And here come the Pretzels!

I can just imagine the angry phone call I am going to get from across the province for this one, but It is something that has been weighing on my mind for the last year or so. As my (first) degree program was coming to a close this notion began to creep up.

At the time I was working at a gas station (the name has been mentioned in a previous post) And at this gas station during the summer months I was working with Yegway (Degree in Economics, working on Doctor of Law) My manager was McKelvie (2 classes shy of a BA History Degree) The Fighter's Girlfriend (Degree in something, working on second) and Myself (2 classes shy of a BFA) The four of us were doing the lowest of service jobs outside of a "McJob" making minimum wage and serving the Gen Xers who barely made it out of highschool. I figured that maybe I'd do like the Boomers and get in at the Steel Plant, but for a 3rd straight time I didn't even get an interview call (seems the double dippers who are making $50 an hour need to keep working, and working enough overtime that 2 generations later there is fundamentally a hiring freeze, only if you know someone would they even look at your resume, alas, topics for another post)

When my school had ended and my Job hunt came up fruitless I reverted to a job I had several years ago, The Supercuts of Lawn Care. I graduated from University while I was working cutting grass. I make a decent wage for the amount of work I do, which is quite a bit compared to what some people do, ("1 hour on 1 hour off" The dream schedule of the steel plant) Upon the receiving of my degree I questioned some of my co-workers and this is when my depressing revelation set in. My partner had a degree, the other crew, all three of them had or were over 50% completed degrees, two men on the spray crews also had degrees. I was surrounded by the quintessential over-educated-under-employed workforce of my generation. This is not a summer job for the majority of them either. They just , for the most part, couldn't stand employment at a call center.

I feel as if I were lied to in highschool, they said I would need a university degree to go anywhere in life, I think they should have specified that I would need multiple degrees. The surplus of qualified teachers in our little town is becoming... absurd. Employers aren't hiring these people because they are "going to leave in a few months" the sad truth, without available teaching positions, or even supply positions (chalk another one for the double dipping baby boomers) They are going to be stuck working at call centres and grocery stores for quite some time.

McKelvie's girlfriend is working on degree #2, as is McKelvie himself, Yegway, and a broad selection of my friends and associates. It seems he with the most letters behind his name wins. As for the button, I don't really believe tuition fees should rise -- scratch that, maybe I do. I think that if everyone, and their little brother can get a university degree it kind of nullifies the need for University, it would make more sense to make it grade 13-16, at least then the government wouldn't be criticised for "leaving kids behind" Double tuition fees, TRIPLE IT! at least then I would kind of believe that the last 10 years (including grade 9-OAC) was worth something. Give me a piece of paper I can be proud of, something that actually does qualify me over the next guy.

One of the greatest jokes of University was...

Q-"So what are you gonna do after you get your degree and finish school?"

A-"I dunno, go to teacher's college?"

Now that the truth is becoming more widespread I'm sure it will go like this...

Q-"So what are you gonna do after you get your degree and finish school?"

A-"Oh I can't finish school yet, I'm going to hafta get another degree! 4 years and I'm only qualified on the fry cooker"

This year I'm gonna work, next year... nose back to the grindstone, Degree #2. Journalism? maybe... or Design. As far as employers are concerned it doesn't matter what it's in, He who has the most... WINS!

Andymac BFA