The Spectrum (our local fish wrap) covers the challenges faced by St. George area unemployed:
While attending an employment workshop offered by the Department of Workforce Services on Aug. 4, Chesley said she has applied for more than 25 positions at various companies in Washington County in recent weeks, but she has not received a single request for a job interview.
"There is nothing out there," she said of the region’s job market.
The article describes how competitive job hunts are now, with many more applicants than positions. And it covers how our local government tries to help them compete better:
"It was eye-opening," she said of the workshop’s interviewing session, as participants are videotaped during a mock job interview to highlight their flaws and strengths. "I definitely gained a lot of knowledge."
Sullivan said she encourages other unemployed residents to take advantage of the free workshops.
Tough times highlight how the easy path doesn’t always turn out to be the best path. In Computer Science we call that approach the “greedy algorithm”. The “greedy algorithm” looks just one move ahead and makes the best move in that context, not considering any future moves.
So, yes, 5 years ago, skipping college and going straight into framing, or stucco, or waiting tables seemed a decent move. $80K a year, no college needed. But it doesn’t seem so bright now….
Your life is far longer and shorter than you think. Time and effort spent preparing yourself to have OPTIONS yields dividends your whole life through.
BTW: as an employer… faking me out with clever interview techniques not backed by real long term skills does you little long term good. I’ll find out soon enough and your job and/or your pay will reflect it. You are given a gift in America – the gift of education and opportunity. How painful it is to see how many waste the offering.