Thanks for your insight. My McDonald’s essay was started some time ago and has been expanded and edited and still needs to develop the crew concept further. It might be out of date. Apparently the current jobs market includes degreed people that are some way preferable to those lacking one, even with experience.
I am semi retired but have frequent contact with workers involved with shipping. The older ones did not go to college. Some of the younger ones did but don’t last long because they are able to advance either within the various companies or they find a better job elsewhere. The knowledge of computers and various extremely technical devices is absolutely required.
In my mind the reason for college is to learn about a variety of subjects but especially to learn to write, to communicate effectively. Business today is conducted all around the world and the lowest of clerks needs communication skills un thought of even ten years ago.
Then there is the military. I wonder if there was any special training or special skills developed that are transferable. I suppose that varies with the assignments, some do and some don’t.
My purpose in the essay was to point out that McDonald’s is everything in a very small package. By examining everything in extreme detail, a wealth of knowledge and real experience can be gained.
We can only hope that before too long, there will be adequate political change that will allow new products and new jobs to develop.
Right now today, (not twenty years ago,) I know a young man who started working at McDonald's, part time, as a highschool kid. After he graduated he went full time, having started at the entry level jobs at a typical McD store. He is a reliable and hardworking young man, no genius certainly, but willing to work and willing to learn.
He progressed to assistant manager and was accepted into McDonald's career track. They sent him to their training school, Hamburger University (real name) where he learned the essentials of running a McDonald's store.
He now has acquired his own franchise. He is still in his twenties, works long hours but makes a good living and the future is all ahead for him. He can literally go as far as his ambition will carry him.
He did all this in the NE Ohio rustbelt.
No affirmative action(he's white), no pumping resume's, sucking up to interviewers, or hawking credentials. His credentials were his work record. No sour grapes about losing out to someone with a college degree.
Anyone who wants to, could do this same thing and have his own thriving prosperous business in ten years or so.
Sometimes entrepreneurs start by flipping burgers. I would be curious to know how many college graduates would be willing to follow this man's example, starting from scratch.
The conversation needs to be had and thanks for trying to get to the point.
There has been a tremendous amount of debate over the value of college vs trade school/military/etc. The current value proposition that “your are nothing without a degree” is over valuing our young people in their own minds. On the other hand, the image the military is receiving via the MSM (ptsd etc) makes employers skiddish to even consider hiring a veteran regardless of the applicability of their military field.
The bottom line I think, we have been marketed to death by the educational community, the MSM and even our own politicians (”if you don’t have a degree you end up like these guys”) with an image of self worth being determined by credentials rather than motivation and adaptability.
There truly are fields that require advanced education (medical, legal, aviation design for example) but for the most part, trade schools and/or military experience needs to get a better look.
cc: vet7279
bert,
Thanks for your reasoned reply. You obviously read and thought about my and vet7279’s posts before replying.
I see so many knee-jerk ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ replies. It is discouraging that more people don’t realize how much has changed over not only the last four years, but the three prior administrations, how much in the way of opportunity and wealth has been removed from the middle class.
Like you I hope there will be ‘adequate political change that will allow new products and new jobs to develop’. However, basing future performance on the past, I fear the best we can hope for in the short term is a miniscule slowing of the destruction.