(It has been a while since I have posted anything here. I enjoy writing, but for me to get it right, it takes time and some proofreading from my wife. So, until or when I get back to original writings, I will from time to time post some things I have written before in a newsletter I did. I hope you enjoy this and find it to be a little enlightening.)
A while back I got to know a man who worked for a major employer in the area. He had been with them for a number of years and was doing well. He was a blue collar worker and from what I understood, did his job as he should. Now for years, it was common knowledge that this major employer was having difficulties. Each year the company laid off numerous employees. And each year, this man would heave a sigh of relief that he still had his job.
Each year as this company would lay off workers, there would be stories in the newspapers about what these people were going to do. Those who were younger could get training and find other work. But those who were middle age asked, “What are we to do once we are out of work?” They would say, “no one will hire us and train us for a job because of how old we are.” And they were too young to retire. What were they to do? What was the government going to do for them? What was a new company going to do for them?
Now back to the man I know. For at least 10 years, he has known he would eventually lose his job. He has been fortunate that it is later rather than sooner. In those ten years, he has been on bowling leagues in the winter, and baseball teams in the spring and summer. I don’t know what he did with his recreational time in the fall, but I do know what he did not do. He did not invest in himself to learn a vocation. This man and his family will probably be the first to complain and act as if they are in shock when his job is gone. They believe they have no control of their lives and that they are at the mercy of others.
In ten years, going to school part-time a person can earn an advanced college degree in almost any field he or she chooses. A person can learn and earn, not one but several new vocations, crafts and skills. An individual could go from no education to being a college educator in their spare time in ten years. And even if the person was not ambitious, at least one new trade could be learned that was liked and is in demand.
So, where is your job taking you? Somewhere, nowhere, or it doesn’t matter to you. Like it or not, the reality is that job security and job loyalty for the most part are a thing of the past. There can be exceptions, but you can’t count on one of them. Take a good look at your job. Examine where you are going and where you may end up. Will your job be there tomorrow, next week or next year? Where do you want to be? It’s all up to you.
