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Wolfgang Puck can’t find waiters because of labor shortage


Armybrat

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10 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

And goes into the low 20’s with 3+ weeks of vacay, profit sharing, etc.   The guy that guides your tire into the fucking car wash is 17.50$/hr iirc.  Our problem is we are full to the fucking brim of unskilled labor.  
 

I’d add to that, that with the of outsourcing of manufacturing jobs overseas we’ve lost a tremendous number of no skill, but pays a living wage type jobs.  

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7 minutes ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

It’s still partly luck, Slorch. I know you got dealt a crappy hand in some respects, and I don’t doubt that you’ve busted your ass to provide for your family.  But our age group was lucky to have been born when we were, our best earning years have corresponded with huge economic growth. I’m nothing special but have managed to support raising a family on one income and luck into buying real estate at the right times.   Luck has a lot to do with that, particularly having the means to snap things up during a downturn.  

Something I’ve become, and tried to remain, cognizant of is large stretches of time absolutely have a way of making the past rosy.  
 

There are days when my wife is cranky, my kids are screaming, and I’m trying to do dishes/laundry/parenting/cooking/etc…I catch myself dreaming of those few years where I was a single homeowner with no responsibilities, a six pack of beer and a packed bowl with nothing to do but play Wii or whatever the fuck came to mind.  I have to remind myself I was house-poor, bored, not getting laid, and still heart broken over my ex whom I hadn’t yet realized was toxic and would never be happy.  


“The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems”.  

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I’d add to that, that with the of outsourcing of manufacturing jobs overseas we’ve lost a tremendous number of no skill, but pays a living wage type jobs.  

And….and this is REALLY important….half of all Americans are of below-median intelligence. We have LOTS of people who don’t have what it takes to be an engineer or doctor etc. We always have.

They used to work in agriculture. Then manufacturing. Now….what? You can yell “study and get a job in finance!” at someone with a 95 IQ all day long…but it’s never gonna happen.

Unskilled workers are a real thing, and there will ALWAYS be millions of them. They deserve a chance to earn a living, too.
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This conversation only tracks if we think that the service industry folks are hammering welfare checks and sitting at home. There is surely some amount of that happening, but I think it is pretty clear for a number of reasons that with restaurants particularly, there is a different thing happening. Which is, restaurant workers having their careers disrupted and realizing that they don’t want to go back to those careers. Static friction is a lot to overcome for many to most people. Changing jobs is frightening, hard, confusing, disheartening. If you’re already beat to shit on a regular basis with your normal work and you can’t get past stretching paycheck to paycheck, you can spend your entire career not doing it. Many of us have the experience of losing a job and it turning into a blessing with more fulfilling or lucrative work. To some degree, this just happened en masse to an industry.

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14 minutes ago, Homercles said:

I didn’t make my point clear and I apologize for that.  Yes you have a lot of control over your career by the choices and sacrifices you make, but general circumstances absolutely adjust your odds of success.  

We have a generation or two that have been raised with the political mindset that you are either a victim or the "victims" are coming after you. MSNBC and FOX news. This is how we are controlled politically and monetarily. I'm not sure we drag this country out of it due to the persistent focus on self and/or self pity. We have made us our own idol and we suck big time at being our own gods. It's no coincidence that we have spiking rates of depression, anxiety and suicide (this was happening prior to Covid).  We've spent the last couple of decades telling people that they can be whatever they want to be (which is complete BS) and you absolutely deserve whatever is better than you have right now. We had a good taste of this in the 80's and that was a pretty morally bankrupt time with lots of personal demons created in the excess of self and greed.  Rinse and repeat until we fold as a nation.

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3 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

This conversation only tracks if we think that the service industry folks are hammering welfare checks and sitting at home. There is surely some amount of that happening, but I think it is pretty clear for a number of reasons that with restaurants particularly, there is a different thing happening. Which is, restaurant workers having their careers disrupted and realizing that they don’t want to go back to those careers. Static friction is a lot to overcome for many to most people. Changing jobs is frightening, hard, confusing, disheartening. If you’re already beat to shit on a regular basis with your normal work and you can’t get past stretching paycheck to paycheck, you can spend your entire career not doing it. Many of us have the experience of losing a job and it turning into a blessing with more fulfilling or lucrative work. To some degree, this just happened en masse to an industry.

Go read the Kitchen Confidential subreddit, filter by hottest in the last year snd there’s a big thread where they discuss exactly this.  That community centers on the industry as a whole and most are saying why they’re out.  

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And….and this is REALLY important….half of all Americans are of below-median intelligence. We have LOTS of people who don’t have what it takes to be an engineer or doctor etc. We always have.

They used to work in agriculture. Then manufacturing. Now….what? You can yell “study and get a job in finance!” at someone with a 95 IQ all day long…but it’s never gonna happen.

Unskilled workers are a real thing, and there will ALWAYS be millions of them. They deserve a chance to earn a living, too.

Half will be below the median by definition, but that doesn’t mean the median can’t rise.

Luck certainly plays a part. The biggest being your parents because they play such a huge part of your intelligence and personality and IQ, as well as your development. Good parents and genes can overcome a lot.
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1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

Which is, restaurant workers having their careers disrupted and realizing that they don’t want to go back to those careers.

I think this has more to do with it than most, in that industry.  We learned at the flip of a political switch (right or wrong) your income can be shut off in an instant.  Pandemic, we don’t want people to crowd, as a restaurant owner/waiter/cook/bartender your shot was shut off overnight.   I’d be scared shitless when the next pandemic would cause the next shutdown. Not unlike yearly O&G layoffs; it’s tough to have that fear over your thinking constantly.  I went thru 7 in 9 years (and never got cut, thank god) and was a huge reason I dipped out of that field for awhile. 

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1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:


And….and this is REALLY important….half of all Americans are of below-median intelligence. We have LOTS of people who don’t have what it takes to be an engineer or doctor etc. We always have.

They used to work in agriculture. Then manufacturing. Now….what? You can yell “study and get a job in finance!” at someone with a 95 IQ all day long…but it’s never gonna happen.

Unskilled workers are a real thing, and there will ALWAYS be millions of them. They deserve a chance to earn a living, too.

I think you are bringing up a good point here. We have millions of people who do not possess either the education nor the necessary skills that would be developed with that education to obtain jobs where they can live what would at least be described as a comfortable life. We don’t get to Thanos our way out of this and just snap our fingers and half the population is gone. 
 

I think two things will happen eventually that will be directly tied to people leaving service jobs because of the mental stress that has become untenable. We are going to have to start a jobs program geared specifically at service industry workers that can educate and help them transition to jobs that can give them at least a modicum of emotional and financial security. You are empathetic to the plight of these workers from your own experiences in the industry in your younger years. As we see in this thread there are many who are not. That is disheartening, but not unexpected. 
 

I also believe the automation of many fast food jobs and eventually some restaurant jobs, especially the back of house jobs as AI becomes more reliable, will be part of the basis for a universal income push. We are going to eventually have too large a segment of our society that has no job or combination of them that will keep them afloat. We are not at that point yet, but it’s coming. That Sci-Fi show The Expanse gives us a fairly good look at what UI will be like after we are all long gone.

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Business idea. The upcoming retirement of the boomer generation will be a seismic shift, not just on resources (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security) but on job markets. All these unskilled workers should be trained to take care of the boomer generation in nursing/meal delivery/home care/help with technology/etc. While technology will replace many service industry jobs over the next 20 years, I don’t think we’re their yet on elder care robots, plus Old Glory insurance isn’t cheap. 

 

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28 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Business idea. The upcoming retirement of the boomer generation will be a seismic shift, not just on resources (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security) but on job markets. All these unskilled workers should be trained to take care of the boomer generation in nursing/meal delivery/home care/help with technology/etc. While technology will replace many service industry jobs over the next 20 years, I don’t think we’re their yet on elder care robots, plus Old Glory insurance isn’t cheap. 

 

The problem is, what do you pay them?  If it takes $35/hr to have a “livable” wage, then you’ll be flooded with construction workers (just example) and now we won’t have guys building roads and houses.  So you bump them guys up to $45/hr, now you have teachers that would rather do that and you lose them. Then nurses and etc etc etc.    It sucks that people are priced out of areas, but how do you fix that?  You build cheap ass housing. Easier said than done in any popular place like NYC, SF, Austin, etc.  

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Since this thread is largely anecdotes: my memories of working in bars and restaurants in my 20s was that it wasn’t the customers so much as the hours. I’m not sure where y’all come from that the customers are constantly horrible, but that wasn’t my experience. I had more frequent asshole customers working retail.

But the hours and the vampire lifestyle in the bar/restaurant business take a toll. Also don’t assume that all who work in that biz are these hard working angels. There were a lot of real fucksticks that did it for the cash flow and the party lifestyle.

I’m not surprised that those who can are escaping the hours and the lifestyle. Then again, we’ll see how long they all like the “40 hour” rat race. It can be just as soul-sucking.

This has been an interesting forced social experiment in many ways, but my guess is we’ll settle back into more or less what we had before. People are assuming we are in the new normal too quickly.

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47 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Business idea. The upcoming retirement of the boomer generation will be a seismic shift, not just on resources (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security) but on job markets. All these unskilled workers should be trained to take care of the boomer generation in nursing/meal delivery/home care/help with technology/etc. While technology will replace many service industry jobs over the next 20 years, I don’t think we’re their yet on elder care robots, plus Old Glory insurance isn’t cheap. 

 

I watched that Simpsons episode too…

https://www.americanmanufacturing.org/blog/the-simpsons-just-ran-an-episode-about-the-future-of-work/

In all seriousness this Rep no child left behind and Dem that everyone should go to college policies are bullshit.  People don’t need to rack up $100k of debt only to get a degree in humanities before taking a job at a call center to pay off that debt.  We need better career pathing in high schools/colleges.  Those that won’t need college shouldn’t need any burdensome math/science/English/foreign language classes.  Figure out what they need to be productive members of society and train them then move them into vocational courses.

Basic English/grammar, Algebra I and basic math (that can be applied in daily life), health, speech, general science, personal finance course (covering insurance, banking, stocks, mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc), basic computer class, government, and maybe a few other I forgot…then they take a course on their career and get them involved in vocational training, auto mechanic, HVAC, electrician, plumber, carpenters, landmen, inspectors, nurses, court reporters, office managers, executive assistants, hospital/school administrators, and just about anything else you could think of.  These students could jump into their careers earlier than their college bound peers and make more money in their early years to start retirement funds and purchase property all of which might help shrink the wealth gap as they would have more time for appreciation for those assets.

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On 6/25/2021 at 12:07 PM, Vic Mackey said:

This is what the pandemic did for so many. When they got away from their jobs, they then realized how toxic it was for them mentally, emotionally and physically. They got a breath of fresh air and did not want to go back. And good for them. Remember the age old saying people would say when these workers spoke out about their pay and job environment? "If you don't like it, find another job". And that is exactly what they are doing. And now those same people are bitching that these people don't want to come back. Sure, they provide a mouth breathing reason that they are lazy and just want to collect govt benefits but it goes much deeper than that. There is a reason why this industry is facing a nationwide shortage and it's pretty easy to comprehend. It is not worth it to them to put up with everything that comes their way on a daily basis.

And that's the way it should be. If you don't like your job or the pay, then increase your skills/find a new job. A job that pays what you're worth. That's one of the benefits of freedom.  A lower skilled, entry level employee is next in line. The problem comes when some people wait on government to figure it out for them.  Or their skills don't match  what they think they are worth. That's the bullshit.

 

If you're not taking advantage of this job market to get what you want, then you're just a whiny bitch. A person who complains to complain..

 

I had a couple of guys who thought they were worth more than that we were paying them. So they moved on. Good luck to them. It worked out for the company because I had replacements who were worth more. Everybody won.

 

@slorch Don't stress the luck thing. You are lucky because you prepared yourself for the opportunity when it was presented. Think about all the folks you know of who couldn't take advantage of an opportunity. 

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

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3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:


And….and this is REALLY important….half of all Americans are of below-median intelligence. We have LOTS of people who don’t have what it takes to be an engineer or doctor etc. We always have.

They used to work in agriculture. Then manufacturing. Now….what? You can yell “study and get a job in finance!” at someone with a 95 IQ all day long…but it’s never gonna happen.

Unskilled workers are a real thing, and there will ALWAYS be millions of them. They deserve a chance to earn a living, too.

We need to do a better job directing them to 'skilled labor', instead of college. We need to fix education. There are plenty of jobs that will pay damn good for a skilled operator or pipe man.

 

And then you are going to have some people that can't do anything but push a broom, pick up boards all day. Yes they deserve a respectable living too. But they also deserve honesty about what they do.

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2 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

We need to do a better job directing them to 'skilled labor', instead of college. We need to fix education. There are plenty of jobs that will pay damn good for a skilled operator or pipe man.

 

This. In the armpit that is Waco, I meet a ton of students at TSTC that are in 18 month programs that spit them out into jobs paying close to high 5 figures. Steady employment with benefits with pay that can easily can jump into low 6 figures without tons of student debt. Some of these jobs are going to make you sweat your ass off but you are going to have steady employment with benefits and know you are doing your part to keep this country running.  Skilled labor is in high demand.  I guess you can still stop at the coffee shop for your latte anyway. There is opportunity in this country if you are willing to work. We just need to make sure those born into poor circumstances obtain this opportunity as well.

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3 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

We need to do a better job directing them to 'skilled labor', instead of college. We need to fix education. There are plenty of jobs that will pay damn good for a skilled operator or pipe man.

Vocational programs in high school used to be pretty common. Auto shop, metal shop, wood shop, cosmetology, healthcare, service industry were pretty common high school programs back in the day.

The only problem with doing that now is it would take a heavy investment in public schools and we are not about to do something like that in Texas.

 

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3 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

We need to do a better job directing them to 'skilled labor', instead of college. We need to fix education. There are plenty of jobs that will pay damn good for a skilled operator or pipe man.

 

And then you are going to have some people that can't do anything but push a broom, pick up boards all day. Yes they deserve a respectable living too. But they also deserve honesty about what they do.

We also need to stop stigmatizing ANY job as “beneath Americans”. We will need every job we can get. 

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It’s chicken and egg.  Bottomless social programs make it possible for people to sustain themselves on less than a “living wage”.  They also facilitate businesses paying those wages.  Unfortunately a solution isn’t as simple as zeroing out one side of that ledger

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1 hour ago, Newdoc said:

This. In the armpit that is Waco, I meet a ton of students at TSTC that are in 18 month programs that spit them out into jobs paying close to high 5 figures. Steady employment with benefits with pay that can easily can jump into low 6 figures without tons of student debt. Some of these jobs are going to make you sweat your ass off but you are going to have steady employment with benefits and know you are doing your part to keep this country running.  Skilled labor is in high demand.  I guess you can still stop at the coffee shop for your latte anyway. There is opportunity in this country if you are willing to work. We just need to make sure those born into poor circumstances obtain this opportunity as well.

How do you convince someone to do a job that they think "sucks" or is beneath them? 

My nephew is 29. He hasn't worked in a few years. He lives with my dad as sort of a half-ass caretaker. My dad had a massive heart attack five years ago and it was damn good my nephew was there and able to take him to the hospital. He helped my dad with some household things while he reovered. But now that dad's pretty much back to normal, he won't work. He claims to have applied for jobs online but never gets an interview. He refuses to take a menial job, such as fast food. He told my sister (his mom) that he'd rather "eat a bullet" than work fast food. So he stays up all night, eating, watching anime or playing PC games; then sleeps all day. My dad doen't have the heart to kick him out. My sister pays for his cell phone and car insurance and considers her job done. I don't think he'd admit it but I'm 100% convinced he's waiting for my dad to die and my sister to buy me out of his house, then he'll live in the house rent-free. 

So he's 29, MORBIDLY obese and hasn't worked in at least 6 years. He's the poster child for the "I won't take a menial job!" crowd. He sure as hell won't try for a job in the oilfield or at a mfg plant. He wants to sit on his ass all day. If, for some reason, he was put out in the street, you and I will be paying for his life. My sister won't do anything about it, my dad is old and lost that edge that he always used on me (and I'm grateful that he did it). 

How many more like him are out there? What can we do to convince them that it's ok to break a sweat at work? Or to move heavy shit while you look for a better job in your downtime? I spent 17 years in warehouses and in delivery vehicles before I landed my desk job. Who wants to do that now?

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He sounds fucking depressed. Hopefully he or someone who cares to help him can figure out how to get him to snap out of it and regain an interest in life. Lose some weight, touch a boobie, figure out a plan towards a life that he would like to live that he might be able to achieve, etc. I'm sure it's been done but a study on American hikikomori would be interesting, as I think a lot of those dudes are out there and they're all fucking miserable.

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10 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

It’s still partly luck, Slorch. I know you got dealt a crappy hand in some respects, and I don’t doubt that you’ve busted your ass to provide for your family.  But our age group was lucky to have been born when we were, our best earning years have corresponded with huge economic growth. I’m nothing special but have managed to support raising a family on one income and luck into buying real estate at the right times.   Luck has a lot to do with that, particularly having the means to snap things up during a downturn.  

I'm not worried about my twentysomething kids making it these days either.  In fact, I rather enjoy hearing all of the bitching and moaning by the quitters and limpdicks about how hard it is.  FTR, I'm not talking about the ability to leverage equity and capital to drive wealth.  I'm discussing something far more simple and available to virtually everyone.

Salvation lies within... even the shitstain warden knew that.

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2 hours ago, Sandman said:

How do you convince someone to do a job that they think "sucks" or is beneath them? 

My nephew is 29. He hasn't worked in a few years. He lives with my dad as sort of a half-ass caretaker. My dad had a massive heart attack five years ago and it was damn good my nephew was there and able to take him to the hospital. He helped my dad with some household things while he reovered. But now that dad's pretty much back to normal, he won't work. He claims to have applied for jobs online but never gets an interview. He refuses to take a menial job, such as fast food. He told my sister (his mom) that he'd rather "eat a bullet" than work fast food. So he stays up all night, eating, watching anime or playing PC games; then sleeps all day. My dad doen't have the heart to kick him out. My sister pays for his cell phone and car insurance and considers her job done. I don't think he'd admit it but I'm 100% convinced he's waiting for my dad to die and my sister to buy me out of his house, then he'll live in the house rent-free. 

So he's 29, MORBIDLY obese and hasn't worked in at least 6 years. He's the poster child for the "I won't take a menial job!" crowd. He sure as hell won't try for a job in the oilfield or at a mfg plant. He wants to sit on his ass all day. If, for some reason, he was put out in the street, you and I will be paying for his life. My sister won't do anything about it, my dad is old and lost that edge that he always used on me (and I'm grateful that he did it). 

How many more like him are out there? What can we do to convince them that it's ok to break a sweat at work? Or to move heavy shit while you look for a better job in your downtime? I spent 17 years in warehouses and in delivery vehicles before I landed my desk job. Who wants to do that now?

On a serious side note, you should encourage your nephew to see a therapist. I’m not saying this will be an easy task, or initially successful, but obviously he is not going down a good path, and therapy might help him find a better path. Good luck man. 

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6 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

He sounds fucking depressed. Hopefully he or someone who cares to help him can figure out how to get him to snap out of it and regain an interest in life. Lose some weight, touch a boobie, figure out a plan towards a life that he would like to live that he might be able to achieve, etc. I'm sure it's been done but a study on American hikikomori would be interesting, as I think a lot of those dudes are out there and they're all fucking miserable.

I think Celery is right here.  A lot of times we don't take mental health into account when symptoms are so obvious.

Not saying that's you Sandman but your nephew appears to be dealing with some stuff that's just not run of the mill laziness.

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3 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

I think Celery is right here.  A lot of times we don't take mental health into account when symptoms are so obvious.

Not saying that's you Sandman but your nephew appears to be dealing with some stuff that's just not run of the mill laziness.

His last job was at Domino's, delivering pizza. He straight up asked my dad if he'd get kicked out of the house if he were to quit. Dad said no, nephew quit. Dad said he worked long enough to save up for some video game system and then quit. I think it was the Wii U. 

His sister managed to get on disability for her supposed mental illness. His response was "Why does she get to not work but I have to?", so I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt just yet. Maybe I'm biased because of my dealings with my ex-wife. She was always "too depressed" to go to work, but she could go out almost every night with her friends, smoke weed, etc. 

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veering way off topic but I feel like in many ways you could lump "wanting to fuck around all the time" in with party behaviors (excessive drinking, various types of drug use) as things that are somewhat normal and not completely alarming for teenagers and young adults that grow into serious problems for kids who don't leave that behind as their peers grow out of it. which is to say that he may have been a shithead before but being an early 20s shithead working just hard enough to get a Wii U is way more bearable than being a 30 year old shithead dedicating his life to escapism. he may have been a shithead throughout but he's deep into it now and I'm sure it's long since past that he was having actual fun

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On 6/25/2021 at 10:10 AM, Vic Mackey said:

We are the only developed nation that does not provide universal healthcare, right? Fucking pathetic. People from other countries can't fathom about the system we have and many did not know we had it. They assumed a country like the USA would for sure have universal healthcare. But nope. We purposely tie healthcare to the employers to force people to work shitty jobs they don't want. And can't quit because their healthcare is tied to it. It's a perfect system for the fat cats in charge. Our healthcare system is a the biggest crock of shit existing today. 

 

I have witnessed uninsured people in some pretty dire straits defend this system. Almost like a political Stockholm Syndrome. 

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4 hours ago, Sandman said:

He's the poster child for the "I won't take a menial job!" crowd.

This sounds like something else. Seriously obese and hasn't worked in 6 years, there is something very unhealthy going on between the ears.

 

 

 

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11 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Business idea. The upcoming retirement of the boomer generation will be a seismic shift, not just on resources (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security) but on job markets. All these unskilled workers should be trained to take care of the boomer generation in nursing/meal delivery/home care/help with technology/etc. While technology will replace many service industry jobs over the next 20 years, I don’t think we’re their yet on elder care robots, plus Old Glory insurance isn’t cheap. 

 

Yup.

Literally going to start taking CNA classes at the local CC this July /csb

Edited by qwertyu1234
grammar and shit
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8 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

On a serious side note, you should encourage your nephew to see a therapist. I’m not saying this will be an easy task, or initially successful, but obviously he is not going down a good path, and therapy might help him find a better path. Good luck man. 

Who’s going to pay for the therapy?

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56 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Obviously not his mom, but some therapy is more cost effective than 35-55 years of dead weight, or 2 years and a mass shooting, or whatever it is

I really empathize for you man. Shitty situation and the only win is if big boy gets motivated and gets off his ass.  Sounds like the family loves him

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This. In the armpit that is Waco, I meet a ton of students at TSTC that are in 18 month programs that spit them out into jobs paying close to high 5 figures. Steady employment with benefits with pay that can easily can jump into low 6 figures without tons of student debt. Some of these jobs are going to make you sweat your ass off but you are going to have steady employment with benefits and know you are doing your part to keep this country running.  Skilled labor is in high demand.  I guess you can still stop at the coffee shop for your latte anyway. There is opportunity in this country if you are willing to work. We just need to make sure those born into poor circumstances obtain this opportunity as well.
I know 2 kids who went the TSTI route. Neither one was 'college material'. But both were hard working and wanted something more. One is know a diesel mechanic in East Texas and the other works for the FAA. Both are in their early 30s and living better than some of the fools who questioned their choices.

Not having more vocational opportunities and learning is criminal negligence, IMO.
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Just a note. I used to mock the "everyone goes to college" mantra as untenable and ridiculous and I am a teacher(in a poor district). Those worthless associate degrees have given way to certifications and going for any advanced education such as dental worker, medical records, engine work, hvac etc.. is seen as college.  A rose by any other name. 

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11 minutes ago, Nolacycling said:

Just a note. I used to mock the "everyone goes to college" mantra as untenable and ridiculous and I am a teacher(in a poor district). Those worthless associate degrees have given way to certifications and going for any advanced education such as dental worker, medical records, engine work, hvac etc.. is seen as college.  A rose by any other name. 

“Everyone should pursue educational opportunities post-high school” to include trade programs, associate degrees and certifications. 

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1 minute ago, Js1 said:

“Everyone should pursue educational opportunities post-high school” to include trade programs, associate degrees and certifications. 

We should include this as a part of high school.  Very few are motivated to do additional education that cost time and money.  You include it as an option where students can work carpentry instead of geometry or chemistry and you’ll have more students participate in vocational training that can lead to an internship or apprenticeship during summers and/or after graduation.  Leaving high school as it is wasteful for about a third of the students.

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We should include this as a part of high school.  Very few are motivated to do additional education that cost time and money.  You include it as an option where students can work carpentry instead of geometry or chemistry and you’ll have more students participate in vocational training that can lead to an internship or apprenticeship during summers and/or after graduation.  Leaving high school as it is wasteful for about a third of the students.

Until a kid loses a finger
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So many barriers. There is a ton of $ invested in the STAAR testing, not just State but all the piranhas that swirl around producing the latest, greatest software or teaching method to pass STAAR. I would love to see internships that bring the kids in the am and focus on technical, informative reading that leads to certifications. Math, science that is relevant. Computer skills for business , not writing paragraphs. I teach English, how many of us have had to write an essay post-education? My kids had to learn the name of some 30 syllable fucking Japanese poetry not named Haiku for STAAR! Paid internships, paid by the business. 

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20 minutes ago, Royalfan5 said:

Of course if we successfully shuffle more kids into the trades, it probably isn’t going to do a fucking bit of good for the short staffed service industry 

Maybe it will shrink the number of unskilled labor and raise entry level wages.  But yes finding unskilled labor isn’t a hard problem to solve when we literally have people risking their lives to get into this country.  Eliminating our homegrown unskilled workforce would change the conversation around immigration in a hurry.

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On 6/25/2021 at 10:32 PM, Lhorn said:

A girl I work with had her husband retire from his medical practice in his early/mid 40s a few years ago to be a house husband.  I guess he got bored because he’s apparently excited to start his new job as a waiter at a fish restaurant near the mall. 

Pics of Girl?

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A lot of people seem to want to denigrate others on here for exercising their options.

There is a cost to returning to the workforce and it seems obvious people do not want to risk their health and their family’s health for low wages or limited benefits. Children are not in school right now which will impact how people can afford to return to work, coupled with daycare disease swapping it is easy to see why someone would prefer to not return.

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On 6/26/2021 at 9:48 PM, slorch said:

I'm not worried about my twentysomething kids making it these days either.  In fact, I rather enjoy hearing all of the bitching and moaning by the quitters and limpdicks about how hard it is.  FTR, I'm not talking about the ability to leverage equity and capital to drive wealth.  I'm discussing something far more simple and available to virtually everyone.

Salvation lies within... even the shitstain warden knew that.

This might be your funniest post ever.

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20 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

This might be your funniest post ever.

Don’t be laughing. Somebody might get the notion you’re not pissed off at the world anymore.

#embraceemoism

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