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The new American job: Part time?
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Just Another Number
With a Master's degree in I.T. and over forty years experience, including a twenty year career in the military, I'm unemployable. This is the official determination of several potential employers after two years of unemployment. Two years of "Overqualified", "Unqualified", and "We do not consider candidates who have been out of work for longer than (fill in a number) months". Now it's official; because nobody has employed me for over two years, I am officially unemployable.
The rationale is that I.T. changes rapidly and the assumption is I haven't taken steps to keep up. Yes, the technology changes rapidly. However, the skills and flexibility required to work in I.T. do not. The experience to examine a situation, to evaluate and prioritize options and run with an appropriate solution, does not. The ability to exhibit leadership, to train, to manage resources, does not. None of that matters now. I'm unemployable.
The unemployment numbers are falling. They're falling because many people have been deemed unemployable and are no longer being counted. In theory, even with 100% unemployment, if we wait long enough that everyone falls out of the system, we could have 0% unemployment! What a wonderful system!
Employers cry about being unable to find qualified candidates, so they're not hiring. They won't tell you that they're defining 'qualified' so narrowly that Nobody meets the threshold. They won't tell you that they're throwing the baby out with the dishwater and ignoring candidates who're fully capable of doing the job. Employers want the good PR without the expense of actually adding to their staffing.
Remember back in grade school, picking players for the team? We're not the last one's picked. We're Ignored and left standing on the field while everyone else goes off to play. Don't look for an economic resurgance when industry ignores it's most talented and experienced workers, leaving them to fend for themselves.
The rationale is that I.T. changes rapidly and the assumption is I haven't taken steps to keep up. Yes, the technology changes rapidly. However, the skills and flexibility required to work in I.T. do not. The experience to examine a situation, to evaluate and prioritize options and run with an appropriate solution, does not. The ability to exhibit leadership, to train, to manage resources, does not. None of that matters now. I'm unemployable.
The unemployment numbers are falling. They're falling because many people have been deemed unemployable and are no longer being counted. In theory, even with 100% unemployment, if we wait long enough that everyone falls out of the system, we could have 0% unemployment! What a wonderful system!
Employers cry about being unable to find qualified candidates, so they're not hiring. They won't tell you that they're defining 'qualified' so narrowly that Nobody meets the threshold. They won't tell you that they're throwing the baby out with the dishwater and ignoring candidates who're fully capable of doing the job. Employers want the good PR without the expense of actually adding to their staffing.
Remember back in grade school, picking players for the team? We're not the last one's picked. We're Ignored and left standing on the field while everyone else goes off to play. Don't look for an economic resurgance when industry ignores it's most talented and experienced workers, leaving them to fend for themselves.
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