http://www.salon.com/2014/08/15/the_most_outrageous_internships_that_money_can_buy/
When the Harvey Weinstein Co. auctioned off an internship
for at least $26,000 earlier this week (valued at $50,000), news
outlets like the Guardian and Deadline took enthusiastic notice. Since
the proceeds go to charities, everyone involved can feel a little better
about the fact that kids are boosting their résumés with cold, hard
cash instead of hard work. Sure, it’s a great way to raise money for
charity (who knew someone would be willing to pay $610,000 for coffee
with Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2013?). But once again, the message for broke
millennials is: You can get a job, if you’re already rich. - Salon
Even if you discount the auctioning of internships, education is expensive and these days a really good education still won't guarantee that you will find the kind of job you planned for. When you are deciding what to study, the main consideration revolves around what kind of job you want and/or what kind of pay you'll get. Your plan is not to work in a supermarket after you complete your doctorate, and yet this is what's happening to an increasing number of young adults. You no longer have the luxury of doing what you love - now it's all about survival and (hopefully) a little extra.
So, what happens when you're fresh out of university with huge loans against your name and now you can't get a job in your area of expertise? What do you do next? It's likely that your parents are living close to the breadline like so many others, so you have to do something to make money to survive. If you're in this position for long enough you will not turn down a job at a fast food restaurant.
There are a lot of people these days with really dismal employment prospects whether they are educated or not - and it's only getting worse. Countries keep increasing the retirement age, forcing people to keep their jobs for longer which prevents new employees from coming in and taking those positions. Somehow, every measure that is taken to ease the pressure on the citizens is just increasing it - you would think that at some point someone would try a different approach?
Imagine a world where your survival is guaranteed, whether you are educated or not. Imagine a world where you don't have to work an underpaid job just to pay the bills and buy food. Imagine a world where you can find out what you enjoy doing and create a career for yourself that will give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Imagine a world where every person has the opportunity to do what they love without money dictating what it is they can or cannot do.
Sounds nice, doesn't it? You may be skeptical, but it is certainly within our power and ability to redesign the world and live like this. Obviously we would have to address other matters along the way like poverty, wars, discrimination and so on, but once again I will say that this too is achievable.
We need to start by changing the way we think from focusing on all the problems and everything that is wrong, to focusing on how we can improve what is in front of us. We need to stop catastrophising the little things and develop a common ground for working together to improve all of our lives. Most importantly, we need to stop thinking about "how can I make my life better?" to "How can I make everyone's lives better?".
What do we have to lose?
When the Harvey Weinstein Co. auctioned off an internship
for at least $26,000 earlier this week (valued at $50,000), news
outlets like the Guardian and Deadline took enthusiastic notice. Since
the proceeds go to charities, everyone involved can feel a little better
about the fact that kids are boosting their résumés with cold, hard
cash instead of hard work. Sure, it’s a great way to raise money for
charity (who knew someone would be willing to pay $610,000 for coffee
with Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2013?). But once again, the message for broke
millennials is: You can get a job, if you’re already rich. - SalonEven if you discount the auctioning of internships, education is expensive and these days a really good education still won't guarantee that you will find the kind of job you planned for. When you are deciding what to study, the main consideration revolves around what kind of job you want and/or what kind of pay you'll get. Your plan is not to work in a supermarket after you complete your doctorate, and yet this is what's happening to an increasing number of young adults. You no longer have the luxury of doing what you love - now it's all about survival and (hopefully) a little extra.
So, what happens when you're fresh out of university with huge loans against your name and now you can't get a job in your area of expertise? What do you do next? It's likely that your parents are living close to the breadline like so many others, so you have to do something to make money to survive. If you're in this position for long enough you will not turn down a job at a fast food restaurant.
There are a lot of people these days with really dismal employment prospects whether they are educated or not - and it's only getting worse. Countries keep increasing the retirement age, forcing people to keep their jobs for longer which prevents new employees from coming in and taking those positions. Somehow, every measure that is taken to ease the pressure on the citizens is just increasing it - you would think that at some point someone would try a different approach?
Imagine a world where your survival is guaranteed, whether you are educated or not. Imagine a world where you don't have to work an underpaid job just to pay the bills and buy food. Imagine a world where you can find out what you enjoy doing and create a career for yourself that will give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Imagine a world where every person has the opportunity to do what they love without money dictating what it is they can or cannot do.
Sounds nice, doesn't it? You may be skeptical, but it is certainly within our power and ability to redesign the world and live like this. Obviously we would have to address other matters along the way like poverty, wars, discrimination and so on, but once again I will say that this too is achievable.
We need to start by changing the way we think from focusing on all the problems and everything that is wrong, to focusing on how we can improve what is in front of us. We need to stop catastrophising the little things and develop a common ground for working together to improve all of our lives. Most importantly, we need to stop thinking about "how can I make my life better?" to "How can I make everyone's lives better?".
What do we have to lose?
Comments
Post a Comment