As I sit here frustrated because there are no job listings I'm qualified for or that will pay enough for me to meet my monthly bills or that I just don't want to do, I'm thinking back to an article in this morning's paper about day laborers. Here is a whole group of people who are at the staffing agencies by at least 6am every morning looking for work. Not a job or a career but just work for the day so they can feed their families or keep a roof over their heads.
They are not all your stereotypical street people or people too lazy to look for "real" jobs. Most are just ordinary people who for some reason or another have hit a hard streak and can't find a job. I'm sure a lot of them have been hearing that they are under-qualified, over-qualified or need a degree for the type of work that pays enough for them to make ends meet. So they sit and wait for any kind of work they can get. Manual labor, banquet service, construction, anything. Some sit and wait all day and never get assigned. That must be tough but they come back day after day.
As I sit here frustrated, I am also reminded of how lucky I am. I am currently receiving unemployment benefits until December so I can continue to look for a job and still make ends meet. After that I may be up at 6am and waiting for work with a group of people I never really thought about before but have a new found respect for.
So to all the day laborers, good luck in your search.
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