Economic Misfits

This is NOT a person discussed here. This is an anonymous public-domain photo.

Elizabeth is artsy, not really an artist, just artsy. She likes to decorate, make jewelry, appreciate nature. She loses track of time. She says she suffers from depression but doesn’t believe in taking medication. She’s 50 and never earned more than $20,000 a year and has been unemployed or making near (or even below) minimum wage for most of her life. She’s now been unemployed for more than a year and her unemployment checks have just stopped.

David graduated from Harvard Summa Cum Laude in history but has a prickly, know-it-all personality and a short temper. He had 14 jobs in 18 years, and now, with all that on his resume, at age 40 with no career progression to speak of, he’s been unemployed for two years.

Ted is an immigrant who was a nurse in Poland. His nursing license is not recognized here and he can’t afford to go to a U.S. nursing school even if he could get in, which is doubtful because of his poor English. He also is an inveterate procrastinator—He just can’t make himself do the things he needs to do, which he attributes only in part to his smoking pot a few times a week. He has not held a paying job in 18 months and currently volunteers at his church. His parents, back in Poland, are supporting him.

There are many other types of economic misfits: those with low intelligence, chronic unreliability, mental disease, physical disability, criminal behavior, and people who refuse to take a job other than a highly desirable one, which hundreds of people typically apply, for example, journalist or activist.

What might economic misfits do?

Some people simply won’t or can’t find desirable paid work throughout their lifetime. What might they do?

• Take a less desirable job. They might want to remember that all ethical work is worthy work, and compared with more desirable work, it’s much easier to find a job as a security guard, dishwasher, housekeeper, gas station attendant, night clerk at a motel, farm worker, the underrated letter carrier job, etc. Even if you have to work at a fast-food restaurant or as an iron worker, you may find that preferable to not working and letting other people work to pay for your expenses. Sad that you can’t do what you love? Like most people, do it is as hobby.

• Do worthy unpaid work. If you feel you must rely on a parent, spouse, or society to support you, you have a particular obligation to do volunteer work full-time. While almost all volunteer work has value, you may do more good if you look for opportunities with ripple effect: tutor rather than hospice volunteer, health educator than soup kitchen worker, political activist (Left, Center, or Right) than dog-pound cage cleaner, etc. In all interactions, in and outside of your volunteer work, your job is to be as kind as possible—That may be easier to do if you remember that the world is supporting you; you have an obligation to support it.
  

What might society do for economic misfits?

• Assistance Army. The government, for-profit, and non-profits sectors should team up to create an Assistance Army. Each sector would create pro-social jobs that are doable by a wide range of people: teacher’s aide, park rehabilitator, graffiti remover, hospital volunteer, customer service rep, etc. Additionally, all the sectors would mount a PR campaign to encourage individuals to hire personal helpers: new mom aides, homework helpers for school-age kids, housecleaners, personal assistants, tech tutors, elder helpers, gardeners, etc.

• The basics for all. Even if someone doesn’t make the lifelong effort to find and retain employment, it seems that every human being is entitled to basic food, shelter, clothing, and health care. If kept basic, I believe it will not demotivate people from working. How might basic be defined? Food and shelter might be equivalent to what college students pay a fortune for: dormitory-style with roommates and food served in a cafeteria. Clothing might come from thrift stores such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill. Health care could consist of access to basic prevention and treatment provided primarily by physician assistants at clinics.
  

• Replace derision with generosity. After having been career counselor to 4,500 clients over the past 29 years, I’ve come to believe that some people just can’t be expected to find decent work throughout their lifetime. Instead of resenting them and thinking that our giving them a pass will encourage sloth, we should feel grateful we’re not like that and replace our derision with a measure of generosity.

Marty Nemko's bio is in Wikipedia.