Why a job shouldn't be a chore, and why we should have more faith in each other.

Chores... nobody likes them, right? Sure they have there place and need to get done. So do jobs. The big difference is choice. Chores are usually placed upon us by our parents as tasks we have to do and have no choice. And that reason alone is testament to why the word has such a derogatory sound about it. But what we do for our careers? That should be our choice. But I think our biggest failure as a society is not giving people enough chances to really chase our dreams. In high school I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, much less if I would actually enjoy doing it and feel fulfilled.

I started working at the age of 13, re-sealing asphalt around town so that I could have spending money of my own and feel independent. I saved up enough money to get a motorcycle and license at the age of 14 (with the help of some advice from dad). That level of freedom was empowering. Sure, I hated having to squeegee black tar but at that age manual labor was about all I could get away with legally.

Some folks go off to college, they don't even have to work until they get their degree. That puts them what at 22-25ish for a 4 year degree before they even hit the "working" world. I have a good 9 years under my belt in the working world when I hit that age. I didn't have that luxury. Quite frankly, I was terrified of the thought of going to college for such a long time and then hating the profession I had chosen. I didn't even fully know myself then - surely didn't know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

I have learned a lot from my years working however, and sadly so. I believe we need a major change in our educational and employment systems. I know you've probably heard from more than one source that if you do what you love it doesn't feel like work. Why have we, as a community, not given more emphasis and attention to getting people into roles they love to be in? I've heard the saying that "you can be anything you want to be" growing up. Well I am not seeing that play out exactly that way.

Time and time again have I been overlooked for positions I would LOVE to work. Because I don't have that experience already. We are all learning every day of our lives as human beings. Where is the faith? Right now I can go online and find a masterclass on just about any subject you can think of and learn about and how to do just about anything. But because I don't have a degree - and didn't put myself in student loan debt for years to come- That dream job sits vacant.

I'm reading articles about people quitting their jobs in droves since COVID - And I truly think that we need to re-evaluate our hiring process. Shift more focus into career placement that will result in job satisfaction. Because news flash - when you have happy workers, you have happy customers. Workplace morale is a huge factor on production and quality amongst other things.

Now of course there are positions that absolutely require a certain amount of education and experience. For example - Doctors, Surgeons, etc. But I'm also seeing things that make no sense - like office admin roles paying 11 bucks an hour wanting a college degree - AND experience? That just doesn't add up to me. At what point did it become "What are your merits" instead of "Can you get the job done?" I believe it would behoove a lot of recruiters to focus more on not only just who is capable, but those that actually desire to be in the role.