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Monday, August 22, 2011

In my back pocket

I used to find it slightly funny that thousands of people graduate each year and end up in the very same job that i, a no paper having 25yr old, am in. I still find it funny but in a, my-house-caught-fire-but-only-my-kitchen-and-bedroom-are-destroyed-so-i-still-have-a-couch kinda funny.

For someone to take their time, energy and money to get a tertiary level education, then four to how many years later be released into the wilderness of unemployment....weeks, months, maybe even years pass and a college grad is now doing waitressing, or Customer Care or Bartending, or Hostessing or selling weed. LOL

I'm not knocking the people who have degrees in their back pocket and are doing the above mentioned jobs, maybe i have a fairytale vision of what should happen after i get my degree, BUT, working for $50,000 a month salary as a holder of a Bachelors is an insult. Now i'm not the one to discuss politics or get agitated and vocal about what the Government is or isnt doing but, for a country like Jamaica with people willing to and capable of achieving great things in every field, people who are quick to grasp new technologies and are quickly learning to adapt to new situations, why isn't more being done to facilitate us, why isn't there a bigger incentive for those who have worked hard for the opportunity to have a comfortable living.

In MY back pocket i have....lint...oh no wait, i have experience in various fields, From Customer care to Technical Support to Land Surveying. Over the years i've job hopped while many degree holders stayed home and searched. I don't blame them for holding out for something better, i realize that when it comes down to competition, links, availability and the right pay, Jobs are HARD to find.

Maybe there's a science to this. When it comes down to whats in your back pocket, is it better to have loads of experience and a certificate or two? Or a degree and zero experience? Or zero papers but loads of experience? Is there a recipe? Or are we just lucky to grab something?

Maybe i'm just talking out my ass, i just don't like what i see.