I’m not going to say much here. No music videos in this one. Just click on the link here to read the transcript and to watch this report on “Prosecuting Wall Street.”
It pretty much speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
Debate here amongst yourselves. The forum is now open.
Alex is an information technology guy, like I’ve been for the past 16 years. I’ve also known him online for upwards of 10 years or so.
To describe his personality in the time I’ve known him from a public progressive music discussion forum, one word comes to mind: bubbly. He’s always cracking a joke, laughing heartily at others’ jokes.
I’ve also seen his serious side on serious matters in a more private discussion forum on current issues facing this nation. He’s very analytical.
Alex lives in San Diego. You could say that his work story is, like his “public personality,” kind of like a bubble. It’s always on the temporary side of things, ready to burst at any given moment.
I’ve seen that an awful lot in my own IT job search so far. Temporary. It’s hard to plan out a future on “temporary.” You are at the mercy of the ones who write out the paychecks. You have no sense of control over your own destiny, no matter how well you try and do your job. It makes you wonder, “What ever happened to the word ‘security?’ Has that become old-fashioned?”
This is Alex’s profile, pretty much all in his own words.
“This is my story of being unemployed for 16 months from 2008 until 2010. I have currently been employed for a year on a four-month rolling/renewable contract out of my house. Needless to say, as it’s a contract job, it could be eliminated at any time and includes no benefits.
“I have a family, wife, and 11-year-old daughter (who was) adopted from China when she was 11 months old. I am an IT worker (Linux/UNIX system administrator) and have been doing this work since 1985. My skills are in high demand, yet for 16 months I was uable to get anything for longer than three months. Interviews consisted of managers and co-workers asking for 24/7 support and for many years’ (worth of) experience for things that have only been available for a couple of years or months.
“I guess employers had the upper hand in who they hired and would ask for ridiculous things at 1/3 the pay I would have gotten in 2007. This went on for interview after interview for about 20 interviews. No one would call back to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and their reasons for ‘no.’ It became a guessing game as to why I could not land a long-term job.
“Needless to say, I became very depressed about this and our house fell into foreclosure. My wife was very supportive and she helped me get out of my depression, by reminding me that no one wants to hire a negative person. So, after about eight months of no work, I started to change my attitude in interviews, to give the impression that I was hungry for work and willing to get the job done.
“After getting my last three-month contract and being notified by (human resources) that it was the end with no renewal, I started looking for another job, using Monster.com and Dice.com. I think because I was working and have the confidence that I am capable, I got a call from a (consulting) agency in New Jersey and got an interview that same day.
“The interview, over the phone, was about 15 minutes long and I got a call back from the consultant agency saying I was offered the job making almost what I was making in 2005. That was in September 2010, and since then they have renewed my contract every four months. The best jobs I have had since 2001. I am now still getting 3-5 phone calls a day for work, so the dam broke. So there is work, just keep trying to not let anyone stop you, even clueless interviewers.”
What does Alex see happening or not happening on a national level as far as creating jobs?
“Probably the biggest problem is that banks don’t give credit any more to companies for funding projects. It’s nearly impossible for small companies to get any credit as working capital any more, too. Thus, small business and companies who do project-based business (Qualcomm for example) cannot fund their projects based on future sales any more. This also means that companies having a need for new equipment cannot afford to finance with credit nor can they hire more personnel to manage it.
“Another problem is the disconnect between those who have lost their jobs and those who have not. Managers who have been employed during this recession time cannot comprehend what it’s like to lose their home or to be concerned where the next meal is coming from. Things like job listings on Monster.com or Dice.com that say ‘unemployed need not apply’ shows complete contempt for the unemployed. How will they react when they lose their jobs and are treated like this?
“We need to start a change in companies where bottom line comes after the customer and employee. For example, where I work they cut contractors’ (that’s me) hours from 40 to 32 hours a week. Yet they are making more profit than ever in their 150-year history. This kind of behavior creates negative work environments and loses customers. These accountants run things and they think the customer has no impact, wrong again.
“What can we do to help change all this? One way is to have less stuff. Is a 4,000 -square-foot home really necessary? Do we have to have an SUV? Allow your employees to work from home, learn how to grow your own food … etc. We have lost sight of what is really important. Each other, not $$$/power/things.”
One more tip from Alex.
“Don’t let the details take you down. Always keep the big picture in mind. Always remember what’s important — family and health. You’re not alone!”
Alex may not live a life in the limelight. But he is “a man with a plan.” These are songs he’s chosen to go with his own profile, Alex’s chance to be a disc jockey for the day.
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I would encourage anyone who knows people in similar circumstances — long-term jobless either now or in the recent past, aggressively searching in order to turn their lives around — to get in touch with me so I can share their stories as well. I’ll get into the causes of their unemployment, and — as I’ve shared so intimately in my own posts — the feelings that go on inside of them as they face their individual struggles.
If you know of anyone, send me a message on Facebook here.
This nation needs to start thinking about putting politics aside for good and start solving the problems for real.
I got home not long ago from dropping my daughter off at school for the day. I took off my shoes, hung up my jacket, went through the hallway outside our bedroom, and found a pair of my daughter’s school uniform pants lying in the hallway for some reason.
I picked up her pants and took them into Alicia’s room to leave them somewhere out of the way. Alicia has a dressing table in her room that she absolutely loves. It’s a “typical girl” place tucked away in one corner of the room, complete with a little stereo, a pink Mickey Mouse hat sitting on top of some books, one of her mom’s curling irons so she can work on her strawberry blonde hair … typical girl.
It was what was hung up on the front right corner of the dressing table that caught my eye and grabbed me by the heart. It literally took my breath away for a second when I read what was on it, and I said quietly, “Oh, my …”
I had never seen it before. If she’d ever brought it to my attention before, maybe I was too busy to pay much attention to it. I doubt that. It was a sign she had made herself, put together with paper and crayons.
Here it is:
My girl has no idea how much I needed to see that this morning. But I think someone else knew how much I needed to see that this morning.
A View From The Middle (Class) 