Journal Entries
previous
next
Bon Journal
Woes of the unemployed
The teacher went around the class asking what they did since they became unemployed. Every one of the eleven students described how he or she had looked in vain for work, except for one person.
That one person replied, "Well, I've been busy. Somebody heard me play the piano and asked me to teach her daughter. I said I'll give it a go. I wrote an article on employment rights. I wrote a book review, which will be published soon. I've also been maintaining my sister's web site."
The lady with the dark circles under her eyes complained that she had been job hunting for three months. "There simply aren't any jobs out there."
The teacher replied, "I don't believe you."
Another heavily far-sighted lady whined that she had been out of work for two years. "There's age discrimination."
A young lady retorted, "I'm a school leaver, and I have no experience. How will I find work?"
A man complained that he's been on disability benefit for five years. In the meantime, he's been doing the gardening and fixing things around the house.
An African lady complained of racial discrimination. An Indian lady complained that she didn't speak English well enough to find work. A severely overweight young man stuttered that he's been out of work for several years.
Everybody had an excuse, except for the person who kept herself busy. Everybody had something to moan about.
Some students were seriously worried about cashflow. The class spent twenty minutes discussing how they would get reimbursed for their transport to the career advice centre.
It took an entire day before some of the students saw the light. The bank clerk confessed that she didn't want to go back to working in a bank.
And the person who kept herself busy? Well, she's not really looking for a single job. She's looking for a portfolio career. And the career centre has telephones, Internet-access, printers, photocopiers, newspapers, industry directories, and career advisors who can help her craft a new life.
