Part I
Here I am again, looking
for a job. I thought by moving to the bay area my chances for
employment would increase. I was wrong.
"Work History"
This is probably the most
difficult topic to explain. My résumé goes back to 1997, when I
first helped out as a teacher's assistant for sign-language in
elementary school. I was also the librarian's assistant, using the
computer system for: checking out/in books, data entry, typing, etc.
I was twelve-years-old.
I was always very helpful
in my childhood. My first 'job' was teaching other kids to read as
well as I could and to tutor them. I was volunteer of the month twice
at my school. I also wanted to draw a comic book and sell my
hand-made clay figurines but I never was able to.
Before that, I tried
selling my toys, and drawings to the neighbors for $0.05 each. I was
a very outgoing child and had a great entrepreneurial spirit.
At 13, I tried to get a
job with the local animal shelter but when I entered the facility (it
had been closed), there were a bunch of dead deer animal carcases
that had to be disposed of, courtesy of animal control and reckless
highway drivers. I lost the urge to volunteer with them after that.
In Jr. High, I helped
design a math tutoring slide-show using Power Point on Macintosh. The
teacher was very impressed and gave me extra credit. Other students
were able to use the program to help their skills in math. I was also
using a Windows 3.0 and was studying on my own with Microsoft
Encarta. Those were the days...
I was writing poetry,
drawing graphics on the computer and wanted to start my own graphic
design business by making pictures for anyone that needed them. I was
handing out flyers to local neighbors until finally I got discouraged
by lack of interest and lack of know-how to complete my "start-up"
venture. Needless to say, nothing came of it.
In high-school, I baby-sat
and did pet-sitting and house-sitting for the neighbors. I got a
pretty good sum of money for it and in those days, I had enough to
get my first Certificate of Deposit at the bank in my own name (back
when interest rates were 5%!!).
The only other job I had
to do was get my CA Driver's License (after taking courses at a
traffic school), and help take care of my grandparents. I also had a
dog then. Besides school, there wasn't much else for me to do in the
small town I lived in.
I wasn't encouraged to get
a job. My grandmother wanted me to be available to help her and
always told me, "We have enough money, you don't need to work!".
So I never tried getting a job while in high-school. My grandmother
supported me through high-school, having raised me as a child. Then
after home-school was, more school. She decided it was best for me to
go to community college, since I had been home-schooled and a state
college would require advanced math, which I didn't get through
home-school (back in those days, there wasn't an algebra test to
graduate). Also, she didn't want me leaving town since I had to help
take care of her and grandpa and do things for them: errands,
hospital trips, emergencies (which there were a lot of), etc.
I vaguely had an idea of
going to UC Davis to 'become a veterinarian' which was every girl's
dream at the time. The only thing I had to do was finish community
college. It turned out to be harder than I thought.
2002 came around. I
graduated home-school with honors and was valedictorian. Then came
community/junior college with all their rules, red tape regulations
and enrollment processes. I almost didn't get in. Which classes do I
take and why? So I enrolled
in classes I wanted to take, instead of the 'required for graduation'
classes. Grandma told me, "Just take what you want. You can do
the rest later." That's what I did. For several years.
Community
college is supposed to be done in two years, maximum. You aren't
supposed to take easy
classes unless you're retired or... retarded. I had no idea 'the
powers that be' were keeping track of my classes. I had a talk with a
counselor who asked me why I hadn't taken required classes and that's
when I figured out I had to get something done.
I
registered for algebra I (which said I was qualified based on their
assessment test), Japanese, Honors, English, Science. I was taking 18
units. Needless to say, I failed algebra I (the teacher told me to
drop the class), barely passed English (teacher quit to become an
actor in New York), dropped Science (it was too hard because of the
advanced algebra required), barely passed Honors (teacher was an ass
who told me, "I only added you because I needed to fill seats
for my class".), and passed Japanese with flying colors, go
figure!
Also...
because I was with State Farm and on my grandparent's plan, I was
required to take 12
units every semester to get a discount. I never wanted to do this but
my grandmother insisted because she didn't want to pay extra money to
insure me. So no matter what, I had to sign up for 12 units any way I
could. Eventually, I burned out and failed a few classes because of
that stipulation.
I
didn't think any of this mattered until I tried to get a job as a
college orientation leader. Some kid, younger than 18-years-old I
think, looked over my 70+ unit transcript with a dubious look and
asked immediately why I failed math and astronomy. I explained the
situation but he wasn't convinced. I didn't get the job. I think his
drunk frat buddy got the job instead, even though I knew way more
about the college process than either of them combined.
My
'inexperience' in the job field would come back to haunt me, as I
tried to look for other entry-level jobs. In a small town, unless
your parents are rich, or you're really popular and have friends who
can get you jobs, you don't get hired. This was my problem. My
grandparents weren't rich. I didn't have many friends and wasn't
popular enough to know important people in high places.
Other
kids had part-time jobs in stores, restaurants, etc. Mostly because
their parents hired them or their siblings got them the job. On every
job application it asks, "Do you have friends or family members
currently employed here?" That should be illegal. That is called
DISCRIMINATION!
Finally,
I got a job working at an animal shelter after volunteering there for
several months. That job didn't last long. It was my first job. I
knew nothing about time cards, sick-leave, taxes, etc. Sometimes I
would finish all my tasks and ask my supervisor, "Can I go now?"
And the supervisor, totally caught off guard, would say, "It's
not time yet. Sweep or do laundry or something."
Other
times I worked past my allotted time in order to finish the job, like
for the endless amount of dirty laundry that had to be done. Finally
they told me, "We can't pay you over-time. You need to clock out
now." In my innocence, I replied, "It's okay, I can do this
off the clock." I had no idea that was illegal, that it would
conflict with employer insurance, regulations, etc. I stayed only a
few months at that job. I just got burned out (plus all the other
horrors I witnessed: animals abused, community service workers
neglecting their work, etc.). I saw many a Director come and go at
that place, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one who suffered
burn-out.
Years
later, I tried a stint in Thailand to teach English. That didn't work
out either. It was a scam. Like most "Teach English Overseas"
jobs, they are meant to entrap tourists so they can put out a bunch
of cash to these so-called 'degree providers', give them a crappy
job, deny them a working visa and pretty much screw them until they
have to leave, which is in three months (Passport must be stamped
every month by leaving the country and through re-entry). I got the
certificate but very little job experience.
After
this I realized my life wouldn't change. I enrolled in community
college again (seeing that I couldn't enter state college with my
limited math and science) and changed majors. With all my theatre
experience, it wasn't enough to enter a job field in a small college
town surrounded by farms. There were no jobs for actors, or theatre
majors. It was time to do something practical. I tried journalism
with the same result... nothing. Then broadcasting.
At
this time, I found a job at school. Working in the cafeteria was
probably the most practical job ever and I wish I had done it sooner.
I had seen my other friends work there and knew it paid enough to
cover college expenses (after financial aid). It was the longest,
highest paying job overall in my life. The only thing I regret was
that I didn't get to do the café, smoothie bar or grill, which
would've helped me pursue other jobs outside of college. My
supervisors and co-workers were great. I only had two incidents of
harassment on the job by customers but other than that, it worked for
me. But I quit the job to pursue the broadcasting internship.
Broadcasting
was interesting in that it allowed me to use my public speaking
skills by interviewing people, use my creativity when it came to
writing and editing stories, and still be in the spotlight when I
read the news story live, on-air. There were some problems with
technical issues, politics and internal conflicts but by this time I
had worked out another internship at a for-profit radio station.
This
other radio station wouldn't have much of the technical issues but
still had a lot of politics involved. Turned out, I would lose the
job to a younger guy who helped out with sports announcements (I was
the news substitute person at $8.00 an hour). I don't even remember
signing any "end of employment papers" but they never
called me again for the job and I got the idea that I wasn't working
there anymore.
After
that I focused on volunteering, thinking that eventually it would
lead to a paying job. It never happened. Time and time again, I was
refused a job because I didn't know the right people or didn't have a
husband to get me a job. All the people I volunteered with were
retired and didn't have to worry about income and they didn't have
any job contacts for me to call.
So
I did what every un-employed American does in this country, I went on
Craigslist. I found a job as a caregiver, the lowest paying job I
ever had (after forced union dues were retroactively taken from my
paycheck), I made less than minimum wage. I found out caregivers make
around $18,000 a year... compared to most jobs at $27,000+, it's a
terrible sum. The only jobs below this are: farming, fishing, and
forestry.
Then,
seeing that my caregiver job wasn't enough to pay for rent or my
bills, I got another job: sign waver a.k.a. a human billboard. This
job paid better though for less hours, it still didn't pay much.
Less-than-ideal working conditions, harassment on the job, and smoke
inhalation/exhaust fumes, made it a not-so-great career move. I knew
it was a temporary position since the other guy had quit before me.
It
was time for a change of pace. I decided to do freelance and change
my interest to: retail and fashion. I tried for a time doing referral
services in town for local shops and stores. Due to the terrible
economy, many stores were going out of business and my referral
service was quickly out of date. I then veered toward the fashion
industry and found a nice niche in women's fashion.
It
was a job but not a W-2 job, so I didn't make enough to pay taxes on
it. In fact, in all of my jobs, I never made enough to pay taxes...
ever. According to State of California Franchise Tax Board website:
"You
have a requirement to file a California Personal Income Tax Return if
your Gross Income is $15,702
or more;
or your Adjusted Gross Income is $12,562
or more."
Did
I make that much, ever? Nope.
"Was
your gross income for 2014 $3,950
or more?",
asks IRS.gov. (Single-household, non-disabled, etc.)
No,
it was not.
I
never made either of these amounts in MY ENTIRE LIFE!
My
grandparent's money has supported me my entire life. I consider
myself lucky and unlucky. It won't last forever though.
Part
II
There
are some people who've worked since 16-years-old. These are the
people who've had to work through high-school and put themselves
through college: flipping burgers, dealing with people's trash, and
with other crummy low-wage jobs that barely pay the bills.
Some
people are lucky enough to marry and become housewives and have
children and get money from the government. Some start their own
business and make even more money.
Others...
others have gotten divorced, have had to fend for themselves, have
had to live on the street.
This
is what I'm looking at since I may not qualify for welfare, due to
the red-tape process and huge waiting list. Even unemployment is
tricky business and you need to be very savvy in order to get any
benefits.
I
don't like the idea of having to do this. We are taught in America
that if you work hard, you get paid and you can survive.
Unfortunately, the reality is very different and many people have two
jobs and are still homeless.
There
are many ugly facts that contribute to this. A bad economy, bad
working conditions and unfavorable employment opportunities (or
non-opportunities) don't give people much to work with. The truth is,
it has always been this way. There have always been crappy jobs for
those not-so-fortunate people, mainly: immigrants who don't speak
English, ex-felons/prisoners, mentally ill, disabled, former foster
youth and un-educated, poor people in poor communities.
The
only difference is now, people with BA's and MA's are competing for
these horrible, low-wage and degrading jobs too. The middle class of
America has disappeared and the gap between the poor and the rich is
getting bigger.
With
such terrible conditions, it's no wonder employers are taking their
knives, sharpening them and slicing away at the population (and
wages). They have no compunction about deceptive hiring practices,
misleading job processes or outright lying. They can fire at will
with no reason, say bad things about you when you leave the job and
deny you future opportunities for employment. Think I'm making this
up? Think again!
Discrimination,
sexual harassment, ageism, unfair wages, unsafe working conditions...
these are all the things that happen when employers are given free
reign over desperate people who need jobs. Since people need the jobs
so badly, they will do anything to keep it and not complain, even if
it kills them.
In
Japan, salary men are lucky to live past 40-years-old due to the
stress they suffer under their job. High blood pressure, diabetes,
ulcers, cancer and other health problems are common. These are just
the salary men who suffer this in Japan. In America, it's much worse
for everyone else and we're considered the most developed country on
Earth.
"You
Are Who You Work For"
The
job identity associated with your employment is inescapable and you
must be very careful to get the "right" job or you'll be
stuck flipping burgers for the rest of your life. The odds of you
improving your work "experience" from food service to let's
say, hospitality, is zilch.
"You
don't have hospitality experience!" a snotty HR associate will
chide as they look at your 10-year-curriculum vitae at McDonald's. It
doesn't matter if you managed to become Senior Manager and lead a
crew of 10+ ever-changing high-school kids, supervise the: cooking,
cleaning, orders and deliveries of food while maintaining a healthy
environment (and bathroom) for the job. At one dollar above minimum
wage, your job doesn't qualify you for any other job other than:
Senior Manager at Burger King. That's it.
Forget
climbing the social ladder. You can barely make it to dirt level.
Employers
see who you've worked for and unless you fudge your C.V. quite a bit,
you're not going to improve your career, ever.
"No
Entry"
Gatekeeping
software is now the ever-popular device of all major employers. Ever
fill out an employment form online? Congratulations, you've just made
it to the Trash Bin Pile! Software designed by geeky shut-in
graduates of Stanford, Harvard or Yale make it even more impossible
to apply for jobs. Unless you have keywords like: Analyst, Financial
Advisor, Administration, Biotech, Human Resource, Software
Engineer... etc., don't expect to make it to the email box of the
Human Resources person who's supposed to glance at your résumé. By
the way, what's the name of said Human Resource person anyway? Don't
know? Too bad for you. You'll never get employed if you don't know
their name then.
Employers
are also very careful not to give out any information about:
themselves, their Human Resource people, their employees, and other
employment opportunities for that reason. If you're not "one of
them" forget trying to get in. Consider this door permanently
shut.
"Are
Any Of Your Family Members Or Friends Currently Employed Here?"
This
question is meant to eliminate over 90% of job applicants. If you
aren't referred by someone on the job personally, then forget
applying. Over 50% of hires are made through referrals and that's why
you see all: Black, Filipino, Hispanic/Latino, Vietnamese, etc.
working in one store. Referrals usually consist of same race, gender,
age and socio-economic background.
"The
Psychological Test"
Do
you feel happy everyday, every single minute of your life? If you
answered no to this question, it will affect your employment.
Psychological questionnaires in the form of required employment tests
ask you such discriminating questions and because they are developed
by a third-party company, employers use them without a qualm. [See my
other article: Job Hunt Spying Policy]
Even
on the job, you are required to smile 24/7: while people are being
rude to you, while being groped by your boss, while being groped by
customers, while your co-workers are talking crap about you behind
your back, while your co-workers are talking crap about you to your
face, while you're secretly depressed but can't talk to anyone about
it because then you'd lose your job.
See
what I mean? What kind of person would be capable of smiling through
all this? It's inhuman and inhumane.
"The
Credit Score"
You
wouldn't think what you buy on your credit card would affect your
employment but in this day and age, having a bad credit score looks
bad to employers who are allowed to see all your credit history
through a "background check" that has nothing to do with
your (hopefully non-existent) criminal record.
Had
to use your credit card to pay for groceries? Too bad. Did someone
steal your credit card and use it to pay for $500+ worth of clothes?
Oh well. No job for you.
Employers
never disclose the fact that they've looked at your credit report, or
didn't hire you based on your credit report. It remains an issue that
will never be solved. Even though, technically, you are allowed to
view what they view, you never get the chance. Employers can easily
side-step this by simply not looking at your application at all. Just
because you completed a background check doesn't mean they will
actually look at your application, cover letter, references or
résumé.
"Make
An Effort"
Imagine
you need to apply for 20 jobs a day due to unemployment, etc. You
need a job by next week. You fill out 120 applications, 120 different
cover letters and 120 copies of résumés and references. You get 5
interviews that week. Zero call-backs.
Next
week you do the same...
People
tell you that you need to make finding a job your "full-time
job", "dedicate 6-8 hours a day to get results". You
do 10 hours a day with no results. How many jobs applications can you
fill out in a day?
You
get burned out. No one gets back to you. The one interview you
thought went well never gets back to you. You email them and they
have an automatic response, "We appreciate your time but
unfortunately your qualifications don't match our requirements at
this time...".
At
this time,
they say, as if in the unforeseeable future they may
consider you again. You are told that employers are supposed to keep
your application on file for six months... it's a lie. Employers
don't even remember you the next month you apply for the same job
that is mysteriously vacant again. You go through another set of
interviews, only to have the same result, nothing. In the end you
wonder what it's all for...
As
a desperate measure, you apply for jobs below minimum wage, gigs
they are called, in hopes that it will lead to something more. You
even consider unpaid jobs just to fill your résumé with something
other than community college courses.
The
gigs
are nothing more than a joke. The jobs below minimum wage are exactly
that, minimum wage with no room for improvement, promotion or
increased wages or hours. The unpaid jobs are only for high-school
interns and you are far too old to apply (they try to hide their
disgust at you and fail as they go through with their interview,
since you have clearly wasted their time), and you are left feeling
degraded, useless, worthless and ready to kill yourself.
Welcome
to America.
Now
put your head to the ground, kiss the sh*t stained sidewalk that will
soon be your home until a cop comes around and beats the hell out of
you, since this is what it all comes down to in the Land of
Opportunity (Poor People Need Not Apply). If you complain it just
means you didn't try hard enough and that you are a
lazy-good-for-nothing-ungrateful-piece-of-filth-who-should-just-do-the-world-a-favor-to-save-the-tax-payer-money-no-welfare-please-goddamn-kill-yourself-off-now,
unemployed person.
"What
now?"
There
are a surprising amount of jobs available for the
lazy-good-for-nothing-ungrateful-piece-of-filth-who-should-just-do-the-world-a-favor-to-save-the-tax-payer-money-no-welfare-please-goddamn-kill-yourself-off-now,
unemployed person. Just to name a few are: drug-dealers,
prostitution, military... prison. Yes, prison employs a lot of
prisoners who must work many hours to pay for their blankets,
toothbrushes, phone privileges, and other accoutrements.
The
military offers some benefits and assuming you survive the whole
gotta-kill-everyone-so-I-don't-get-killed ordeal you get to have PTSD
which can put you on disability and unemployment, after you jump
through hoops of fire and a battery of assaults by psychologists and
medical doctors who secretly just want to make you a drooling zombie
and take all the government money they can from you.
It's
nice to know there are some
jobs in this country after all for others like myself.
*
* *
