Thursday, October 23, 2008

Jobs

I had a dream last night that I quit my job and started working at a local grocery store bagging groceries. And if I'm recalling correctly, I was damn good at it.

Don't get me wrong - bagging groceries is a respectable job and is certainly a very important job. But it's not a full-time job that is appropriate for someone who is supporting a family.

Awhile back, I had a discussion with someone about their wages. This person did a very important task where they worked, but it was a job that did not require any certification or degree. It was also a part-time, hourly position. This person was extremely upset because, "How am I supposed to raise a family when I'm making below poverty level? Doesn't my employer (who I am associated with) feel bad that they are paying me so little? I love my job but I cannot support my family with these wages. I think it's criminal what I'm being paid!" By the way, for those of you visiting from my main job at T, it is not related to this situation.

The simple answer for this person would have been, "Then get a different job. Nobody is forcing you to work there." Some jobs, as my grocery bagging job mentioned above, are just not designed to support entire families. Sure, they may involve a lot of hard work, but they just don't pay enough to pay the bills.