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smooth · 10-12-2004, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aceventura3

After reading some of the stuff above, I am not sure what to say, but I will try to wrap-up my view on this subject.

My first job was with McDonald's while I was in high-school. I cleaned tables, mopped the floors and cleaned the bathrooms, for about $2.75/hr. I went to work, showed up on time, had a positive attitude, learned new jobs and in a year I was an assistant manager, making $3.10/hr. They offered to send me to Hamburger University, I chose to go to a real university (when away at college I worked at the McDanalds at home and school to earn money, they were always happy to have me come back). My first job out of college paid me $12,000 per year in 1982. I went to work, showed up on time, had a positive attitude, learned new jobs, took additional classes, and by the time I left that company I was a middle manager making $60,000/year. I then took a job with a smaller company as a VP, they paid me $95,000/year. I did the same as before. That company went out of business. I took a job as a stockbroker, worst experience of my life, I quit the job after 3 months. Because I had save money, I went into business for myself. Same formula-I go to work, I show up on time, I have a positive attitude, I learn new stuff. If I want a raise, I work harder, or smarter. I have to add value or I get "fired", one screw-up and I get "fired", if the guys brother in-law goes into business doing what I do, I get "fired". My boss is now my customer. But, If a customer is a a$$hole, I will walk away from the business (life is too short to put up with bs).

I look for employees who pretty much follow my formula, come to work, show up on time, have a positive attitude, and learn new stuff. It is interesting, but from when I worked at McDonald's to today, the people who follow the formula I follow do well, and those who don't always have something to complain about. Go figure.

That is all very interesting and insightful. I would caution you, however, to avoid basing your analysis on our current economic reality by your experiences 20 years ago. A plethora of academic studies and popular writings document how rapidly opportunities for advancement have shifted in that time period. I hope you take the time to look into that, because I can't really do the subject service in short snippets on an anonymous web board.

Also, some of us follow the formula you outlined, are moving upward in our social class, and yet still criticize a rupturing economic structure in the hopes of returning or reshaping it into a globally competive and long-lasting form. I certainly hope you don't believe that everyone who complains is only doing so because they are not successful. Ironically, or tragically, most of the people adversely affected by the policies and structures some of us have outlined in this thread are not complaining; but rather working very hard to make ends meet. So while those who don't follow such a formula you believe is vital for success "always have something to complain about," they don't, while those who "do well" are the most vocal about the social injustices they recognize--because they have the economic, political, and familial resources to challenge the status quo.