Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Too Smart for the Factory

The folks on the floor figured it out while I was an operator. Jake's a smart boy. Now the folks in the machine shop and tool and die have figured it out. They've been asking what I used to do, what my education is, stuff like that. It always ends with a question phrased with almost the exact same words every time.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

3 comments:

X said...

So I suppose your answer would be "Just trying to make a damn living." Because, to be blunt, your education qualifies you for an entry level position in an overly saturated labor market.

Unknown said...

My education and experience only means something to people with neither who aren't in a position to hire or promote me.

X said...

Yep, it's easy to appear smart when those around you aren't. I had a Great Uncle who got a scholarship to the Univesity of Chicago during the depression. When he arrived at his dorm he greeted his new roommate at the door by telling him that he was highschool valedictorian. So the story goes, the roomate looked that Wisconsin farmboy up and down and leaned out into the hall and shouted "Who here was highschool valedictorian?". A head popped out of every door.