Oh, yeah, it's hard to do. Those science classes are NOT easy. I'm not a nurse but I've taken science classes for my field.

It takes more then being able to read. There's studying every night, memorizing, understanding anatomy and physiology, advanced math, clinicals. I think they take chemistry too.

It's not easy, Madisonman. Like Michiganman said, "If it was easy, anyone could it." Not everyone can do it.

When it involves science, it's not even like a business class, advertising, or art.

I've been unemployed since March. My unemployment is almost out. Good news though, I've finished taking a Pharmacy Technician Course at the Community College and am scheduled to take the Cert Test mid January. Once I'm certified, there should be a job.

From the midwest "Indiana" here is the picture as I've seen develop in the last few years. I'm part-time, thift store. In the last two years vacancies had us advertising for part-time help.

A full 80% of the applicants were looking for a second job - to "maintain" their current lifestyle. Rather than cutting back, being thrifty,or furthering their education, they chose to work even more. Of course that wouldn't work for us, so anyone with another job was not reviewed.

Another 10% were retirees, who needed to supplement their retirement benefits, which inflation has rendered inadequit.

About 80%, or so, of our clients are regulars and about half of those are over the age of 65. A vast number of those people have had to move from homes they had spent their early years paying for and building up. They can no longer afford the simple maintenance of a home. They now live in apartments, many without elevators, and no garage for easy access to their vehicles. They can no longer grow their little vegetable gardens which offered supplemental and inexpensive good food alternatives for a winter. There simply is no room in an apartment for a freezer or for fresh canned goods, much less for the valued treasures of sentimentality,gathered through a lifetime. Now, instead of maintaining a home they spend just as much in other ways.

President Bush put into effect a law that disallowed social security to those who had pensions from other sources, if those pensions were greater than a given amount.

The teachers of the past have been forced to go back to work.

Today, our pharmacies, grocery stores, hardware stores, Walmart, Meijer and all the other big chains are paying seniors, who hold degrees, about minimum wage, to do jobs they are struggling to attend to.

Most don't complain too much; they are from another era. But still I see the sadness in their eyes for having lost all they struggeled to attain; including their dignity. The inheritance they had intended to leave thier children, grandchilred has been stolen.

These are not people who will benefit by getting certifications or furthering their educations, these are people who have forfeited their claim to retirement, because they beleieved in their government.

Unfortunately the faith they had in the governemnt left too much room for those who had power to corrupt it. Complacency can be a fault but the punishment seems distorted.

There is a moral, it begins with those who are able. Education and activism are the key words for OUR future, for the next generation. Certifications are only good till the next leven of certification is required or for as long at the technology of that certification lasts.

On a mass basis, there is no substitute for higher education.

Thank-you, I apologise if I was preaching!

A full 80% of the applicants were looking for a second job - to "maintain" their current lifestyle. Rather than cutting back, being thrifty,or furthering their education, they chose to work even more. Of course that wouldn't work for us, so anyone with another job was not reviewed.

Samara, You are absolutely correct, there is nothing at all wrong with hard work, and nothing wrong with wanting more from the effort. The problem, (I did not clearly define), is that so many people were oblivious as to WHY they suddenly needed to work more. Most were not wanting some special new toy, most of the applicants needed to supplement an income that "no longer" met their needs. In those cases, the p/t job was not going to be temporary. But their first thought was not to look to more education, but to accept more work. To me, this is a sign that our society is not promoting education or making readily available, as much as it is attempting to keep people in low wage jobs. The education system has attempted to meet the needs of adults, but the financial burden and the lack of cooperation in busness environments is prohibitive.


As for those who applied for the vacant p/t positions, were I work; we could not review the applicants with full time jobs because the nature of the p/t job requires the person be available to work 6 days a week any of the hours necessary to the job. There are only four of us, when fully staffed, this means we must depend on each person when someone is sick or has an emergency. It's just the nature of the job.

Unfortunately another part of the job requires stocking shelves and filling in for the warehouse position, that requires heavy lifting. Not suitable to the elderly either.

Sorry I didn't explain better.