy saw the line go through various stages of use.

Flash forward now 31 years and the line has now become a key component in developing new business and growing current business in this area. The possible addition of a Rails to Trails path and the rebuilding of a historical depot all are positive events that can be directly tied to these visionaries of the past.

We all can do this…if we try…and persist.
Eric

The wrong reasons for entering a market include; large population, cheap labor, and “Everyone else is going there.” Population does not necessarily mean consumers or a skilled work force, and even a large consumer base does not mean there is an established market. A terrific investment in education and the establishment of an infrastructure for the conduct of business, whether manufacturing or marketing, may be necessary.

Some markets may be too small to support the cost of doing business. It is critical to enter only these markets where you can serve customers to their satisfaction. An inadequate understanding of products due to degree of technical sophistication and language barriers may require special attention to adapt documentation, training and support to the market and customer. Many apparently small markets can be surprisingly active.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight

This week I posted a discussion on Linked in Public Relations titled: “Should I go to Graduate School for PR and if so, which one?”

So far I’ve had five commenters, all telling me the same thing: do not go to graduate school for PR.

Here, I listed the points they made:

1. “Before deciding to go to graduate school, you should try to do an internship or two that may better position you to move into a full-time PR position after graduation.”

2. “Find an internship or entry level position for at least a year before committing yourself (and your finances) to graduate school. You need to make sure it’s really a career path you want to stay with and the best way to do that is several years of experience. I know many many people who leave the profession because it tends to be high stress and a big time commitment.”

3. “Weigh the true value of grad school. In many areas of PR, building your professional experience and professional and media contacts is much much more helpful for advancing your career.“

4. “Now is the time to be thinking about what type of PR you want to do and in what industry. Look for internships in those areas so that you can bring a working knowledge of that community and its audiences with you to your next interview.”

5. “I would suggest considering other graduate degrees (i.e. MBA, MPA, MPH, JD). Those degrees tend to be more professional and respected by future employers.”

6. “With a degree in communication and a certificate in PR, you’re already set for entering the workforce. At this point, getting a masters in PR will only delay the professional experience you will need to complement your academic education.”

7. ”Since most internships are unpaid, you’ll do better to start with pro-bono work for nonprofits to fill out your resume.”

8. ”If you wait to enter the workforce,you’ll lose ground to practitioners currently underemployed, unemployed, and new grads competing for what PR positions are available in this depressed economy.“

9. “You need to demonstrate not only that you know what to do, but that you can do it and have done it. You won’t be able to do that if you go on to grad school now. Even if you complete a master’s degree in PR you’ll still be so young and new to the workplace that many employers will hold your lack of experience against you.“

10. “A master’s in PR won’t help you get an entry-level agency job, and it probably won’t be necessary for getting a corporate job, either. Down the road, having an MBA will be helpful, but only for working with senior-level (client) executives or at your corporate employer.”

11. “I would recommend going into the work force prior to going to graduate school. A masters program in PR is typical more theory and academic focused. . . many employers do not find this to be practical experience.“

Basically, I am told to get an internship over and over again. This may be good advice for someone who will be in undergrad for another year, someone who has zero experience, or someone in a prime location where they can do an internship while attending school. However, I am graduating in May. I would say it’s a little late for that. Plus, I already have 2 years of intern/work experience doing PR for higher education at Ferris State. I’m supposed to intern somewhere else and have less responsibilities and get less experience than I am already getting? Nuh uh.

Secondly, I can’t live off internship wages ($0) or pro-bono work (also, $0). The catch-22 here is that in Michigan, there are hardly any PR firms, most of which are not hiring (ask all of the Ferris State PR grads looking for jobs in Michigan and see how many have them. I bet you will be lucky to find even one). So my option of “living for free with mom” is therefore eliminated.

Thirdly, the economy sucks. Though Michigan is the economic armpit of the US right now, it seems like NO ONE is hiring. I had one former colleague and recent Ferris PR grad apply everywhere in the country, even ALASKA! And she still has not found a job. Sure, people are offering internships, but my reason for not interning is stated above. The only way I would be able to intern is if I was living off my money from student loans aka grad school.

Though I was grateful to get so many advice-giving comments in my LinkedIn discussion, I don’t see any of these ideas being useful for my particular situation.

However, I do think if you have another year+ of undergrad left, live in a prime location (aka Grand Rapids, Chicago, NYC), or have limited or zero experience, their advice could be very useful for you.

View or comment on this LinkedIn discussion and give your own word of advice.

Sunday is the day I go on-line and file my “weekly claim” with the unemployment office. The first few weeks of unemployment were a little confusing. Your “first” week doesn’t count (you don’t get paid). They call it a “waiting week” (and yes, that means you are waiting; for what I don’t know). Then the money starts rolling in…. For the new and uninitiated in the “art of unemployment collection”; any blip in the process can cause delays. For instance, I forgot (yes, forgot the only thing I literally have to do to collect my pay) one Sunday to go on-line and claim my week. It dawned on me later that week that I couldn’t even recall the last time I did get on-line and claim… hmmm…
So, I called the unemployment office – waiting about 20 minutes before a human being answered the phone. Luckily, a very nice, helpful woman assisted me in making my claim. Apparently, I only missed one week (seemed like a month to me), so all worked out. The next “blip”:
Obama has been kind enough to allow some of us to receive “training” while still receiving our unemployment benefits (stating that it is proven that people with skills are more likely to get a job, ha – how much did that study cost us?). I immediately went to PCC and signed up for a full load this Fall (in Web Design) with the stated intention of earning a “Certificate in Web Design”. There is a form to fill out and I complied. Apparently, sending this form to the unemployment office only confused them. They immediately put a “hold” on my benefits and once again I had to spend 20 minutes waiting for a human being to talk to…..
That was straightened out (someone pushed the wrong button) and now I have been getting my checks on a regular basis.
OK, now I’m cruising – getting my checks, looking for work…
A letter shows up from STATE OF OREGON requesting (requiring) my appearance at a mandatory “Work Force” employment seminar. Lovely. Naturally, I want to retain my benefits (which, by the way, I have been paying taxes for – more taxes each year than many people get paid in a year!) so I attend. Can’t say my attitude was great, but I went. I am crowded into a room with about 20 other unemployed and we are then instructed for about 2 hours by a 20 something about how to look for a job. We are also required to take a reading and math test (just in case I am lying about having a Master’s Degree). A little annoying. To give them some credit – I was given some information about the services offered by Work Force and found out there may be some funding for my “re-training”. I went away feeling it wasn’t a complete waste of my time. I scheduled myself into one of their 2 hour “funding” information seminars… I went and I left there angry. The very righteous woman running the seminar said that many of us would leave angry. I don’t think we were all angry about the same things…. But, she was very negative and discouraged everyone in there (which my husband said was her job to do and she was successful). Too many hoops to jump through for a small amount of funding (how much funding was not divested). I figure I can pay for my own PCC bill – what the heck. There are people who need help more than me. Let them grovel to the Democrats for the cash. I refuse.
One other “service” they offered that I checked into…. apparently, you can (if qualified) collect unemployment while starting your own business. Ok, now that sounded interesting. I called. Immediately, the nice gentleman on the other end of the phone said “you don’t qualify because you have a master’s degree”. Being educated counts against you because you are supposed to be more likely to find employment. I did point out that as true as that may or may not be – my industry was particularly hard hit by the recent downturn and there were no jobs in the immediate vicinity…. He understood and agreed – but of course was not the decision maker. Gosh, call me crazy but wouldn’t it seem that someone with more education might be more likely to SUCCEED at starting their own business? Am I crazy? Oh well. Sorry this is so long and I’ll bet most people didn’t bother to read the whole thing. That’s ok. I just wanted to get it down on paper while the experience is still fresh in my mind. Meanwhile, I am going to work on my student loan app – put those education charges on credit

Selasa, 25 Agustus 2009 | 04:20 WIB

Jakarta, Kompas – Pertumbuhan ekonomi yang ditargetkan mencapai 5 persen pada tahun 2010 diperkirakan dapat menciptakan 1,875 juta lapangan kerja baru. Dengan catatan, setiap 1 persen pertumbuhan ekonomi akan menciptakan 375.000 lapangan kerja baru.

Demikian disampaikan Menteri Negara Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional/Kepala Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional (Bappenas) Paskah Suzetta di Jakarta, Senin (24/8).

Dia menjelaskan, lapangan kerja baru itu cukup untuk menampung angkatan kerja baru yang pada 2010 diperkirakan mencapai 1,8 juta orang. Namun, belum dapat ditampung sisa penganggur yang sudah ada. Oleh karena itu, penganggur masih akan mencapai 9,1 juta orang.

”Itu setara dengan tingkat pengangguran 8 persen terhadap angkatan kerja. Lebih rendah dibandingkan dengan 2009, yakni lebih dari 8 persen,” ujar Paskah.

Anggota Komisi XI DPR, Dradjad H Wibowo, mempermasalahkan angka penyerapan tenaga kerja dari setiap persen pertumbuhan ekonomi yang diungkapkan pemerintah. Sebelumnya, data Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) menunjukkan, setiap 1 persen pertumbuhan ekonomi bisa menciptakan 700.000 lapangan kerja baru.

”Pemerintah perlu menjelaskan, apakah lapangan kerja yang tercipta itu cukup berkualitas. Jangan sampai angka penyerapan itu termasuk lapangan kerja sektor informal,” kata Dradjad.

Kepala BPS Rusman Heriawan menjelaskan, dalam jangka panjang, setiap 1 persen pertumbuhan ekonomi akan menciptakan 400.000 lapangan kerja baru. Namun, setiap tahun selalu ada tantangan yang muncul dari sisi pasokan dunia kerja dan lapangan kerja, terutama di sektor pendidikan.

Pendidikan, kata Rusman, bisa berdampak pada peningkatan angkatan kerja jika akses ke pendidikan sangat sulit. Namun, jika dunia pendidikan memberikan peluang lebih banyak, angkatan kerja bisa ditekan.

”Dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi 5 persen, lapangan kerja baru yang tercipta mencapai 2 juta. Padahal, angkatan kerjanya selalu ada pada kisaran 2 juta-2,4 juta per tahun,” tutur Rusman.

Dengan demikian, lanjutnya, itu berarti, jika kebijakan yang dilakukan biasa saja, tidak ada tambahan program yang projob (berorientasi menyerap tenaga kerja), tingkat pengangguran 2010 tidak akan berkurang signifikan. ”Karena angkatan kerja barunya bertambah lebih besar,” ujar Rusman. (OIN)

In this tough economic climate, graduating students are taking a hard look at a dwindling job market. There is one sector, however, which is poised to grow. Last month BusinessWeek published the article Now Hiring: Green-Collar Workers, which discusses the growing demand for people working in the alternative energy field. As cited by that article, green jobs grew by 9.1% from 1998 to 2007, nearly two and a half times faster than the overall job market.

In the higher education system, enrollment in green collar fields is growing. Kansas College’s Wind Energy Program can’t keep up with the demand. In fact, many of the students in the program have jobs lined up even before they graduate. And it is just one of the many eco-friendly programs available. According to USA Today (08/03/2009), there are a number of new programs available to help train green collar workers, including Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability.

What this means for science educators: Students should be exposed to alternative energy technology in order to acclimate them to this burgeoning market. It can be as simple as explaining the reasoning behind alternative fuels, or as complex as having them assemble a Mini Windlab kit to further their understanding.

Payrolls fall less in July, jobless rate eases * On Friday August 7, 2009, 11:13   WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. unemployment rate fell in July for the first time in 15 months as employers cut far fewer jobs than expected, providing the clearest sign yet that the economy was turning around. Employers shed 247,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said Friday, the least in any one month since last August, taking the unemployment rate to 9.4 percent, down from 9.5 percent in June. “It suggests the recession will be ending before the end of the year. There isn’t any part of the economy that hasn’t shown some slowing in deterioration,” said Joe Davis, chief economist at Vanguard in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Recent data ranging from home sales to manufacturing have pointed to an economy starting to dig itself out of one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The fall in the jobless rate will be good news for President Barack Obama, who has seen his standing in public opinion polls slip as Americans fret about the weak economy and high unemployment. The White House warned it would be “quite some time” before the economy saw sustained job growth, adding it still believed the jobless rate would hit 10 percent this year. U.S. stocks and the dollar rose on the data as investors sensed the recession was ending. Safe-haven government bond prices tumbled. Analysts had expected non-farm payrolls to fall by 320,000 in July and the jobless rate to hit 9.6 percent. The forecast was made earlier this week before other jobs data prompted some analysts to lower their estimates for job losses. The government revised job losses for May and June to show 43,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported. The easing in the unemployment rate could have been the result of the labor force shrinking by 422,000 in July, far more than the 155,000 decline in June, suggesting jobless workers may have given up looking for new work. In the U.S., for the purpose of calculating the unemployment rate, the labor force is defined as those with a job plus those out of a job but actively looking for work. The small decline in July non-farm payrolls was a welcome reflief as some employment indicators released this weak had raised the risk of a big rise in the numbers of jobless. Slowing job losses could also mean less pressure for a second government economic stimulus as a $787 billion package approved this year slowly works its way into the economy. “This is another indication that the economy is on an improving track and a confirmation that we’re going to see a positive GDP number for the third quarter…,” said Robert Dye, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh. MOSTLY GOOD NEWS While employers cut fewer jobs than forecast in July, unemployment remains stubbornly high, meaning households have less income to spend. This could set the economy for an anemic recovery, analysts said. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the economy has shed 6.7 million jobs, the Labor Department said, adding that the number of long-term unemployed continues to rise. However, in a sign that the labor market deterioration was slowing, a gauge of labor market slack that measures both the unemployed, people working part-time for economic reasons, and those only marginally attached to the labor force, fell to 16.3 percent in July from a record high 16.5 percent in June. Job losses in July were spread across all sectors, but the pace of firings slowed markedly from previous months. Manufacturing employment fell by 52,000 after shrinking by 131,000 in June. This was the first time since last September that manufacturing job losses were less than 100,000 and was probably due to the re-opening of General Motors and Chrysler assembly plants after the two automakers emerged from bankruptcy. “Because layoffs in auto manufacturing already had been so large, fewer workers than usual were laid off for seasonal shutdowns in July,” Labor Commissioner Keith Hall said, adding that the seasonally adjusted gain did not indicate an improvement in the industry. Payrolls in construction industries slipped 76,000 after falling 86,000 in the previous month, likely reflecting spending on infrastructure projects from the government’s $787 billion stimulus package and a modest pickup in ground breaking for new homes. In the services sector, 119,000 workers were laid off, and the goods-producing industries lost 128,000 positions. Education and health services continued to add jobs though, with payrolls increasing 17,000 in July after rising 37,000 in June. Government employment increased 7,000 after slipping 48,000 in June. The closely watched average work week, the total amount of labor input, inched up to 33.1 hours in July after having slipped to 33.0 in June. The average work week in the manufacturing sector rose to 39.8 hours from 39.5 hours in June, the department said. Average hourly earnings increased to $18.56 in July from $18.53. (Additional reporting by Richard Leong in New York, Editing by Andrea Ricci)

The upward momentum in the unemployment rate seems to have abated as last month’s figure shows a statistically insignificant decrease to 9.4%. The unemployment rate itself is not the best indicator of what’s going on in the labor markets, but the changes from month-to-month give us some indication of  improvement. Reuters reports that payrolls fell less in July giving some indication that things are slowly improving.  This is a good indication that we may be approaching the bottommost point of the recession. The upward momentum is slowing.

Employers shed 247,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said Friday, the least in any one month since last August, taking the unemployment rate to 9.4 percent, down from 9.5 percent in June.

“It suggests the recession will be ending before the end of the year. There isn’t any part of the economy that hasn’t shown some slowing in deterioration,” said Joe Davis, chief economist at Vanguard in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Whenever economists teach about the job markets, we always mention that the unemployment rate should never be looked at as the sole indicator employment trends.  Indeed, we alread see some discussion on the finance/econ blogs that remind us that it’s the underlying flows of people in and out of the job market as well as the rate of job creation that give us a full sense of what’s going on.

Daniel Indiviglio at The Atlantic asks  Did the Unemployment Rate Really Go Down?  and discusses one of the biggest bones of contention in measuring the rate itself, the discouraged worker.  Discouraged workers are those people that have been unemployed and looking for work for so long that they’ve given up the search.  Once you give up the search for a job, you leave the ranks of the ‘unemployed’ and you no longer count in the unemployment rate.  The number of these folks becomes significant once a recession goes on for some time.

First, here’s the official Bureau of Labor Statistics report (opens .pdf), if you’d like to read the whole thing for yourself. Now let’s tackle the question of how the unemployment rate could decrease while the number of unemployed actually increases. BLS’s report notes:

The civilian labor force participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage point in July to 65.5 percent.As a recession drags on for this long, and people are unable to find jobs, they begin leaving the workforce. They become discouraged regarding job prospects. BLS offers an unemployment rate that includes these discouraged workers. In June 2009, that was 10.1%. For July, it was 10.2%.

Given this change in unemployment including discouraged workers, I think it’s pretty clear that the 0.1% decrease in the reported unemployment rate can be misleading. In reality, those who would like a job but don’t have one increased by 0.1% up to 10.2%.

I should note that these figures are not seasonally adjusted. If you believe in adjusting these number based on season, then they are not as bad. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate including the discouraged actually improved, moving from 10% in June to 9.8% in July. I’m not sure that I put much credence into discouragement having a lot of seasonality though, which is why I prefer the actual numbers.

What do these numbers mean in the broader context? That the unemployment rate is not necessarily going to decrease each month going forward. Once those discouraged workers feel more encouraged, they will begin looking for work again and will be included in the reported national unemployment rate until they find a job.

We can also go back to the Reuters piece for further clarification.  ( I highlighted the relevant section.)

Analysts had expected non-farm payrolls to fall by 320,000 in July and the jobless rate to hit 9.6 percent. The forecast was made earlier this week before other jobs data prompted some analysts to lower their estimates for job losses.

The government revised job losses for May and June to show 43,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.

The easing in the unemployment rate could have been the result of the labor force shrinking by 422,000 in July, far more than the 155,000 decline in June, suggesting jobless workers may have given up looking for new work.

In the U.S., for the purpose of calculating the unemployment rate, the labor force is defined as those with a job plus those out of a job but actively looking for work.

So, the momentum of joblessness is slowing but much of this may be due to the number of people both entering and leaving the work force more than it being a sign of people actually finding a job.   When you find a job, you become employed AND you remain part of the labor force.  So, this rate stabilization is good news but not great news, if that makes any sense.  It could mean that more folks are just giving up on finding jobs and not entering the labor force or are exiting the labor force.

The NY Times reports that most economists expect the job markets to remain bleak for some time.  This means it’s less important to really follow the unemployment rate but to look at the job creation rate.  One indicator is the number of help wanted ads and if those numbers are increasing or decreasing.  That is one leading indicator that many labor economists follow.  It is especially an indicator for job growth in small and medium sized businesses who are less likely to recall people but rely more on new help.

Now, even if the economy begins growing again this summer — as many economists expect it will — laid-off workers are likely to be among the last to benefit. Businesses that slashed their work force and inventories over the last year to cope with the economic deterioration are likely to hire temporary workers or pay overtime wages before they begin fielding applications for new full-time workers.

That means hundreds of thousands more workers are likely to lose their jobs, perhaps well into next year.

“The basic message is that the rate of job cuts is diminishing, and that’s good news,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight. “Still, you’re seeing job cuts everywhere except education, health care, government. I don’t think we’re at bottom yet in employment.”

Manufacturers shed 52,000 more jobs, and the industry has lost 2 million jobs since the recession began. Construction businesses cut 76,000 jobs, and 87,000 were lost in trade and transportation.

“We’re a long way from the end of the employment problem,” said Brian Fabbri, an economist at BNP Paribas. “Things are improving, make no mistake. But we’re not near the time when businesses are going to hire again.”

And for unemployed Americans scouring want-ads and tacking their résumés up onto online job boards, patience — and money — are wearing thin.

Jobs will be the main issue by the time that the election season begins again. Again, if folks are nervous about their paychecks, they won’t spend.  Tight job markets also tend to hold down wages and incomes.  None of this bode well for an economy that relies heavily on household expenditures for economic growth.

Please !!! Digg!!! Share!!! Tweet!!!

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Furl | Newsvine

I really need to do a better job of blogging…month of June went by…hardly a peep….so Happy July 1.

Updates:

Ohio Skills Bank…the major program that the state of Ohio has created to rebuild and retool the sagging economic base of this state, has been put on hold until the state budget is figured out! So typical! What a mess…the reality is that it will be back, but not sure what format…so much work has been done and the momentum was really strong, now this…however, I am dedicated to keeping this moving for this region. We have to…it’s now more critical then ever. The unfortunate thing of course is now we have no funding to carry it forward. Time to start writing some grants I guess.

I am reading a good book at present, and I would encourage any one with an interest in midwest economy, education and lifestyle to read it as well. It’s called:  Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism. The author is Richard Longworth, a well written Chicago Tribune columnist and now a fellow with The Chicago Council.

While I am not a big fan of book recommendation (goes along with wine recommendation, hard to do as everyone has their own preferences), this one is a MUST READ if you have any interest in keeping the midwest alive.  The book paints a historical view of the midwest and what we’ve dealt with as a region.  The informaiton is stunning, insightful, saddening but yet hopeful…the good news is that if we put our backs into the work, we can over come the latest adversities in our economy. So GET READING!
More posts soon…
Eric

One of the things that struck me during my last visit to the installations of the Panama National Lottery was the dedication and friendliness of their employees.

Since I was there a couple of hours earlier, I had the opportunity to talk to them asking for their authorization to take pictures of the process of the drawing of the ballots.  They asked how could they help and gave me all the information I needed.  I can’t thank them enough.

Most of them wore  neatly pressed and spotless uniforms while  others used leisure clothes, very tidy and clean.  I was very impressed.  I would say they were first class personnel.

These are some of the employees  that helped me during my photography session.  Here we go.

This lady was in charge of supervising the event. She was everywhere making sure everything was ready. She carried papers and was continually writing things down. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

This gentleman is the official broadcaster of the event. He was showing me how the cages are rotated to make sure the ballots are properly mixed inside. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

This is one of many security guards inside the premises. He is proudly posing for the camera. He told me this is the only job he's had since graduating from high school. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

As you can see in the photograph, his uniform is spotless. He was most helpful during the whole event. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

These persons are witnesses used by the National Lottery to ensure the highest level of transparency during the act. This entity has an impeccable record of honesty and transparency. (Credit: Omar Upegui R.)

Before I close this post, I want to express my deep gratitude for the remarkable cooperation received from the employees of the National Lottery making my business there a breeze.  Good Day.

In the current economic downturn there is an undeniable pressure to decrease headcount, support costs and office expenses. At the same time companies must focus on attracting and retaining high caliber talent from the global marketplace. Ultimately, this process of de-weeding and planting new seeds will increase organizational effectiveness and mitigate business risks from a multitude of sources. Companies that implement achievement metrics such as Key Performance Initiatives tied to compensation get the most out of their investment in talent by giving them the goals, tools and incentives to produce superior business results.

So when times get tough, the one expense you absolutely can’t afford is a de-motivated workforce. Organizations undergoing restructuring efforts need proper training and guidance to ensure the employees remains motivated, energized and challenged to attain market domination.

* Energize de-motivated employees
* Reduce pressure in the workplace

* How to deal with fear factors (boss fear, team mates, customers etc etc)
* Direct your team to decide to adopt what attitude to be top performers

* Realign team around organizational priorities

The payback you get by revitalizing your work force is staggering:

* A positive workplace environment

* Enhanced sales and efficiency

* New and exciting opportunities emerge

The lack of information about critical operating costs is a major reason why so many companies have been slow to adopt distributed or flexible work programs. The last several months in the global financial markets have shown us that investment decisions made with less than sufficient information which can be disastrous for business organizations.

Nawaz is a Webmaster at Starling Group

More job opportunities at HR CAREER HUB

CLICK HERE

Working Girl
★★★ / ★★★★

Directed by Mike Nichols, this romantic comedy has something to say or two about women in the work force. Set in the 1980’s, I was very amused by looking at people’s hair, clothes and the lingos they used. Even though those things are not that relevant today because they went out of fashion, there is one thing that persisted: Women are still considered less equal to men. Melanie Griffith plays Sigourney Weaver’s hardworking secretary who one day pitches an idea to Weaver. Even though Weaver promised Griffith that she will get some credit if Weaver’s boss liked her ideas, Weaver pitched Griffith’s ideas as her own. After an injury that left Weaver in bed for a couple of weeks, Griffith stumbled upon Weaver’s betrayal and decided to climb the corporate ladder. Even though this is a romantic comedy, it’s not an ordinary one because of the wit in its writing. Just when you think the story will unfold one way, it completely veers off another way and it surprised me (in a good way). Griffith is completely believable as an astute secretary who wants to be something more. Weaver did a great job as the boss from hell. It was hard for me to read her intentions because she’s so good at lying and manipulating everyone despite her sweet facade. Harrison Ford, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack are also found here and they all have scenes where they truly shine. What didn’t work as well for me was the romantic angle. Sometimes, I felt as though it dragged the story down and shifted away from the business angle of the story. I can imagine this film being talked about in Women’s Studies courses because it has something to say about marriage, the workplace, and the home. The most interesting aspect in the film was even though Griffith wants to fight against a man-centered world of business, her enemy is a woman, just like herself. When I saw Weaver for the first time, my first instinct was Griffith and Weaver teaming up to climb the corporate ladder. I only realized later that it’s even better if they’re up against each other. As for its ending, it was so well-done. I was so touched because, in a way, it summarized Griffith’s journey in a different angle. This is a strong film by Nichols because it ultimately inspires.