Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT Strips 3816-3820 (27-31 August 2018)
dutchrvl:
--- Quote from: bhtooefr on 27 Aug 2018, 06:11 ---Marten did have some connections, though, IIRC - granted, through the person who got fired from the job that he got, but still.
--- End quote ---
Well, yes, but she didn't really get him the job or even introduced, she merely pointed out that the library might be hiring.
That's akin to me telling my friend I saw a certain job posting.
Granted, perhaps she could've introduced or recommended Marten to Tai, but usually getting referred by the person who got fired from the same job is not a good way to start your jobhunt...
dutchrvl:
--- Quote from: Cornelius on 27 Aug 2018, 05:56 ---
--- Quote from: dutchrvl on 27 Aug 2018, 05:03 --- (click to show/hide)
--- Quote from: Cornelius on 27 Aug 2018, 00:38 ---
--- Quote from: chris73 on 26 Aug 2018, 19:19 ---In NZ from roughly the late 80s onwards there was a massive shift away from apprenticeships and trades as options for schoolkids and was replaced by an almost fervent belief that University was the be all and end all and that without a degree (any degree) you'd be doomed to a, at best, mediocre life
--- End quote ---
Seems much the same here. Of course, it's compounded by the fact that even some of the most basic jobs insist on qualifications - even if it's just cleaning. On the other hand, we don't have the same kind of fees - so the student loan issue is close to nonexistent. But it does mean that it's getting hard to find good tradesmen. The past decade has seen a stronger stress on trying to direct children back towards the trades. But then, the problem is they succeeded rather too well in convincing the current generation of parents that that was a second rate choice.
--- End quote ---
Message string above edited for brevity by me
Perhaps you're also from the Netherlands, but that's exactly the issue here as well. About 5 years ago or so, it was again vocalized by the Dutch government as one of their main goals to have 80% (it may have been even higher) of the population have at least a college degree, somehow implying that the college graduation rate is a main measure of a country's success.
And yes, the past decades have really led to both parents and children being convinced that not going to college basically meant wasting your life and tossing any chance of success out the window.
Of course this has inevitably led to a shortage of good people in trades (and way too many people with business degrees) and a resulting slow but steady increase in appreciation for those trades. Unfortunately this doesn't yet mean more people end up in those fields. After all, everybody wants tradespeople (e.g. good plumbers), yet they all want other people to do it. Presumably this won't change until the shortage leads to skyrocketing service fees. After all, there is no better incentive to choose a profession than the prospect of good money!
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Just south of there ;)
It's not just plumbers; it's butchers, carpenters, anything, really. Mind, a lot is being picked up by workers from the East (stereotypically Polish and Romanians), and by migrants of all sorts.
There's also the fact, that there are quite a few people around, that are simply not happy doing the kind of work they have a degree for. Pressure towards higher education is not always a good thing. I mean, yes, democratising higher education is good - anyone who wants, and deserves the opportunity, should be able to take it. The problem is, though, that from leveling the field socio-economically, they've gone to seeing it as a general requirement, almost.
Mind, I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity to go and pursue an education, and a degree - and that should be affordable, as it still is, in our little nook of the world. It's just that, valuable as it might be as an experience, it's not for everyone, and it most certainly is not the only way to happiness.
--- End quote ---
Plus there is now a sort of social stigma when it comes to not having a college-degree, almost as if people feel they need a college degree as to not be seen as 'inferior'.
Cornelius:
--- Quote from: dutchrvl on 27 Aug 2018, 07:00 ---
--- Quote from: bhtooefr on 27 Aug 2018, 06:11 ---Marten did have some connections, though, IIRC - granted, through the person who got fired from the job that he got, but still.
--- End quote ---
Well, yes, but she didn't really get him the job or even introduced, she merely pointed out that the library might be hiring.
That's akin to me telling my friend I saw a certain job posting.
Granted, perhaps she could've introduced or recommended Marten to Tai, but usually getting referred by the person who got fired from the same job is not a good way to start your jobhunt...
--- End quote ---
Well, seems like recognising iambic pentameter was enough for him to get the job. It doesn't look like Tai knew him.
dutchrvl:
--- Quote from: Cornelius on 27 Aug 2018, 07:11 ---
--- Quote from: dutchrvl on 27 Aug 2018, 07:00 ---
--- Quote from: bhtooefr on 27 Aug 2018, 06:11 ---Marten did have some connections, though, IIRC - granted, through the person who got fired from the job that he got, but still.
--- End quote ---
Well, yes, but she didn't really get him the job or even introduced, she merely pointed out that the library might be hiring.
That's akin to me telling my friend I saw a certain job posting.
Granted, perhaps she could've introduced or recommended Marten to Tai, but usually getting referred by the person who got fired from the same job is not a good way to start your jobhunt...
--- End quote ---
Well, seems like recognising iambic pentameter was enough for him to get the job. It doesn't look like Tai knew him.
--- End quote ---
Yup, see also my earlier post.
I meant she could've introduced him, but never actually did. So Claire's assertion that a 'friend in the building' somehow helped him get the job is unfair towards Marten.
Yes, Tai/SMIF may have had an unorthodox hiring practice, but Marten did pass the initial test by recognizing iambic pentameter, which extremely few people would probably be capable of. Regardless of his qualifications on paper, he clearly showed a certain skill that they were looking for, so imo he justifiably got the job. He didn't lie, didn't overstate his qualifications, didn't mislead Tai or anything to that extent; he applied, passed the test/'interview' and therefore got hired.
Whether the hiring criteria were proper ones you would expect for that position is another question altogether.
Re-reading the comic, I actually have more and more issues with Claire's arguments. She also states that Marten was "objectively unqualified". Objectively? Sounds more like subjectively according to Claire......
Let's not forget that Marten was not actually hired as a librarian. In fact, from what we have seen his job does not seem to involve any particular skills/knowledge that he would be objectively not be qualified for. It does not appear to be a position you'd need a library degree or similar to.
OldGoat:
If Gus Augustus was as much of the sort of asshole Clinton describes, dream crushing is quite frequently part of their standard script. Claire's likely heard "You'll never be able to ...." plenty of times, quite possibly along with some outright hostility around gender identity.
Note also that she's pulled off a pretty much flawless gender transition - no one she's met in strip so far has had a clue she used to be a boy unless she's told them. To some trans people that's an accomplishment of a lifetime. Claire's come up hard against the realization that getting the job she wants could be even more difficult.
She is, of course, putting unreasonable expectation upon herself, and compounding two issues into one. Unless she completely freezes up, the chances of her failing her final exam are nil. She may not ace it, but she'll pass and do well (unless she psyches herself into failure). Getting hired is another goal and her GPA will only be a tie breaker if she's neck and neck with another candidate.
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