The World Needs Ditch Diggers Too: Nope! Welcome to the land of entitlement.

BLOG UPDATE:  The “Occupy” movement is getting violent.

So as I pay more attention to the 99%, which I apparently am a part of, I have noticed some of the attention given to the rising total of student loan debt. Since when did everyone need to go to a four year plus university? Why does everyone have to be a doctor or lawyer? What makes all these people spending trillions of dollars collectively that they don’t have on possibly a pipe dream they will never have? Then they enter a work place that is short on supply with a four year degree and a 40-50K debt coming due.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT ENCLUDING ALL STUDENT LOAN RECIEPENTS IN THIS OK.  A $ 4 TRILLION DEBT HOWEVER, REALLY!? HAS EVERYONE THAT HAS GONE DOWN THAT PATH MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE?

We have a problem in this country we have undervalued the ditch digger. I am not using “ditch digger” in the negative at all, but more to sum up the blue collar job.  The blue collar job is dying, because we have given it a negative connotation. Tech jobs are the “way” of the future. We can’t find people to pick fruit, landscape, clean hotel rooms. These jobs are below the American standard so much to the point that we have an influx of immigrant, some illegal, to fill the void of our poor poor 99% that won’t go swing a hammer. Then we complain about the issues associated with these immigrants. I offer this, how about we put our 8-9% unemployed to work at these jobs. People would be back to work and illegal immigration would slow because there would be no jobs for them. Trust me they come here to work. But now Americans don’t want to do those jobs. Americans all want six digit salaries and all the bling that goes with it, can’t do that picking fruit. Welcome to the land of entitlement!

“I deserve …..”, you fill in the blanks. In America you can be whatever you want, but you may have to be what your skill set and circumstances allow you to be. That hurts to hear huh? The world needs ditch diggers too. I am in total awe of people that can dig ditches, construct buildings, do electrical work, do plumbing, lay tile, and can fix a car. I cannot do any of that. But guess what I cannot be a doctor or lawyer either! Thank God I found my place in public service. My skill set and circumstances, plus hard work, led me to where I am. I will never break the bank or have all the bling, but I can put food on the table and put clothes on my kids back.

Nowhere does it say that we as Americans are entitled to have a big house or fancy cars. Your life may lead you to a small apartment, a used car, and basic cable. Here’s the shocker that’s o.k.!!! It is not a life less lived. You can find happiness without material things and debt. You can be happy working a room service job living within your means. Don’t like it work harder find a second job. Find out where your skill set can take you, but remember it may not be the top, and that is O.K.

Take an honest evaluation of yourselves people there is no golden yearly salary that equals success and happiness. Also next time you enncounter someone doing a job you may have once thought below you, show them you appreciate what they do. Maybe we could change the ditch digger quote to, “The world needs a supporting cast too”