I’ve just returned from a speaking tour of the US and Canada (more on that to come), and someone at a talk/workshop I gave in Edmonton sent me this snippet from a blog. It’s amusing in a sardonic way. And maybe the punch line can be read in more ways than one.
Anyway, here it is:
If you think the coming nuclear winter will make the job market tough for employees, you need to hear about the job offer my daughter got recently.
The job has:
- $0 salary and no equity (you’re supposed to be compensated in experience)
- no benefits other than vacation and sick time – no insurance, for example
- no possibility of promotion or raise, ever
- no job description – just do what you’re told
- micromanaging boss asks about project status every hour
- strict hours, starting at 8:30AM sharp
- if you’re late even a few minutes, your boss sends you to her boss
- rigid workweek, but then you’re expected to work from home a ton
- open-desk seating, not even a cube, with a hard chair
- the work is boring and demeaning, like adding digits and copying text
- all your useless work gets thrown away
- if you want to use a computer, you can buy one or just scribble on paper
- no supplies room
- my daughter can’t drive so commute was complicated
- can’t even put the job on your resume until you work there for a decade
I wish this was a joke or I was making it up.
Having consulted with me, my daughter of course rejected this ridiculous offer and is now just working on side projects while looking for a better opportunity.
But millions of other 7-year olds accepted identical offers.