Is having even a menial job better than no job?

[Obsidian]

The reason I ask is I just graduated from my University almost a week ago today and while I have internship experience and previous employment experience along with a good GPA but as usual trying to find a good starter job in a college town sucks so I have looked to other big cities in my state area. I guess my question is since I am unemployed and my parents give me a budget right now but certain menial jobs (service sector such as food or clothing) are hiring right now. So is it better, in this economy, to take any job offered instead of being picky and waiting for the next best thing?

Keep in my mind I don't expect just because I have a college degree to get in an awesome job with a great position paying me great money. I expect, like my Dad when he graduated, to work to get to where he is today.

 

[HughJass]

No.


'Any job is better than no job' is what keeps us enslaved and permanently welded to the corporate teet.


It's basically a way of saying 'give up and stop looking for something better in this of this life, you're never going to be creative, have dreams, big ideas or a happy life, you aren't one of *those* people. Just give up and resign yourself to the inevitable fate of working in this truly sh*t job'

Soul destorying messages like these are vital to sustaining the power structure of the elites- without an endless supply of demoralised people there wouldn't be anyone to work the factories which produce the useless consumer items which help keep us distracted and the elites in positions of power.

 

[Nene]

No.


'Any job is better than no job' is what keeps us enslaved.

We gotta eat somehow. I'd rather have a menial job then live off my parents and unemployment checks. Better opportunities will come Obsidian but don't be so quick to rush into a menial job, it can take months to find a job thats right for you.

 

[HughJass]

We gotta eat somehow.

There are many ways around that which don't involve giving into the lure of the sh*t Jobâ„¢


Ultimately the best outcome is for people to be doing some kind of meaningful daily activity with passion for the activity being the primary motivator and the ability to make money from this activity being an added bonus. To reach this point requires work on the inner life so in the meantime meals can be had by either sponging of friends and relatives, living off welfare benefits (austerity measures will probably have to be undertaken to better adjust to the lesser amount of money), eating at soup kitchens, begging, foraging (hunter/gathered diet provides the added bonus of being highly nutritious thus increasing personal health) or compromising by working in a part time sh*t Jobâ„¢ and using the remaining time for personal development.

Another option is always to move into a monastry or religious community of sort. This can provide meals, shelter and clothing at no cost with the added bonus of the person being able to devote a majority of his or her time to inner development which will shorten the time it takes to reach the mental state which lends itself to a more meaningful career/work path, one that won't leave him or her at the mercy of the job market ever again.

I'd rather have a menial job then live off my parents and unemployment checks.

That's just pride talking.If you can accept your parents generosity (as long as your not taking advantage of them of course) and can take unemployment benefits that you are entitled to without feeling any shame, you've overcome a major hurdle.

 

[bigentries]

A job is better than no job

No offense aussie, but that way of thinking is the worst mistake privileged generations have.

You can clearly see this doesn't affect immigrants in a way that didn't affected past generations in first world countries.

Sadly their kids end up with movie star dreams because they never experienced how menial jobs can also be dignifying

 

[HughJass]

Sadly their kids end up with movie star dreams because they never experienced how menial jobs can also be dignifying

I think those kids ended up with those movie star dreams not because they were free thinkers, it's because they've been corrupted by materialism.

You'll noticed that those dreams of theres aren't born out of a passion for acting- they're almost always about the most superficial things like wanting to be famous, making lots of money etc...

So they aren't proper dreams like what I was talking about....they're just egotisitical desires that have been stoked by a materialistic culture. I don't think a sh*t job is necessarily a good prescription for helping people realize that those dreams were empty, illusionary and not worth chasing- 0.1% might come out of it as better people, some would quit and become criminals in order to satisfy their lust for money and the rest would resign themselves to the idea that they'll never achieve anything special and become workplace drones. Disasterous.

 

[Ori83]

To the op, first let me congratulate you for getting your diploma

you have "rich men's problem" which is always good, imo, if you know exactly what you want to do in life and you know that having that prestigious specific job is a necessary in your resume then maybe you should wait a little with the menial job, but no more then a few weeks or so (set a minimal time frame for it) after that period, if you haven't found anything then settle for the menial job, having no job at all might raise questions when coming to job interviews and not doing anything for a long period of time sends a bad message to the interviewer!

best of luck and welcome to the capitalist world

 

[Cassin]

yes....it's good to stay busy. People who don't do anything deteriorate.

If I won the lottery I would have to do something to stay busy.

 

[Petchsky]

Everytime I find myself out of work, or have too much time on my hands I drift in to smoking weed everyday, and drink too much. I think it depends on the individual.

 

[Bald Dave]

I don't mind being out of work. Obviously, getting a regular wage is better than getting hand outs but im not a very meterialistic person. Im not one of those people who has to drive around in a flash car or live in a big house. As long as my car gets me from A to B and ive got a roof over my head then im happy! I know some people who have got lots of money but are so miserable. The only thing that makes me miserable is my hair and if i weren't balding i'd be as happy as larry

Fair play to those who have got a good job and are earning good money. But at the end of the day even though it would be nice to have luxeries its not a number 1 priority in my life. Ive still got my friends and family, i still go on nice holidays, i still go to football matches and do the things i enjoy doing so im not missing out on much in life

 

[Primo]

My advice is to get a job even if its in a restaurant/bar or retail. My cousin from DC just graduated with a masters from LSE in London (top institution), yet like most he's finding trouble in this economic climate finding a job that befits his specific qualifications, so he's gone and got a job at a clothes store in the meantime.

If you have no employment on your record for longer than 3months, then it looks like you're just sitting on your arse at home with your parents feeding you. Trust me this is what most employers will think when they see your CV.

If you take a menial job in this time however, it shows that you are flexible, adaptable and a good team-worker who is willing to take responsibilty and fill in for others when needed.

Employers will be impressed by a stint in a place like that, one thing they hate more than anything is clueless, stuck-up graduates who think they are too good to get their hands dirty.

 

[cuebald]

It all depends.

I worked at a tech support helldesk that was so badly run, having that on your CV was almost worse than having unemployment on it. It was notorious in the I.T. industry for being, well, shite.

Getting a menial job is all well and good as long as you understand it is only for the money, and as a stop-gap until something better came along.
A few employees at my old job told me that (One of the managers said "do your 12 months then get out of here") - and he was right. I'd met people there who got the job just after they'd left University, and they were still there - 10 years later - taking the same old calls earning the same minimum wage. They'd sit around saying "any day now I'll get promoted to manager".

I know another guy who quit School to work at an insurance firm. He was on minimum wage but they promised rapid promotion prospects - so he left School with his basic qualifications (GSCE's) and worked there full time.
8 years later and, well they did promote him - but that promotion came with increased responsibilities, but with NO increase in pay. He's been there 8 years and he's still on minimum wage.
He's fed up with the job but feels he can't quit and go elsewhere because he'd have to "start over" as if he just left School.
He's got no promotion prospects (he does his job well so they won't ever promote him and take him off the phones) and he gets paid the same as a teenager does for stacking shelves.

 

[Cassin]

Everytime I find myself out of work, or have too much time on my hands I drift in to smoking weed everyday, and drink too much. I think it depends on the individual.

yeah being is good for most people...it's rare that someone young can have too much time on their hands and it working out well IMO

 

[Obsidian]

Well I got two job interviews, one with a staffing agency tomorrow at 8AM and one with an Oil and Gas Corporation in an entry level position for the Accounting/Finance department the next day at 9AM (something i'm familiar with). Wish me luck.

 

[GeminiX]

Good question, and while my initial response is "Absolutely yes", there is also validity in what Aussie is saying.

It's good for your feeling of self-worth to have a job and to support your family and countries economy, but try to not lose sight of your dreams.

I had to go through numerous crappy jobs before I was able to get into the career I wanted to be in and have my own business; you *really* can achieve most of what you want from life, even when society is against you

It's corny, but true, but keep your goals well defined and be clear about the steps you have to make to get there.

 

[HughJass]

It's good for your feeling of self-worth to have a job

the idea that we have to earn our self worth (through having a job) is without doubt one of, if not the most harmful belief we are indoctrinated with


who teaches us this stuff? Probably all down to the puritan work ethic I imagine


'Idle hands are the devil's workshop'


uke:

 

[GeminiX]

It's good for your feeling of self-worth to have a job

the idea that we have to earn our self worth (through having a job) is without doubt one of, if not the most harmful belief we are indoctrinated with


who teaches us this stuff? Probably all down to the puritan work ethic I imagine


'Idle hands are the devil's workshop'


uke:

It's a good point, for me, it's because I like to feel I'm contributing to society and not leeching from it.

If someone is on social benefits and is happy to stay that way then and is not doing anything to contribute to their society or progress their lives in a meaningful way, then I don't understand how they can feel good about themselves.

I'm not saying it's the only way to feel like your making a valuable contribution, but it's certainly *a* way.

 

[GeminiX]

It's good for your feeling of self-worth to have a job

the idea that we have to earn our self worth (through having a job) is without doubt one of, if not the most harmful belief we are indoctrinated with


who teaches us this stuff? Probably all down to the puritan work ethic I imagine


'Idle hands are the devil's workshop'


uke:

It's a good point, for me, it's because I like to feel I'm contributing to society and not leeching from it.

If someone is on social benefits and is happy to stay that way then and is not doing anything to contribute to their society or progress their lives in a meaningful way, then I don't understand how they can feel good about themselves.

I'm not saying it's the only way to feel like your making a valuable contribution, but it's certainly *a* way.

 

[HughJass]

If someone is on social benefits and is happy to stay that way then and is not doing anything to contribute to their society or progress their lives in a meaningful way, then I don't understand how they can feel good about themselves.

Yes, I definetly agree with that

 

[cuebald]

I'm happy having a job (as long as I enjoy the job), but I also have no problem with getting as much as I can off the Government in terms of dole, benefits, etc. (incidentally, at this moment I claim nothing from the Government, but that may change if I am made redundant.)

MP's leech as much as they can through benefits, local council employees near the top leech through dodgy contracts with "friendly" suppliers, employees lower down order unneeded/substandard equipment to get the freebie that comes with it (I have seen it with my own eyes), so I can't see how they can try to make people on the Dole feel guilty when they themselves trough even more public cash.

Whenever I hear some bigwig bleating on about "Doing your bit" "Times will be difficult" "You'll need to make sacrifices", I always do research into that person, and it is almost always fact that they themselves have had a "record bonus" or 15% payrise (when the low down employees don't even get a payrise to match inflation!)
I know a lot of people who have had their incentives and overtime slashed (because of the "recession") - then the companies go and boast record profit levels and big pay increases for the execs.
They really must think us stupid. Who's going to buy the tat they all produce if Joe Public earns only subsistence wages?

Moral is; when I'm on the Dole, I don't feel guilty, I see it as getting some money for the massive amount of tax I pay while employed.

I'd only do a menial job if
a) it was an "outdoorsy" job; one that could keep me fit while doing it
(I did a bit of leaflet dropping, while a menial job, I found walking around posting leaflets strangely relaxing, and I slept well at night)

b) it was a job in which I could learn something useful; a low wage computer tech job
(I did a min wage phone support job in Cleppa Park, NEWPORT - the job was sh*t, the management poor, we were treated like children, but the other employees were very friendly and I learned a lot - the most important thing to get out before being stuck there!)

c) it had actual clear prospects - not just the carrot on a string most big corps offer

Otherwise, I'd rather be on the dole, and I'd take time out to learn in my own time.