Skip to main content

Unplugged

Recently, I was unplugged. Not by choice, but by virtue of a sequence of mergers, acquisitions, poor customer service, and inexperienced talent that resulted in my life without the modern necessity of the internet. On top of this, my computer broke. Readers, you may find yourself laughing at this, thinking that I am crazy, but soon I found out how necessary these items are.

I just want to make a disclaimer that I am completely aware that this is a first world problem and it does not compare to problems like finding clean drinking water or surviving in a country riddled with war, but our modern society now demands these items to function day to day.

No sooner did I become “analog” or “acoustic,” but I immediately had a need for a computer and the internet. I suddenly found myself deciding how to access a computer, where to access the internet, and I started making decisions about my day to day based on this.  For me this experience was a moment in time, but to so many job seekers that come into our center, this is their daily life.

Imagine being a job seeker without ownership of a computer or internet access. There are many people that come into my One-Stop Career Center that are in this situation. They come to use our computers and gain access to the internet. They need to do this in order to get a job. It is nearly impossible to apply for employment now without them. Few employers will allow “walk-ins” or hand out paper applications.

The other issue for people in this circumstance is that many may not have computer skills. One way to gain computer skills is repetitious usage of the computer. When you have a computer it is easier to practice computer skills because you have easy access.  There are many free computer classes not only within workforce development land, but also in the public library sphere. Once someone has taken a class, he can go home and practice that skill to perfect it.

As workforce development professionals, it is important that we remember that not everyone has the access to technology. Many times the reason is the affordability of such products, but there could be other reasons. Whatever the reason, we should ensure that our requests of the job seeking customers are reasonable given their circumstances. Maybe someone cannot email you his résumé on demand. It may take time for him to arrive at the job center or library. A job seeker may not be able to skype with an employer for a job interview without finding a place to do so.

I am fortunate enough to have the luxury of solving my technical problems with my resources, but so many people are not. Every now and then, we need a reminder what it is to be a day in the shoes of our job seekers.  Maybe you should experience your unplugged, analog self?
 
Thank you for reading. I can be reached at kcirincione@gmail.com ~ Karen Cirincione

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mastering the Grilled Cheese Sandwich Project

An engaging book club discussion about email, how we work, and also just how we as people manage our lives. The more we talked the more I started to realize that essentially project management is essentially a life skill everyone needs to master to be successful. If we simplify Project Management down to the easiest way of explain it and applying, we can define it as taking a big end goal and break it down to smaller goals, figuring out the tasks with each smaller goal, and then allocating lots of resources along the way. Ultimately at the core of project management is planning and organizing, but communication is really at the heart of it all. A project may be big, like building a bridge, creating and implementing software, or it can be as small as figuring out what to make for dinner. Along the way to said goal, every step needs to be clear and everyone needs to communicate about all the said steps along the way. Sounds easy, but apparently it is not so simple. One would think ev...
Post a Comment
Read more

A WIOA Fairy Tale

I thought it was time to have a little fun with WIOA and write a fairy tale. My last fairy tale was published in June of 2014 and was before WIOA legislation. To read the first workforce development fairy tale, check out the archives. Once upon a time in a far off land called Weeoha, lived a community of residents. Many of these residents had jobs and careers, but some found themselves in need of services and assistance to get jobs. Some were reliant on the government for assistance with basic needs because they could not find jobs. Three of these residents, Jack Butcher, John Baker, and Josie Candlemaker, found themselves not satisfied with their lack of opportunity and decided to go on a pilgrimage to find the legendary Cup of Career Success.   According to urban legend, whomever drank from this cup was promised eternal employment and self-sufficient wages as long as they desired. Jack, John, and Josie set out on foot to find the legendary cup. Their first stop was to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do you Birthday?

Another year in my life has passed. It’s time for another birthday. Each year as the day approaches, I take the time to reflect on my past year, my accomplishments, and my goals for the year. My birthday is like my personal New Years’ celebration with another opportunity to have the best year ever.   I am not afraid of a birthday. Age is just a number, but each year is what you make of it. Each year I have seen the sun rise, the rain fall, and the snow melt, I have been given a gift from the universe. Many people do not get to see another birthday. I owe myself the opportunity to set goals and feel proud as I work towards achieving them. Sometimes these goals have been born from unhappy feelings and bad situations, but growth brings wisdom.   In my working life, and especially as a workforce professional, I know some of my growth must be professionally. Having experience working with job seekers looking for jobs, I understand how crucial professional growth is...
Post a Comment
Read more