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Cynthetiq · 06-08-2010, 01:06 PM

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June 6, 2010, 7:30 pm Is Any Job Better Than No Job?

By THE EDITORS

Left to right: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images, Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The Labor Department’s monthly jobs report released Friday was not good news. Though 431,000 jobs were created in May nationwide, the bulk of them were workers hired by the federal government to help with the Census — jobs that will disappear in a few months. Only 41,000 private jobs were created, far short of expectations of 150,000 to 180,000 jobs, and unemployment rates remained steady. Economists estimate that the U.S. needs to add more than 100,000 jobs a month just to keep pace with new workers — high school and college graduates — entering the market.
In such a climate, should the new college graduates consider jobs they might have rejected a few years ago? A recent Times Magazine article by Judith Warner pointed out that some studies show young people just out of college are turning down jobs that they don’t like. (Ms. Warner has some follow-up comments, below.) In this economy, is any job better than no job?

Hara Estroff Marano, author, “A Nation of Wimps”
Ken Goldstein, economist
Edwin W. Koc, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Katherine S. Newman, sociologist, Princeton University
Roger Simmermaker, local union official
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, author, “Emerging Adulthood”
Jean Twenge, psychology professor
Judith Warner, journalist

There are some interesting viewpoints buried in the contibutors.

What stood out for me is this quote:

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First of all, many of the young people entering the job market have a great many workplace-related skills to learn — from when to show up and when to leave, to how to dress and present themselves, to how to approach a job, to knowing how to work with others, to setting and working toward goals incrementally. These involve deeper values that cannot be taught theoretically. And although there may be some rude awakenings in the workplace, on-the-job learning is likely the fastest and most indelible way to acquire the values and skills and work ethic that will carry them to their ultimate goals.

There is always something to learn and grow. In my opinion it doesn't matter. I'm in the position I am now in part because of who I knew when I was jobless in the early part of the decade and I temped here as a receptionist. People remembered who I was and that I was a capable worker and a good team player. This works the same way in Film and TV productions where people want to work with people who work well with others and get their jobs done.

There are only few times in my life where I understand that "any" job is wrong. Those are when your job is toxic to your health because of poor working conditions, bad managers, bad coworkers etc. But I must say that if that seems to be all the time over the years, I can't imagine that it's everyone else, but the individual since that is the only constant.