“Why don’t you get a job?”
A short story on finding a Job in South Africa 2016
My first day on the job, I had basically no idea what I was doing, I kinda knew who my boss was, I sorta knew my colleagues, and basically figured out the process of things on the first day. Though, the other guys had been working there for what seemed like a few years, other guys were there just for the holiday.
I’d never been a box packer before, but I knew that I would be the best in the department. While the other guys played around with new gear, I’d be packing and labelling an entire pallet, while the deadline was tomorrow, I’d be done today.
I worked as a box boy for about three weeks at Matrix Warehouse in Alberton, until I realised the money I did make wasn’t enough to give my mom petrol money and still have anything left over to buy, well, anything.
I then realised that I could make more money doing something else, my own thing, or, that my energy would be better paid for in another job.
I’ve had only, technically, three jobs in my life.
One as that lowly box boy, another as an “account administrator” and then as a data analyst.
I managed to ascend from box boy to a corporate job by establishing a reputation and growing my knowledge base where ever I could. I could talk the talk and walk the walk. When tested, I could answer. You’d be surprised how much you learn running your own business.
I made myself find opportunity. I was never looking for a “job” but a means of ascension to something better in life, even if I didn’t have the skills, I’d sacrifice time to learn and adapt. That’s why I’ve been able to go from employee to employer a lot easier than most people, I’ve had a bigger picture attitude about work and jobs.
My skills and knowledge are the here and now, and they’re in demand.
Though, recently, I took the responsibility to help someone else look for work. This person has over three decades of experience and comes from a time where experience and diversification was a good thing and a degree wasn’t essential to your life success.
This women, was brought up in a South Africa where working as a typist or secretary, was all the a women could and should amount to, while the man of the house works in an executive position to bring home the real bacon.
Skip ahead a few decades to a down-swung South African economy, this middle aged women with skills that are more diverse than your average millennials playlist, cannot find work, and is met with excuses like:
- You’re over qualified.
- You’re too expensive for this position.
- You don’t have a degree (A degree in office administration?).
- You’re not the right age we’re looking for.
I took it upon myself to reach out to as many startup companies as a I could, old friends in corporate spaces, businesses that are making money, or should be looking at some kind of experienced and dedicated office manager from the X Generation.
Most we’re interested.
Some just can’t.
As someone who’s running their own business and “just can’t” employ this person because of constraints, It’s tough to not be able to help directly.
As I sent off my last email yesterday to another business associate with her CV attached.
I felt that this shouldn’t be the way of the world.
How can someone with such vast, hard won experience, find it so difficult to get work. Does experience not count anymore? What does that say for our society? Is the economy really that bad? Are we, younger business people, doomed to the same fate one day too?
If there is a lesson here, and there are many we can draw from this perspective of the state of affairs, it’s that the world changes, skills become obsolete and friends and relationships in business are more important for you, your family and your success, than ever.
Though, as friend once said, “…an economy than can support the existence of Patio Warehouse is doing fine.”
