To the protestors: As an employer, I will employ someone who is under-employed much quicker than I will someone who has been unemployed for a long period of time. Get a job doing SOMETHING. If you think you’re too good to do something “beneath” you or beneath your wonderful degree and fancy diploma, then you’re probably not good enough for any job I would have for you. If you were short-sighted enough to get a PhD in something that is so difficult to find employment in and you borrowed someone else’s money to the tune of $200,000 to do it, then you’re not smart enough to do any manual labor job I have. I want folks with common sense. I happen to have employees who have degrees that don’t translate into jobs easily found, but because they valued work, they started out at just above minimum wage working at the bottom level of a job unrelated to their degree and now they’re in management positions making far more money than others with similar degrees could ever dream of. How did I become a business owner? I grew up in a farming community in the South and my family had very little—I wore dresses made from flour sacks (you’re probably too young to know what those are). I worked my way through college (no scholarships for me for where I wanted to go). I was an average student, but with a great list of references. I was shy, but I worked hard. I impressed my professors and it was a professor who helped me get my first job. I married a good man who could be trusted and worked hard at his job. I worked until my first child was born and then I stayed home to raise my family, working little small jobs from home, saving everything I could. We had few luxuries, but a loving home. Our first washing machine was one we bought for $25 from a laundry mat that had gone out of business. When my kids were in school, I took a part-time job and saved as much as I could. When the opportunity arose to purchase the company I worked for, because of my credit history and what I had saved, I bought the company and paid off all the debt from the purchase in 5 years. It is now three companies, grossing in the millions of dollars and very successful, and I employ 60 people. I took no government assistance and except for a few equipment notes, I’m debt free. All this to say, I have no sympathy for you. Get a job and start from the bottom and work your way up to the top. You’ll have a firm foundation under you when you get there.
To the young woman who started this blog: When you’re older and need a job, I would love to talk with you. With your courage, intelligence, and work ethic, your future is bright!
