Yesterday, I wrote a blog about people wanting the perfect job who don’t have any special talents, training, or skills. I said that everyone has to bring something to the table by giving some reason for the employer to hire you, and I also said that people should get a job that they’re passionate about.
I realized last night as I was getting ready for bed that I was dispensing general advice, with no concrete links to follow or advice to follow up on. Tomorrow, I am going to show how I would tackle specific (made up) scenarios of mothers looking for jobs, but today I wanted to get another (small this time, I promise) rant off my chest.
I see quite often on the forum that I frequent that people come in, usually mothers, and say something along these lines, “I have no experience, no degree, and no training. How am I supposed to get a job?” There is this huge misconception in America that in order to get a job, you need to have a Bachelor degree from some big-name school, or the employers aren’t going to pay any attention to you. This is patently untrue. I don’t even have an Associates degree let alone a Bachelors, and I am most definitely employed. People are sometimes also intimidated by having to use a computer while working, because the computer is overwhelming to them.
The same answer applies to both schools of thought: There are many mini-classes online that will teach you how to use a computer, how to use Excel and Word, how to put together a Power Point presentation, etc, and you don’t have to go to school for four years to learn how to do this either. Yes, I will freely admit that there are jobs that require you have a Bachelors, but for the most part, knowledge and skill trumps education.
Now if someone has no skills and is not willing to learn any skills, they are going to be almost impossible to employ. When I was kid, I didn’t want to learn how to run the lawn mower because then I would be stuck mowing the lawn. I wasn’t dumb, but I was lazy. But back then, I had the luxury of living off my parents (12 year olds tend to do that) and I wasn’t trying to pay any bills or even put food on the table. As an adult, I don’t have that luxury. Although my parents love me and my husband dearly, I’m fairly sure they wouldn’t be too thrilled with us moving back in with them unless there were some dire circumstances happening at the time.
Bottom line: Just because you don’t have any training now doesn’t mean you can’t go get some. If what you’re wanting to do for a job requires a degree, then go after it! Don’t let fear stand in your way. I currently am going back to school to become an elementary school teacher, even though I’ll be quite a bit older than the rest of my classmates. I’m not too old to learn, and neither are you.
Okay, not-so-mini rant is over. Tomorrow, I will be discussing fake people with fake problems. Don’t miss it.