Skip to main content

Benched Again

I went to Employment Ontario last week in hopes of getting some help getting a job.
It's been several months since I was laid off from my very good government job, and things aren't looking any better for me, in spite of finally getting my degree after 40 plus years.
The Ontario government offers help for those of us on the D list by offering retraining and the assistance of somebody they call a "job coach". The way I figured it, any assistance would help.
One of the things the government offers is up to two years of assistance for people to go back to school to upgrade their skills or find a completely new "second career". I was assured that the fact I was 63 would not deter me from getting into retraining.
So I was pumped, and eagerly sat in on a seminar.
The first order of the day was to fill in a matrix to determine whether an applicant can qualify for assistance. The person has to get 16 points to qualify. I scored only 14.
My deficits included: having a university degree (0) and being a professional (0).
Apparently being a writer ranks right up there with being a lawyer or doctor or chartered accountant.
The job coach also showed me other major marks against me, and I began to get defensive.
"This says you were a policy analyst," she explained.
"Yeah, but I wasn't qualified for that job."
"What?"
"I can't work as a policy analyst because I don't have an economics degree."
"But you worked as a senior policy analyst in the federal government, correct?"
"Yes but I wasn't qualified, so they booted me out after my contract was over."
Huh.
"Okay, here it says you were president of a company."
"That's true, but it was my company, and I was clearly not qualified for being president of anything."
"And here it says you were Managing Editor of a number of medical publications."
I shook my head.
"But I wasn't qualified for that job, either."
"How is that?"
"In the private sector, they hire anybody who will work for 10 cents on the dollar. I had no training for that job, so I just winged it. You know, learning as you go."
"But you did that for five years."
"Exactly. I was one of those 'learning on the job' type person."
Huh.
"Okay, okay, but you are a writer, correct? That's a professional designation."
"But anybody can be a writer. My son only has high school and he's published eight books."
"Sorry, you get a zero."
"Okay, how about I write you a real resume which actually shows you how unqualified I am to do anything?"
"The Ministry is very specific. If you did those jobs, you are a professional. It says here on the matrix."

I left Employment Ontario feeling, for the first time, really bummed out.
I'm over qualified for retraining or skills upgrading, and I'm not qualified for any of the jobs I've done in my life.
What am I qualified for?
Eating, sleeping, dog and kid minding.
Thanks job coach.
Benched again.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ashley Simpson: Don't Let Her Die in Vain

  Six years ago, I was combing through my Facebook and I saw post from my cousin Julie Major. Her brother and his wife were frantically looking for their daughter Ashley who just days before had Facetimed her mom saying she was planning to return to her home in Niagara. Ashley never made it home. She was murdered in cold blood in her home in Salmon Arm then buried in a nearby field. It would be five and a half years before her body was located, and her boyfriend was charged with second degree murder.  Today, Ashley's urn has a sacred spot in her parents' home, and Derek Favell is in jail awaiting trial by judge and jury. The trial is expected to go into next year sometime. This has been an agonizing journey for Ashley's friends and family. The pain has never stopped, and the wounds are broken open every time the family has to sit through a series of pre-trial proceedings. Fortunately, this ordeal will end but the pain will never wane for the people, including me, who have b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ashley Simpson: A Father Remembers

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a  head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in.   That'...
9 comments
Read more

What Bell isn't telling you about Fibe TV

Update: This week, we switched back to Rogers after spending far too long using Bell's crappy television service. For those with Bell, read and weep. For those considering Bell, think twice even if you hate Rogers. RS I've always been an early technology adapter. I had a Betamax. That tells you everything (if you're over 50 at least). My first computer was a "Portable". It weighed 40 pounds and I had to lug it around town on a gurney. I've been through probably 15 computers in my lifetime. Apple is the best. It's also too expensive so I have a piece of shit HP, the one I'm writing this blog on. I've had cable, internet and now Netflix. American Netflix . That's how far ahead of the curve I am. I get all the newspapers for free. How? I disabled my cookies so they can't track me when I'm on the newspaper sites. Even the New York Times hasn't cottoned on to that trick. Hahaha. That will be a fifty buck consulting fee. Bein...
38 comments
Read more