BACK IN THE DAY ECONOMICS WITH MIKE RAMEY
Let’s get to the lowdown on employment, or as it is better known as ‘getting a job’.
There are two things that job seekers need to keep in mind about the economy. Either you have an ‘employer’s’ market (where employers can afford to be a lot more selective about whom they hire for a job), and an ‘employee’s’ market (where employees are in short supply and can not only pick and choose where they work, they can get top dollar for their services). While it may be an employer’s market for SOME skill sets, it may be an employee’s market for OTHER skill sets. In short, it is up to the job seeker to know what type of economy that they are in, and to be able to determine IF they have the needed skills to be employable.
One other thing to consider as we begin our time together this month. God is the one who gives you the power to get wealth. The Christian man who needs a job or building skills for a career merely needs to turn their job search over to the one who created the universe. Through the KJV Bible, one cannot go wrong in their job search, no matter what the condition of the economy may be.
YOU EARN A JOB—YOU ARE NOT OWED A JOB:
You MUST be employable to get a job. Apply for a job and arrive for interviews in your best job dress. Never ‘bring your crew’ with you when job hunting. Never ‘talk down’ to ‘gatekeepers’, such as company support staff. Have your best manners on display. Value time. Learn how to speak and write the King’s English. Piercings, Tats, Dreds, slang and the like are NOT going to win you a job. Employers do NOT have to hire you IF you fail to make their company look good to the public. You EARN a job; you are not OWED a job.
Let me drop this for your consumption: It is NOT ‘racism’ to NOT be hired for a job—EVEN by a Black-owned company. IF you are not qualified, having a BLM or woke ‘stakeout’ rally in front of the company that did not hire you WILL be forwarded to all potential employers.
THEY know how to use social media and have more tools than YOU do.
Check this out. More than half of the states in the USA are called ‘at will’ states. This simply means that you can be terminated (fired) for just about any reason (within a specific group of reasons) at any time. Here are the ‘basic seven’ reasons off the top of my head from back in the day that can lead to one getting fired:
*Being repeatedly late to work.
*Taking too many breaks on the job.
*Getting into arguments with co-workers or bosses.
*Not dressing properly for the job.
*Stealing/abusing company property (like the phones, etc.)
*Office/Shop romances.
*Improper conduct on social media about yourself OR your employer.
Getting a job is one thing. Keeping a job is something else. Understanding how your employer functions is something else—again. Bottom line? It is up to YOU to have those qualities DESIRED to be HIRED. Getting a job is competition at its best…and it IS cutthroat to say the least. You have an IPhone. It contains a wealth of information as to this subject. However, there are some bits of information regarding your getting a job that are NOT contained in that piece of handheld plastic. Some of that information is contained in books. Other forms of information old warriors of the job wars (such as myself) keep at the ready.
YES, IT STARTS AT HOME AND SCHOOL!
In the home is where young people learn about the value of work and discipline. One former Navy SEAL wrote a children’s book on the need for one to make up their bed EVERY morning. In his view, the little things accomplished in the beginning will lead to a solid chain of success later.
I believe that the author is ‘spot on’ with his assessment.
During my teaching career, there were quite a few things I learned about students. First thing I learned—like the author stated above about the small things of life leading to bigger successes—how to tell the serious student from the ‘all talk’ student. The student who arrived in class on time; the student who had pen and paper and was ready to either hand in homework OR do their in-class assignments were jewels in the classroom—and their grades reflected their preparation.
Second, I met student after student who were given allowances by their parents, without having to work to earn that money. These students did NOT have to do chores, nor ‘pitch in’ with the family laundry, marketing, or cooking.
Their parents just handed them money, without strings attached.
The only problem with this is that these students did not appreciate what they were given. Further, they failed to build skill sets to successfully carry them through life. Think that this doesn’t matter? Let me pause here and examine a few things a young person may learn from doing chores in the home and how they help steady their character later in life:
*Chores at home are the first ‘resume builders.’ They teach teamwork and responsibility.
*Chores at home prepare young people to earn and budget their own money.
*Chores at home, completed neatly and on time leads to confidence and success.
*Chores at home develop into a habit that will aid a young person in school and work.
*Chores at home, lastly, equips a child with a strong work ethic for their teen years.
Success also is not handed out. It too, must be earned by the individual. A young person who is taught to do chores will learn from their mistakes AND learns to head off repeating such mistakes which—in turn—gives them the tools for current and future success.
Parents, IF your children and teens are spending far too much time involved in their video games rather than helping around the house and taking some of the day-to-day burden off of you, it is high time that you introduce them to the world of work through the valley of chores.
Parents, you are not your child’s ‘buddy’ or ‘pal’. You are ‘the law’ in your home. Single parents IN PARTICULAR need to remember this point of information.
Children oftentimes reflect their home training, period. A child is not all they can be in the community because Daddy and Mama didn’t train them right at home. The problem in our society with juvenile delinquency now rests in parental delinquency in the home back then.
If they can teach a seal to dance at an aquarium, you can train your child through chores at home to pick up after themselves. Their future spouse will thank you for your efforts.
THE VALUE OF GOOD RELIGION:
It is never too late for parents to correct the course of their OWN children. It will take some repenting and getting back to basics, such as getting their OWN lives right with God, through Jesus Christ.
As I wrap up this month’s column, let us not forget another back in the day success marker, that being home teaching and training in the Christian religion. Parents need to not only model their religion, but they must pass it on for the sake of strong families. ‘Good religion’ as our fore parents used to call it, involved going to church—in the home—before going to church.
Teaching a child what the KJV Bible says and having them understand it is something that helps in not only the spirit of the child, but ‘brings them’ to each level of growth as an individual. Having the church ‘in’ a family does wonders for the work ethic, in the arena of entrepreneurship and in personal and family economic decisions. Understanding how God will bless any member of His family who puts Him and his kingdom first does wonders in terms of wisdom, understanding and comprehension. It allows a person to be a credit to their family and community, rather than a burden.
If you want to be a success today, think about how we succeeded Back In The Day.
Mike Ramey is a syndicated columnist and retired Minister. To drop an email to “Back In The Day Economics” contact mgmikeramey@yahoo.com. Be sure to let him know in what publication you saw this column. © 2022 Barnstorm Communications.
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