Swickard: Working at getting and keeping jobs

© 2013 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. These are tough times on some American citizens. Jobs are harder to get for many Americans than they were a few years ago. The economy has turned somewhat sour. Yet, there are other Americans who find this the best of times. They are making money and building a business. Go figure. They have gone against the tide of everyone else and done well despite the market.
     In the midst of all the economic bad news some Americans are starting businesses that are thriving. They are taking a chance and working very hard. For some Americans they are hitting the jackpot. Yes, others may be slipping down the porcelain convenience. It is capitalism where those who satisfy the customers best usually do the best in business.
     That needs to be the American motto: you can still do well in America. And you can. There are important factors which include being business smart, working hard and having some luck. Does luck play a part? Yes, especially if you equate luck with smarts and hard work. There is a correlation but as my stats professor drummed into our minds, correlation does not infer causation.
     Advice is like lice, better to keep to oneself. But I must offer this advice to those who are unemployed and have been for an extended time. It seems to me I have spoken with a number of Americans in the last couple of years who seem to not know the game. What is the game? To get and keep a job there must be a fair trade between employer and employee. If either in this transaction are abused then something bad will happen to both.
     What makes and made capitalism so powerful is that it runs on satisfied customers. If either party in the transaction is not satisfied, it is not capitalism; rather, it is something else. Read full column

Swickard: Working at getting and keeping jobs