OT Where to work

[Seymore4Head]

I was talking to my nephew about where to suggest he find a job. He has said he doesn't want to have to do anything demeaning or undignified (My guess is he doesn't want to do anything......period). I didn't laugh out loud when he said it, but I did laugh on the inside. Considering he just barely finished high school, I assume he has more to learn than he thinks he does.

One place I suggested he apply for a job was the local hospital. I was trying to think of a place that needed a more diverse range of skills. I can think of a few places that would require some pretty special skills (nuclear power and NASA) but I can't think of a too many places that would require a more diverse range of skills.

We did have one electrician working at Watts Bar that was famous for saying........I can wire anything from a two stall outhouse to a nuclear power house.

Hospitals need everything from bed pan cleaners to brain surgeons.

[taxed and spent]

That won't work. He would likely find brain surgery demeaning.

[songbird]

i always recommend that kids get a career aptitude test and talk to their counselors at school about this as it can help them figure out what they might enjoy and i also ask them to think about what makes them happy, what they value and to learn how to manage money and investments.

i have them do some simple math and talk about much money will be going through their hands in a lifetime and that if they start early with the savings it can add up over time to be a cushion which gives them more freedom later. it's not any fun to get stuck in a bad job because you can't afford to quit.

songbird

[philo]

You are right but I suppose his attitude is fairly normal.

Got my first job as a bus boy when I was 16 and loved it because I stayed way too busy to ever get bored. After that my attitude on working hard was set for life.

Truth is though I was kind of scared when I went to apply and had to be forced into it by my mother and best friend.

A job is a job though and only demeaning if you think it so. Always thought it was funny when the person scrubbing the toilet indignantly said, "we don't do windows."

[CRNG]

On Thu, 21 May 2015 23:20:02 -0400, Seymore4Head wrote in

Did Watts Bar ever fininsh Unit 3?

[RobertMacy]

Barely finishing high school is immaterial, UNLESS it indicates an inability to maintain commitment and/or focus. When I hired people, I looked at what they have done on their own. Not, what some school poured into their heads. After all, in the REAL work invironment, you're on your own and HAVE to learn on your OWN. Plus, if they have accomplished something, built something, that means they have the ability to make their thoughts into reality. Much more valuable to me than a demonstration of a diploma and look how much they can absorb.

I would highly recommend he look for work doing something that he actually learns something of value. Something he will need in the future. To me, that rules out 'service' jobs. Work alongside an expert, like a Painter, or plumber, or car mechanic, or construction type of some kind. And LEARN! When he's older, he'll need to know how to take care of things in his home himself. And in the interim, he can sell his ability to 'fix' and build things for others. And the beauty of this expertise is that it's really, really difficult to outsource! The work HAS to be done right here.

Like my father told me, "Find something you LIKE to do, and people pay you for; and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

Then, again, he might find a position with the govt, and also not have to work a day in his life. ;)

[Frank]

I was going to suggest kid developing a work ethic needed for any job - presence on the job at set time, doing the work itself, developing relations with coworkers etc but I think you got it right. Get a government job. Only requirement is being able to get the job. Then you earn money for doing nothing.

[philo]

On 05/22/2015 08:11 AM, Frank wrote: t it's really, really difficult to outsource! The work

I had an uncle who was a scientist and worked for the government. He was a damn hard worker but did tell me that there were a number of people he worked with who did nothing.

At my job there was one guy who did maybe 25% the work of everyone else...and though it took management a hell of a long time...they finally sent him packing.

[Ralph Mowery]

.

He could get a job putting on roofs. That way he could start at the top.

[Mayayana]

Shouldn't your advice be tailored to your nephew rather than the job market? Some people at 18 know exactly where they're headed. Some don't. As a high school graduate he's qualified for manual labor. Even unskilled work like being a bank teller requires a college degree if one gets to wear clean clothes and pretend to be white collar.

I think the issue of demeaning work is an interesting one. Young people are often exploited and there's no reason he shouldn't be on the lookout for that. He should expect to work hard for relatively low pay. He shouldn't expect that he will have to do the Walmart Wiggle, get urine tests, be required to work overtime, be required to hang around with the boss, or any of the other truly demeaning requirements that many employers make. If it were me I'd try to steer him toward a personal situation, with a small company rather than a large corporation. Corporate work is dehumanizing. It's hard to get around that.

[Seymore4Head]

I worked there in the 80s I was unaware of a Unit 3.

[Paul Marks]

There is high demand for quality trades people if he is willing to learn the trade.

If the answer is no, then he is is going to have to learn at the school of hard knocks or find a Sugar Momma.

[Frank]

Over 50 years ago but I actually had government (state) summer jobs when I was a student. I worked quite hard in ground maintenance and as a toll collector at the Delaware River Bridge. There were no easy jobs there.

Now I tell the story of one day passing three groups of the Delaware department of transportation work sites and out of maybe 15-20 people, only two were working and it was those stopping traffic.

Huge difference today is government unions. Once a person gets the job it is his as long as he wants it. At local state park where workers often do nothing but only ride around the park, I knew one worker that was fired. He was actually a hard worker but flunked a drug test twice.

[Kurt Ullman]

What's yellow and sleeps 6? A DoT truck.

[Frank]

LOL - that's about it ;)

[rebel]

My first job was a waitress at a steakhouse. It was money! Never crossed my mind that it could be demeaning.

[Dean Hoffman]

Some cut due to quotation limits.

I don't think anyone suggested the military so far.

[Ignoramus8699]

How to you talk sense into an irrational loser, is a problem that the humanity has struggled with for the last 12,345 years. You might well be the first person ever to solve this problem!