I know I shouldn't complain but...

[pippy]

 

What He Said!

 

Congrats on the N'VD (New 'Vette Day).

 

 

...my commute to NASA was about 35 minutes (less than 10 miles though)...

Pffttt....Amateur Stuff.

Monday mornings for me; 05.45h Go to work. 6 Miles through South London to City Centre. 25 mins. Great!

Monday afternoons. Return journey. Same 6 Miles. 1 hour 15 mins.... Not So Great!

 

And I don't have a 'Vette to cheer me up.....lol!

 

P.

[davidl]

Commuting is a royal PIA and one of the reasons I will retire early. Minimum 2 hours a day. Worst day during a snow storm, I spent 5 hours on the road. My commute is only 25km, 15 miles or so.

Hard to believe but you almost get used to it. Of course a new vette would make it a little more palatable. It wasn't so bad in the summer when I had my convertible Mustang either.

I generally don't complain. I am fortunate to have a good, well paying job (IT manager)with full medical, dental, vision care benefits and a pension. I get 7 weeks vacation a year too. Its terrible but I still can't wait to retire. Job satisfaction has diminished since a change in upper management and it is no longer fun going to work.

I know, boohoo, cry me a river. Very few of us can say we truly love our jobs but I used to. I am very fortunate that I will be able to retire with a pension at all. I'll be going so early that my pension will be about 40% of my salary but I will leave with a retirement gratuity of about 16 months salary.

[milod]

IMHO the increases in bureaucracy, whether corporate or governmental, has made many jobs less enjoyable than they were 50 years ago. I guarantee that's the case in my industry.

 

Much of that I do blame on a huge change over that time period in increasing governmental regulation - regardless of the nation in our "European culture" that includes western Europe as well as the Anglophone nations.

 

I guarantee that I have less opportunity to enjoy the calling that grabbed me intellectually and emotionally right at 49 years ago.

 

And my commute is between 15 and 20 minutes including a stop at a fast foods joint to get some sausage-biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Under five minutes if just a straight shot to the office.

 

m

[brc]

I know its been said over and over, but at least you are working.

I retired almost 13 years ago now, I was able to retire in my early 50s, but I would hate to be out of work with things the way they are now.

Enjoy your Vette, turn up the tunes and think about the ones who would love to be in your place, <the ones looking for work, and some without a car at all>

[ksdaddy]

Well said.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

All this talk about it being hard to get work makes me think....

 

I believe that most of the people who say they can't get a job at the moment don't want one (in the UK, I should say). I recently advertised for 4 new people, got a number of applications with letters and CVs but when I rang them they couldn't make an interview or had decided it's too far to travel, etc, etc. What these people are doing is fulfilling the requirements put on them by the benefits bosses. "Look here's a copy of my applications this week" but the idiots never check to see if they were sent, or if the person was offered and declined an interview. On one particular day I had lined up 4 interviews and 2 no-showed. Then there were a few who interviewed so badly I can only believe they were trying to avoid being offered a job. I speak to other employers and the story is the same everywhere.

 

You might think that's all conjecture and opinion, and you'd be right but I'll say this.. In the cases im talking about, either they didn't want a job or they were unemployable. Either way, as a statistic they aren't going away any time soon.

 

I've had at least 20 CVs bereft of any punctuation, I mean not a single punctuation mark. I've had CVs where people "No how to..." Rather than "know how to...". People had better be aware, if I get 100 CVs I'm going to bin 75 of them ruthlessly so use reasonable grammar, punctuation and spelling, then get it checked by your friends. If you're leaving your last job because "there business model changed" or you applied because "your a company I'd love to work for" or you "no alot about the business ” your CV gets filed under B, for bin. (T, for trash?).

 

I'm sure there are people out there who are struggling but my experience is that there are far more who love living on my taxes and have no intention of changing it.

[pauloon]

All this talk about it being hard to get work makes me think....

 

I believe that most of the people who say they can't get a job at the moment don't want one (in the UK, I should say). I recently advertised for 4 new people, got a number of applications with letters and CVs but when I rang them they couldn't make an interview or had decided it's too far to travel, etc, etc. What these people are doing is fulfilling the requirements put on them by the benefits bosses. "Look here's a copy of my applications this week" but the idiots never check to see if they were sent, or if the person was offered and declined an interview. On one particular day I had lined up 4 interviews and 2 no-showed. Then there were a few who interviewed so badly I can only believe they were trying to avoid being offered a job. I speak to other employers and the story is the same everywhere.

 

You might think that's all conjecture and opinion, and you'd be right but I'll say this.. In the cases im talking about, either they didn't want a job or they were unemployable. Either way, as a statistic they aren't going away any time soon.

 

I've had at least 20 CVs bereft of any punctuation, I mean not a single punctuation mark. I've had CVs where people "No how to..." Rather than "know how to...". People had better be aware, if I get 100 CVs I'm going to bin 75 of them ruthlessly so use reasonable grammar, punctuation and spelling, then get it checked by your friends. If you're leaving your last job because "there business model changed" or you applied because "your a company I'd love to work for" or you "no alot about the business " your CV gets filed under B, for bin. (T, for trash?).

 

I'm sure there are people out there who are struggling but my experience is that there are far more who love living on my taxes and have no intention of changing it.

 

Agree.

[milod]

And obviously Farns ain't just makin' a point about culture and life in the UK.

 

The difficulty arises when a culture comes to meet or exceed an even split between those who work for a living and those who vote for one.

 

m

[Guest Farnsbarns]

And obviously Farns ain't just makin' a point about culture and life in the UK.

 

The difficulty arises when a culture comes to meet or exceed an even split between those who work for a living and those who vote for one.

 

m

 

A very good point very well made.

 

The other thing that pees me off is the people who don't understand that if they are claiming benefits they are obligated to do ANY job they can get. I speak to people all the time who could easily get a job stacking shelves but they wait for something better while living off the hard work of others.

 

One of the guys I did employ had been earning £40k ($60k) before he was made redundant but when he applied to me he worked at Tesco's (supermarket) at nights, stacking shelves. If there had been 2 identical applicants but one had done that while the other hadn't, the one helping himself would get the job every time.

[davidl]

Farns. You are not alone.

I've known people (not befriended), who will work just long enough to meet the requirements to receive unemployment benefits, then find a way to lose their job. They make me sick.

I'm 51 now and have never received unemployment benefits in my life. I'm certainly not faulting those who receive benefits legitimately.

End of rant.

Dave

[jdgm]

I believe that most of the people who say they can't get a job at the moment don't want one (in the UK, I should say).....I'm sure there are people out there who are struggling but my experience is that there are far more who love living on my taxes and have no intention of changing it.

 

Well!

Yes I can at least understand this point of view. However I am 59 which gives me a very different perspective.

 

But if this is the case, why is it so? Many reasons.

 

School. If you don't have parents or male and female role models to advise and guide you, you may not understand the point of going to school or do well. I have worked in the education field for around 30 years and kids don't do lines (or learn tables) anymore because it's against their human rights. True. Thus the hopeless CVs. The brutal truth of it is that a child is just another animal to be trained, and the danger in that is that we are incredibly intelligent animals. Far too easy to go off the rails.

 

Parents. If you do have parents they might just be worse role models than no parents at all. We've all read about orphans who not only made good but because of their circumstances had a drive most of us don't. Louis Armstrong was one.

 

Society. British society is like a very big (public) school. If you don't fit (and most people these days don't - which is nothing new at all) then you are going to be put on the outside at some point and it hurts, you won't forget it and it will influence action you take which affects your future. This didn't matter so much when I was younger because there were far fewer people, more space and none of the extremes we see today. That is a very generalised truism but a valid one.

 

Jobs. You have to understand that even if J Bloggs was a total failure at nearly everything, it was still easy to 'get work' in Britain throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. So even if Bloggs spent all week doing the sh*ttiest manual labour, he/she still got a wage packet every Friday like everyone else he/she knew, had self-respect and enough dosh to get by and pay the bills. That has very nearly all gone, believe me. This does not mean there are not any opportunities; but please understand that a lot of people are not able to recognize and take advantage of 'life opportunities' when they arise. Looking back, I can see that perhaps I am one of those people. And getting state benefits is an opportunity not to be passed up (for some), too.

 

Awareness. I don't know if that's the right word but everybody is connected now; they just weren't 30 years ago. So you hear about more bad stuff and can be influenced MORALLY in ways that didn't exist back then. Again a generalization but I hope you get my drift.

 

I could go on but won't - ksdaddy I'm sorry to hijack the thread. There are good and bad Corvettes too! Pics?

 

(Edited)

['Scales]

15-20 mins each way village to town and back through beautiful countryside so can't complain at all about the commute.

 

I wonder how the kids today will manage to find time to do work when it must take up so much time to stay on top of social media commitments - like I'm doing in typing this I guess - but on a scale that encompasses so many more aspects of their lives. Especially office work - will be interesting to see - I don't manage anyone these days (yaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!) but people I deal with that do tell me I wouldn't believe the changes in outlook - and thats a generation who still haven't had Internet from birth - it gonna get weird out there in the 'business parks' folks!

[Rabs]

With regards to benefits..

 

I think it should be simple.. ive been made redundant more times that I care to remember... so have had to claim a few times...

 

But from my point of view ive worked for over 20 years paying into the system.. And it should be as simple as that.. You pay contributions and then if you need them when your out of work you get some back... If you haven't worked and haven't earned the right to benefits you shouldn't get any... But it doesn't work like that..

 

Its a RELLY stupid system I can tell you that. And none of the people that I have seen at the job centres in the 2 years ive been out of work have been able to do anything for me... Like not a single thing.

 

In my case I have sent my CV for every type of job you can think of local super markets, driving jobs even a job at the benefits office and in each case I was ignored... I have had my CV looked at by many many people and a few people who do it for a living so I don't think its my CV that's an issue.... What I think it is, is that people look at my CV which is very specialised and just think HUH!!! why is this guy looking for a job here and my CV goes in the bin.

 

And the biggest problem I have is that I have now been out of my main industry for so long they wont even consider me... the attitude these days seems to be that they want to hire someone who has just been doing the exact same job or they arnt interested... which leaves me in a really crap position.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Well!

Yes I can at least understand this point of view. However I am 59 which gives me a very different perspective.

 

But if this is the case, why is it so? Many reasons.

 

School. If you don't have parents or male and female role models to advise and guide you, you may not understand the point of going to school or do well. I have worked in the education field for around 30 years and kids don't do lines (or learn tables) anymore because it's against their human rights. True. Thus the hopeless CVs. The brutal truth of it is that a child is just another animal to be trained, and the danger in that is that we are incredibly intelligent animals. Far too easy to go off the rails.

 

Parents. If you do have parents they might just be worse role models than no parents at all. We've all read about orphans who not only made good but because of their circumstances had a drive most of us don't. Louis Armstrong was one.

 

Society. British society is like a very big (public) school. If you don't fit (and most people these days don't - which is nothing new at all) then you are going to be put on the outside at some point and it hurts, you won't forget it and it will influence action you take which affects your future. This didn't matter so much when I was younger because there were far fewer people, more space and none of the extremes we see today. That is a very generalised truism but a valid one.

 

Jobs. You have to understand that even if J Bloggs was a total failure at nearly everything, it was still easy to 'get work' in Britain throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. So even if Bloggs spent all week doing the sh*ttiest manual labour, he/she still got a wage packet every Friday like everyone else he/she knew, had self-respect and enough dosh to get by and pay the bills. That has very nearly all gone, believe me. This does not mean there are not any opportunities; but please understand that a lot of people are not able to recognize and take advantage of 'life opportunities' when they arise. Looking back, I can see that perhaps I am one of those people. And getting state benefits is an opportunity not to be passed up, too.

 

Awareness. I don't know if that's the right word but everybody is connected now; they just weren't 30 years ago. So you hear about more bad stuff and can be influenced MORALLY in ways that didn't exist back then. Again a generalization but I hope you get my drift.

 

I could go on but won't - ksdaddy I'm sorry to hijack the thread. There are good and bad Corvettes too! Pics?

 

I'm sorry but I believe this kind of thinking is simply enabling laziness. You spend 10 years teaching kids that nothing is their fault and that the problems they have are the fault of society in general and you end up with adults who have a built excuse mechanism so they can convince themselves, their friends, their families that it's society's fault, their parents fault, an unavoidable circumstance etc etc etc etc etc etc. This is your "why" IMHO. And by the way, there are more job vacancies right now than there are unemployed people. There is work out there, just like the 50s and 60s. Of course, in the 70s we actually went to a 4 day week because jobs were genuinely scarce.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

With regards to benefits..

 

I think it should be simple.. ive been made redundant more times that I care to remember... so have had to claim a few times...

 

But from my point of view ive worked for over 20 years paying into the system.. And it should be as simple as that.. You pay contributions and then if you need them when your out of work you get some back... If you haven't worked and haven't earned the right to benefits you shouldn't get any... But it doesn't work like that..

 

Its a RELLY stupid system I can tell you that. And none of the people that I have seen at the job centres in the 2 years ive been out of work have been able to do anything for me... Like not a single thing.

 

In my case I have sent my CV for every type of job you can think of local super markets, driving jobs even a job at the benefits office and in each case I was ignored... I have had my CV looked at by many many people and a few people who do it for a living so I don't think its my CV that's an issue.... What I think it is, is that people look at my CV which is very specialised and just think HUH!!! why is this guy looking for a job here and my CV goes in the bin.

 

And the biggest problem I have is that I have now been out of my main industry for so long they wont even consider me... the attitude these days seems to be that they want to hire someone who has just been doing the exact same job or they arnt interested... which leaves me in a really crap position.

 

Funnily enough I thought of you as I typed my post. I thought of you because you are the one exception imx. To everyone else... I've met Rabs and the contents of my post don't apply to what I know of him.

[jdgm]

I'm sorry but I believe this kind of thinking is simply enabling laziness. You spend 10 years teaching kids that nothing is their fault and that the problems they have are the fault of society in general and you end up with adults who have a built excuse mechanism so they can convince themselves, their friends, their families that it's societies fault, their parents fault, an unavoidable circumstance etc etc etc etc etc etc. This is your "why" IMHO.

Yes. Exactly. I am trying to show a point of view. People just don't understand the possibilities.

 

@Rabs - tell me about it - I was made redundant twice in quick succession (I'm telling you Farns, I got told 'you're out' and put out of my computer job and went to an employment agency literally immediately the same day and was working within the next few days) and did warehousing. I talk too 'proper' and I've 'got exams' so the other workers mostly hated me. Innit?

['Scales]

Sorry to hear your situation Rabs - very frustrating I'm sure.

Were I looking to re-train today I'd go for truck driving or aged care - both long hours and lean pay but large and growing need - and possibility of some job satisfaction. (not advice to you, just reflecting on what i'd do if i needed a job and was prepared to take a few months to re-train).

[Rabs]

Funnily enough I thought of you as I typed my post. I thought of you because you are the one exception imx. To everyone else... I've met Rabs and the contents of my post don't apply to what I know of him.

Lol.. cheers man...

 

And don't worry I know only too well the sort of people you are talking about.. I used to live next to a few of them... They had council houses where as I had to work hard and pay for my own flat.. And these people had ZERO respect for their home or the street (or anything in general)... Im talking about a sort of woman who puts her baby down in the middle of the road while she lights her ciggy and gives everyone in the street nasty stares (as shes fallen out with all of them) and lets her kids kick a ball around and hit peoples cars and leave their toys in the street all night etc etc etc... proper scum!!

 

 

anyway this thread seems to be straying from the point a bit me thinks :)

[Rabs]

Yes. Exactly. I am trying to show a point of view. People just don't understand the possibilities.

 

@Rabs - tell me about it - I was made redundant twice in quick succession (I'm telling you Farns, I got told 'you're out' and put out of my computer job and went to an employment agency literally immediately the same day and was working within the next few days) and did warehousing. I talk too 'proper' and I've 'got exams' so the other workers mostly hated me. Innit?

I just counted... its been 8 times (redundancy).. and one time it was twice in three weeks :) (the same company obviously)

 

And yeah some of the manual labour jobs is like a big boys club.. if you don't think like them they don't like it.

[Rabs]

Sorry to hear your situation Rabs - very frustrating I'm sure.

Were I looking to re-train today I'd go for truck driving or aged care - both long hours and lean pay but large and growing need - and possibility of some job satisfaction. (not advice to you, just reflecting on what i'd do if i needed a job and was prepared to take a few months to re-train).

Well all of this (partly) is what lead me to start making guitars.. Im kinda hoping that will work out..

 

BUT if it doesn't in the next few months I need to get a job again :(

 

So who knows.. maybe I needed this to happen to me in order to lead me down that path?

 

Life is certainly odd sometimes :)

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Yes. Exactly. I am trying to show a point of view. People just don't understand the possibilities.

 

@Rabs - tell me about it - I was made redundant twice in quick succession (I'm telling you Farns, I got told 'you're out' and put out of my computer job and went to an employment agency literally immediately the same day and was working within the next few days) and did warehousing. I talk too 'proper' and I've 'got exams' so the other workers mostly hated me. Innit?

 

Me too. On June 11 2009 I was given 9 hours notice of my redundancy. (Illegal, I know) and by the time I got home I had a rough business plan in my head and was working, for myself, the following week. I did that very successfully for 3 years before 2 bad decisions led to the end of that. Those decisions were my fault, I accepted that and looked for a solution. The solution was to get a job. I went into what should have been a stop gap call centre job but I gave it my all. Less than a year later I run that department and have reshaped it into a team of sales people generating 3 times the revenue they had been.

 

I left school with 2 GCSE's, this was my fault, my parents got devorced halfway through my gcse's and moved me to another school, i don't use that to excuse myself, i could have got on but I didn't, what ever the reasons those were my choices. That's how people used to be. Responsible for themselves and their choices. We've lost that. I took a YTS scheme job (£40 a week in the 90s) and was put through college, got some qualificatiions and started working.

[jdgm]

That's how people used to be. Responsible for themselves and their choices. We've lost that.

 

Could not agree more.

(Might we discuss this further over a beer sometime?)

[milod]

Two points...

 

1. Personal responsibility, gone.

 

2. Bureaucracies in both Govt. and Biz are also reinforced by #1.

 

As long as we have a Nanny state and as long as bureaucracies govt and biz are designed to preserve themselves at all effort, we're in trouble.

 

There will likely be a major paradigm change in culture necessary to halt the otherwise inevitable crash. Luckily for me, I'm likely to be dead, but I fear there will not be that paradigm shift.

 

m

['Scales]

capitalism begets 'ownership' begets 'entitlement' and the legal, insurance (aka legal) and government (aka legal) 'industries' rub their hands - what hope personal responsibility?

 

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

anyhow, its a gorgeous day here in Oz with music to be played and beer to be partaken of!

[Rosemarie]

I am in a situation where I want to work, but can't. I see my eye doctors (2 of them) every month or two to maintain what little vision I have. With these visits alone, I would run through any and all sick, personal and vacation days that I would be allotted before the year was up. Also, being visually impaired, a majority (vast majority at that) would never take a chance on me because of the longstanding belief that blind and visually impaired people lack intelligence and are unable to do anything. Sadly, blind and visually impaired people have the highest rates of unemployment, depression and suicide (in America, at least). It can be argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act should make it way easier for anyone with a disability to get a job, but that isn't necessarily the case. The way the law was originally passed - that would be true - but since it has been pillaged, employers have the upper hand and can legally turn down a disabled applicant because of their disability as long as they can link it to the requirements of the job. It really stinks!

 

It is further frustrating because I worked my butt off to get a good education. I have a Master's Degree in Special Education that isn't even worth the paper its written on. My education cost me $75,000 and I will never have anything to show for it. If (God Forbid!) I ever lose my husband, I am FUBAR because I have no way to support myself or keep my home. I really get angry and resentful when I hear junk like "You don't even try" or "You just don't want to work". Are there people out there who want a free ride - sure - but that isn't me. I also get angry when people say things like "its people like you that have your Student Loans discharged that make the rest of us pay more" as if I planned to rack up $75,000 in Student Loans just to skip out on my responsibility. If I knew how to fix my situation, I would. I want my own money, I want to contribute to society like everyone else, I don't want to have to worry about what's going to happen if I lose my husband, I don't want to be in this situation.

 

I guess in long form I am saying to those of you with jobs you dislike, be grateful you have a job. There is always someone like me out there who wishes that they could work.