AnotherGuy's Weblog

Last night I picked up a Time magazine to try and help support the failing industry, as futile as that cause might be. I figured that there would mostly be articles about how Obama may or may not be doing things right, or why we should continue supporting Haiti. You know, topics that the blogosphere already covered (and bombarded us with) like, two weeks ago.

But I gave it a try, since it was only $4.95 and had at one time been called my favorite magazine, and I am glad that I did. There were, of course, many pages written about the over-used topics I had guessed above, but there were also three articles that I found very valuable. More specifically, a list of quotes from employers around the US about why they are deciding not to hire students and teenagers.

One such quote went like this:

“An entry position at my firm has gone unfulfilled for months because young people applying did not turn up for interview requests, attended interviews inappropriately dressed or offered resumes full of spelling and grammar mistakes or ‘text’ spelling. I might be old-fashioned, but it’s people like me who are still doing the hiring.” [Paul Rowney, Sarasota, Florida]

There were four other quotes along with that one which had the same saddened tone in them, and it left me wondering about my own years as an unemployed adolescent, and also about the kids that I try and mentor in my community. Looking at my own life, I can’t say that I ever remember being taught by anyone, in school or at home, how to properly apply for a job.

And how many other kids are like me in that way? Why are some people so upset at students that do not understand the proper etiquette for such situations, when they’ve never actually been taught? How can we expect them to improve their skills if we aren’t teaching them ourselves?

I can’t say that I have an answer for how to get teens more serious on what their careers and futures hold for them, but I can wonder if we are focusing on the right areas of education (at home and school) and suggest that we change how we react to these unfortunate students.

Some examples of what I mean: a school recently banned all of the Merriam-Webster Dictionaries from its classrooms because it had the definition for ‘oral sex’ in it. What we are teaching students with those kinds of actions is that we value more their protection FROM the real world rather than teaching them how to cope with it maturely. When we arrest a girl for doodling on a desk, that teaches her that her school system sucks – it doesn’t teach her how to respect the work of the people who built that desk.

How is it the fault of the students that they do not approach job applications seriously and with maturity? Isn’t it the fault of those people who came before them not teaching these vital skills when they needed to know them?

And if we can come to the same conclusion that it is, in fact, on our own shoulders as adults to step up and start helping these kids when they need it (you know, actually sacrificing of ourselves to make sure they don’t make our mistakes), then when are we going to start doing it rather than just talking about it? Talk is cheap, especially to young people.

Personally, I’m done talking about it, and in the coming weeks as a new organization that I am working with is able to go public, I’ll be looking forward to your support and contributions to make sure that our goals are met.

Goals that will see that these kids become leaders in the very near future, not just the far.

Or at least, that will see them to getting the job they need to advance to such positions. We’ve all gotta start somewhere.