Rooney: Finding a Good Job

Every day, I read about how hard it is for a lot of people to find a good job. I'm skeptical of course, because I think if you know how to do anything, someone's going to pay you to do it.

The fact is, even with the economy getting better, good jobs are still scarce of course. I suppose a lot of companies are doing whatever they do with fewer people now. That's the American way, after all. What they make may not be any good but that doesn't bother them. A lot of companies are more interested in money than in their product.

I've been lucky most of my life, but I've been out of work a few times too so I know what it is like not to have a good job or enough money. Something's wrong though because there's so much work to be done everywhere in the world that there should never be any unemployment. The problem is, the theory assumes that a person who has been an executive, for example, would clean up debris by the side of the road for the county supervisor if he really needed a job. He won't do that of course because what he thinks he ought to be is the county supervisor.

They say that in most companies middle management people have been hit the hardest with layoffs, whatever "middle-management" is, and a lot of them are college graduates too who thought their degrees made sure they could get a good job.

Would it be a waste of education for someone who graduates from Yale for example, to become a plumber, an electrician or a bricklayer? We need people who can actually do things. We have too many bosses and too few workers.

More college graduates ought to become plumbers or electricians, then, go home at night and read Shakespeare.


Written by Andy Rooney

[vcronin67]

Dear Mr. Rooney,

I have watched and respected you for years, but I absolutely disagree with you about this commentary. I was raised by my grandparent's generation (yours), who taught me to work hard AND get my education, and my parent's generation, who taught me to go to college. They all raised me to be a wife and mother. Conflicting messages? Yes. So, at 21, (I am 42 now), I married an Air Force NCO, and spent 18 years as a military wife and mother. While doing so, I volunteered at a variety of places and also earned my Bachelors degree, graduating Magna *** Laude. However, I did not work many jobs after marrying, because my husband preferred that I concentrate on our daughter and school. I agreed. I did. Two months before my daughter graduated high school, my husband left me for my best friend of 22 years. I went to Disney and landed a minimum wage job- the same day I was divorced. I traded that job in for a teaching job. Last year, I loved my first year of teaching. I taught 9th graders, and I treasured every one, although some were extremely challenging. I had good reviews, but was not hired back; neither were 300 other teachers in my county; both tenured and non-tenured were let go. I have filled out applications until I am ready to throw the computer across the room. Last October, after teachers were set in school for the year and no more were being hired, I started looking for all those "jobs" that you say are out there. I am not above it. I was a wife, mother, and family caretaker- nursing my grandparents and others to their deaths from cancer, alcoholism, etc..., so there is not much that I think is too good for me. I have applied for hourly and salaried jobs from $7.35 an hour to $55,000 a year. It does no good to walk into a place anymore and talk to the manager and make some human contact, offering the ability to make an impression. Most all applications are online and a computer shuffles through them. If you don't have those key words in your resume- forget it. Also, I have several versions of my resume: one for actual professional jobs that I spent 6 years and $40,000 trying to earn the degree that YOUR generation set us up to believe was the key to the American Dream, and I get nothing. Finally, when I saw your commentary, I thought- he has a point. So, I took my education off my resume, revamped for any kind of domestic and childcare work- but nothing. I can't get a Nanny or a maid job because, wait for it-- I am white. I would never have believed it if someone else had said that, but even the company Nannypoppinz has given potential clients the ability to choose "Nanny," "Light Hspk Nanny," and "Hspk Nanny." Hspk, of course, means Hispanic. This seems to go for maid and regular housekeeping jobs as well. I am in Orlando. I am not a white person that thinks people are "stealing our jobs," but is this blatant racism allowed? What if it said "Caucasian Nanny?" I have looked out of county, out of state, and out of the country. I did not even qualify for unemployment. Why? Apparently, I do not have enough work credits. Mother, family caretaker, military spouse, student, volunteer- those kinds of silly things women do are not worth anything. I am without health care for the first time in my life. I have sold almost everything of value, including jewelry I wanted my daughter to have, just to survive. Everyone around me is in a similar position. I can't get retail, fast food, movie theaters, grocery stores, etc..., and so I ask you, Andy Rooney- are you ready to give up your seat? Are you ready to retire, as is the natural course of things? I do not ask this out of disrespect. I simply want your chair- and the job that goes with it.

[rmdl]

Once again, Andy Rooney offers nothing helpful to his audience. Having coached job seekers for 30 years, I have found these past few years to be the most difficult, especially for young workers.
When was the last time Andy Rooney looked for a plumber's job?

[AStevens04240]

I have always enjoyed listening to Andy Rooney?s insight but the commentary on finding a job, Andy is way off base. I have a Masters degree and am a recent unemployed financial analyst in Maine. I have been looking for work, any work to stop collecting unemployment. Most employers will not hire me because I am over qualified to ?flip burgers.? I come from a working class family and have no problem pushing a broom but no one will hire me to do so.
Employers are taking advantage of the recession and are taking advantage of the unemployed professionals. They are cutting the average salary for a high responsibility job in half (more or less) and there is no promise to make the salary that should be paid for these positions in the future when the economy bounces back. I would love to hear from Andy on this situation.
Let?s talk about the employers that are making a profit from this recession by taking advantage of the working class in need of a job. No one wants to be unemployed; unemployment barely pays the electric bill and puts food on the table.

[MegJudice]

There is no shame in an honest day's work. Yes it's hard to get a job when you have too much education for the job you are seeking. But, put your hat in your hand, and ask for the job anyway. Who knows, you may actually find you are happier doing physical labor instead of clipboard carrying!

[tybeedac3]

I also have been a long time fan. I am definitely not a fan of this week's comments. I do believe that you do not know how bad it is for people looking for work. Any job announcement that pays over $14.00 an hour (29K) a year might have several hundred applications. The going rate of jobs per person is 6:1 in our nation today. This ratio does not reflect the out of work people that have quit looking for work, the people that took part-time jobs instead of full time jobs and people that took lower paying jobs and are looking for better jobs. The more accurate figure could be as high as 20:1. As your posts represent, the hardest hit bracket are the people that are over 50 who have a college degree and several years of work experience. There are no jobs available for us. What we need is to extend unemployment benefits, more progressive job bills, advocate re-training of the unemployed, and make the banks make money available for us experience workers to create small business' of our own. Also, by-the-way, my husband is a licensed contractor and he has had very little work since 2007 when the bottom fell out of the construction business. But at least we had my job, until the owner was forced to downsize. Without my unemployment insurance will we have nothing. We both have worked hard for the last 30 years, paid taxes and unemployment insurance when required. So, why should we be left behind and forgotten? Well at least with healthcare bill, now when we get sick from living on the street, we can get medical treatment.

[L7575]

Andy, I like your short stories. I know you don't believe in spending money but please trim your eyebrows.

[whalewriter]

Hey Andy, read the comment above by Monkeys2.

Your own commentary underscores the problems of unemployment: 1) you are coasting in your job as commentator, as long as CBS needs you; 2) you are no longer a journalist, or you would have done your homework; and 3) you are certainly not a career specialist, try getting a job in THAT field.

GOOD LUCK.

[klp2345]

Andy,

After hearing your commentary Sunday evening the only thing I can conclude is that if there is one person in this country who should be unemployed, it is you! If you'd like to start a career in plumbing I'd be happy to buy you a plunger. Of course, you'd need to go back to school and then work for several years as an apprentice at very low wages to gain experience.

At a time when hard working and yes (sorry) colledge educated people are finding it difficult to get a job doing anything to pay the bills and feed their families, to have some person like you whose own value to this economy is worth zilch make such insensitve comments is shameful. CBS should clear up your spot for some hard working electrician out there who finds himself out of work. It's not like you need any skills or experience or even good judgement to do YOUR job!

[Monkeys2]

Dear Mr. Rooney,

I have enjoyed your commentaries for years, but this week you missed the mark regarding the unemployed. I am an employment recruiter by trade.

Since you apparently are not actively looking for work, you would not realize that things have changed, and being hardworking and affordable are no longer criteria that employers use to hire people.

The criteria for companies now are as follows: First, you must have a college degree (regardless of whether the job is at the top of the ladder or the bottom). Second, and most important, companies hire only those with experience in their particular industry and the particular job they are looking to fill. Companies no longer want to have to train anyone to do anything. It doesn't matter what your previous intelligence or experience is, if you do not have the experience they are looking for, they will not even consider you. And most times, a computer determines your eligibility, not a human being. It is practically impossible to get to a human being until the computer decides that a person should interview you.

We are in the most frustrating, depressed job market ever and companies pick and choose from hundreds of applicants, never even giving a thought that they might be passing up better employees than those that are "already trained." It's sad that employers complain about the quality of their workforces, yet will not consider training for anyone new.

People hunting for jobs are willing to be trained, willing to take pay cuts, willing to start temp or part time hoping it will turn into full-time. The people are willing to make the changes necessary to work. The companies are not.

[lyndar2]

I have been a follower of Andy Rooney's for many years. Not any more. His silly ramblings are usually interesting but this one is downright stupid! Sorry, Andy but you obviously have no idea what is going on in the real world. We have been working hard all of our lives just to see our property values take a nosedive, broke customers and just about everything else increasing in cost.