I dropped by a career fair local to where I live in SoCal yesterday just to see what was out there for the sake of the blog.  
  • Prep/line cook at a Vietnamese restaurant.
I told them that I could supply cats in large numbers but I had no experience cooking them. The owner looked interested and told me to leave my name and phone number, which I did. 
  • Massage Therapist 
A Korean massage chain was hiring. I don’t know whether it was a rub and tug job or whether they were giving actual massages. I asked the lady whether or not I would be expected to deliver happy endings. She smiled enigmatically, but didn’t answer my question. I didn’t leave my phone number.
  •  US Army
The Army has no employment opportunities for a sixty-year old former Naval Officer and specwar operator/pensioner who wants to get back into the game. I explained that I still had all of my own teeth. Still no go.
  • Store Protection Specialist
Ross, a clothing store, are looking for someone to stop theft problems at Christmas in the barrio. They are willing to pay minimum wage for this service. I showed retired ID and asked if I had the ‘green light‘ to take out thieves. They didn’t ask for my resume. I’m sure that the person that they hire will be on par with minimum wage.
  • Uber Driver
I have a valid driver’s license without restriction but don’t want drunks barfing in my personal car. I took a pass. I’d rather call for an Uber than be an Uber driver.
  •  Diesel Mechanic
I could qualify if I was a diesel mechanic and if I had my own tools. Unfortunately I’ve never worked on a diesel engine. I told the employer that I was willing to learn. He took a pass. I couldn’t blame him.
  • Night Manager – Denny’s
Denny’s was looking for a night manager (part time/no ObamaCare) to work the graveyard shift. I happen to know that Denny’s is a rough place after drinking hours because it’s down the street from a popular biker bar. I let my Pendleton shirt slip open a bit and the grips of the Rugged Super Redhawk Alaskan show. He asked, “are you licensed to carry that?” I said that I was. He offered me $10 per hour. Generous, but I passed. He upped it to $15 without breaking a beat as I walked away. 
That’s about it. There were a few more tables. Nothing in manufacturing, nobody’s hiring people to make anything. The wages are low (I don’t know what they were willing to pay a diesel mechanic), and Southern California is a very expensive place to live.  
Part of making America great again requires that manufacturing begin in the USA again in a big way. I know that President Trump knows that. The problem is making it happen when everything on the shelves at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. are made in Chinese sweat shops.
In working on the building list for the White Wolf Mine project, I went in search of kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and specified that I didn’t want anything made in China. Well, friends, they don’t exist. There are different grades of Chinese fixtures, but it all comes from China.

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23 COMMENTS

  1. Since you have been In China as a consultant, what percentage of China products are made in factories owned by US firms, in your opinion?

    Seems to me Trump has an opportunity to hurt offshore companies that are, in fact, US owned. GE for an example. Make the pain enough for them to bring back the manufacturing jobs, and, pay taxes.

    Today they have the best of all scenarios. No US taxes but can lobby for US protection and get it.

  2. That's a difficult number. It's easier to count the WOFE (pronounced like "wolfie") – wholly owned foreign enterprises, but that doesn't tell the story because many companies are incorporated in Hong Kong and Americans own X% of stock. There are a lot of European companies in China too. I worked with Pirelli Tires (Italian Company) and they have two plants in China, for example. The tires that Pirelli makes there are not exported to the US. Most of their US exports come from plants in Brazil. Pirelli has a factory in Rome Georgia that makes speciality tires sold only in the US but it only accounts for a small percentage of its US tire sales.

    From this example, it's a complicated problem to try and get your arms around.

  3. I remember years and years ago my commie brother touting this as being the information age. I'm not a phi beta kappa, but even I knew that you can't eat information.

  4. "Part of making America great again requires that manufacturing begin in the USA again in a big way."

    Well said. Let's see how that goes, or I reckon we're looking at trouble.

  5. The mandatory raise in the minimum wage is moving McDonalds and other fast food chains to making ordering electronic to remove the worker. They just priced themselves out of jobs.

    My consulting work generally takes the form of "how do I manage to get rid of organized crime", or "I'm in deep trouble, help", or it's in the field of specialized technical innovation. I charge a lot of money for my time. But that's because I have a track record of doing that sort of thing. Young people starting out do not have the US that I started out in. They have the dregs of the ObamaNation, and it's a very different place with far less opportunity.

  7. Rub, tug and happy endings? Ha! And you didn't leave your number?!
    I've unlocked Uber VIP and thus require that only Aston Martins, jacked up pick ups and batmobiles pick me up in future. I think you'd be perfect as a high end Uber driver, LL.

  8. I didn't know that there was an Uber VIP. I'll have to check that out. I don't think that I ever called for an Uber before. Maybe if I'm picked up in an Aston Martin, it would be worth it.

  9. I feel sorry for the kids today. It just ain't what it used to be. Instead of college I tell young people to be plumbers, electricians, heavy equipment operators, pimps, etc.

  12. Giving hand-jobs to lonely men was one of the better opportunities that I didn't avail myself of.

    But I might get a call to supply cats…

  13. She misread the brochure. It's only available in LA, and you get picked up by Ashton Kutcher, not in an Aston Martin. Plus, he drives a Tesla these days, so there's some risk of a fatal car fire. I wouldn't do it.

  14. I would never offer or ride in an uber. Maybe if I lived in a city, I would understand how this is a good idea, but I don't.

    I didn't know any stores actually used anyone to deter shoplifters. I thought they were all worried about lawsuits or some such dumbness. When I worked at a box store, we were told to look the other way.

    Our son could do diesel mechanic work. He worked on the Paladin Gun system in the Army. But he doesn't have a cert, and 'doesn't want to be a mechanic all his life'. Tried to explain to him that it would just give him income while he learned something else; but I have a feeling it might be more related to his PTSD than he is willing to tell us about. And we don't push that.

    I thought minimum wage was $15 an hour in Cali. Didn't they up theirs like Seattle did?

    I thought Moen faucets and such were made in America. In New Bern, NC, for that matter. I guess I was misinformed.

    A very informative post, for the state of the nation – or at least Southern California. Thanks for the chuckles. ^_^

  15. You should open you own boot and advertise for people to start wars, end wars, guard big people, break things and light up a few people. But offer them $20/hr. You will have to pay to get good help.

  16. I looked into Moen and as I presently understand it, they shifted manufacturing overseas. That may not be the case. I will delve and will report if I'm wrong.

    Governor Jerry Brown signed a law raising the state's minimum wage to $15 by 2022. Specifically, the statewide minimum wage will increase from $10 an hour to $10.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2017, then up to $11 an hour on Jan. 1, 2018.

    Retailers are preparing now by eliminating what jobs they can and automating.

    The store detective job, as explained by the brochure, was sort of a PR job on the floor as well, and they expected the employee to lift boxes and stock shelves when they were not sleuthing.

  18. Most of those in the job market around these parts hustle jobs by word of mouth, or knowing someone that knows someone. Job fairs tend to be for the entry level kids.
    One of my grandsons had five good paying job offers before he had even graduated from diesel mech school. Those jobs typically start in the 48-58,000/yr range here (small town N Cal).

  22. That is too bad about Moen. I didn't know that.
    And yeah. That store detective job sounds about right from what was in the brochure. I didn't think they were serious about product loss.

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