Ok, this is a little off topic for me, but something that I want to share. This morning a Facebook acquaintance posted this graphic.
1. Haven't we learned yet that labels and generalizations about people in that labeled group are not OK?
2. Boomers, those evil evil boomers that were raised to work hard for what they got. Yes I am one of those boomers.
3. "tricked us"? Really they tricked you. Are you not capable of independent thought of making your own decisions? I guess I know different people. We raised our children to be independent and make their own decisions. We may not agree with those decisions but we respect them.
4. I don't know any parents that are trying to trick their children to go to college, or demanding they go to college or putting a gun to their head telling them to go to college.
5. We have become a society that is always looking for someone else to blame for EVERYTHING.
The conversation went on. A little preamble though before the details of the conversation. Small business is what makes America great. There would not be an Amazon if there wasn't small business. What do you think they sell? Items from small businesses is a big part of it!
My reply to this post.
Amen! Although blaming boomers is a bit tacky. It is hard for small business to build staff at higher wages. Plus it costs a business a ton of money to bring on a new employee. And when that employee doesn’t work out? It is all lost and you have to start over. People don’t like to consider the risk that small business has to take on to hire recent college grads. Are there unscrupulous business owners that take advantage of people? Sure. But that isn’t always the case.
The reply?
if you have 20k in student loans you probably didn't go to school to work at a small business. If you have that kind of debt the idea was you were supposed to get hired with a big company with full benefits. If you can only make $15 an hour after years of college and thousands in debt why bother you can make the same many places with no college at all.
Let's break that reply down just a bit. You have dreams of being a SVP at Google, or Amazon or Microsoft or some other behemoth company? Good for you. You have dreams of a starting job at $125k? Good for you. Those jobs are few and far between.
Do you know how cutthroat big business is? Everyone is vying for the same promotion to step up one level. How many big businesses start college graduates off with a huge salary? Our daughter just went through this. She applied for all sorts of jobs. You know where she landed? In a field that has nothing to do with her degree, in a small business. She interviewed with NASA, the government, big business and none of them offered her as much as the small business did. In this job she will learn a LOT of skills. That is the beauty of small business.
When I was first out of college, I had a meaningless degree in music. I honestly wanted to go on to get a masters in music performance. I took a part time job in a small business as a receptionist. I had full benefits, lived at home and made decent money. I got a raise at least every year due to my work ethic. I showed some aptitude in various areas, worked hard and worked my way up to different departments and positions in the company. Long story short, after a number of years, and some changes I became part owner of that business. (In case you were worried, yes I did move out and bought my first condo with money I had saved after a couple of years).
My Father owned a small business. After many years, he hired a young guy right out of high school to work in the warehouse. That man worked his way through the business, into sales then management and ultimately when my Father retired, he bought the business.
You want an entry level job at a big business - you can enter AP invoices all day. Fun! You can do social media marketing all day. Exciting! Or you can work for a small business, where you will actually know the owner of the company, where you get to experience a lot of different things in business and you can move up within the company IF you show you have a good work ethic and aptitude or interest in a different job. I know a lot of people that work in big business. You know what happens if they are good at their job? Their supervisor becomes threatened by the entry level employee and works hard to hold them back. Ugg - ok enough of a rant on that one.
Her next reply?
the "blame" on the boomers is because the boomer parents have told their kids they "have" to go to college that's all we heard growing up is you 'have" to go to college
Well, I am sorry she had those parents, I guess. She is looking to blame them for making her go to college? I hope that is not the case. Parents should be teaching their children to be independent thinkers. I am a boomer. Our daughter wanted to go to school, our son didn't. I respect both of their decisions. In generations past, college was something that not everyone could do or afford. Parents that didn't go to college had those dreams for their children. College was also a lot more affordable than it is now. 20k in debt is tiny compare to what the debt is for private college right now.
The person that posted this? She and I are actually in agreement on most things. I am just tired of the blame game in so many places. It is always someone's fault, not mine.
Take responsibility for your life. Make bold decisions. Try different things. Take risks. Stay home and build up a savings so you can go out on your own and afford to make some mistakes. Work hard. Play hard. But don't blame others for your failures.
P.S. Find a great small business in an industry you find interesting, with ethical owners, work hard and you may be surprised what happens. Total Displays is a family owned and operated business under 100 employees (that may now be important to some) and we are always looking for good talent. We aren't so worried about experience as we are a good work ethic, values and that you are willing to work hard and fit our culture. Email sales@totaldisplays.com if you think you could be an asset to our company.
====================================================
Lori Hanken has been in sales and marketing for over 30 years. She is passionate about service and providing value to her vendors, prospects and clients. Lori is currently co-owner of Total Displays with her husband David. They help people look great at events, trade shows, in retail, museums and develop long partnerships with customers and suppliers. If you would like to learn more, email her at lori@totaldisplays.com. She is an open networker, connect with her on LinkedIn here.
No comments:
Post a Comment