Jobs for the jobless.

I take a deep breath, press Line 1, and recite my robotic greeting: "Winkflash customer service, how can I help you?" The first sentence uttered on the other line will make or break the conversation. It can be anything from "I want to check the status of my order" to "When does your photo book sale end" to "Put me on the phone with a manager immediately." The last one is usually the worst possible scenario. Explaining to an irate customer that management can only be contacted via email is like jumping up in a crowded airplane and shouting, "I've got BOMBS!"

There is also the well-meaning, elderly customer who readily admits that they have no idea how to turn a computer on -- yet they feel the need to order photo prints online. Okay, fine, I won't mind explaining the difference between uploading and downloading if I'm in a good mood (or if I smoked a little bit on my break) but when I'm in bitch mode, watch out. One of these days my monitor is going to get thrown across the room and I will laugh maniacally before accepting my resignation.

Jobs can be tough, especially the type that pay very little for hours of grueling (or simply irritating) work. But in the days of 12% unemployment, shouldn't we be thankful for any work we can get? Let's compare two of my friends who are both unemployed. One of them lost her job in March of 2009 and has been an unemployed college student since then. There is no immediate need for a job since unemployment pays her weekly, and it's about $30 less than what I make after a 40 hour work week, minus tax and health deduction. Unemployment runs out, or so they say. But here we are looking at almost a year of no-job and no-finding-a-job and frankly I would say she's making out like a bandit.

Alternately, another friend of mine did not "lose" a job, since he wasn't steadily employed and laid off. He was cheated out of hours at a highscale cafe/bar job and can't claim unemployment due to technicalities. His main profession, however, is in the construction/woodworking category. The contracting industry is dwindling...well, it has been for a while. Work for these individuals is few and far between, mainly based on luck and references -- the plain old "who you know" and "how cheap are you willing to go" kind of thing. Perhaps he can work for two weeks repairing a roof, but after that, there is no income until the next job. There is no security and he cannot claim unemployment. The government does not count him as one of Rhode Island's 12% without work, but he IS without work. So what are the real numbers then?

I could go on for hours about this, but it rests at one point: those who have a job in this climate are lucky to have a job. Those who rest comfortably without work will not be able to do so for very much longer. Sooner or later the shit is going to hit the fan, and I guess I'll still be answering phone calls (and taking mood-stabilizing medication) when it happens.