Soap Box

So in 6 days I'll have been at the Record Courier for 2 months! I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by. I didn't realize how large and diverse the paper is. The Record Courier is our daily paper covering Portage County, but there are also 10 weekly papers in 3 zones that go out across Portage & Summit Counties. The North Zone is Northfield, Twinsburg, Macedonia & Sagamore Hills. The Central Zone is Aurora, Streetsboro, Mantua & Hudson. The South Zone is Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge & Hudson... Hudson gets two papers. We also have our on-line edition, recordpub.com.

I work in the Classified department so I place ads like "Found Bike-Dog-Cat-Log Splitter on Pioneer Trail in Mantua 5-12-11 call 330-444-3932 to claim." Not really joking about the log splitter either! Oh and just FYI if you do find a lost animal, we put the ad in for free for ya :) But if you've lost an animal, please, please stop crying before you call me. I get paid on commission and listening to you sob for 15 minutes really cuts my productivity down. I feel for you, I do, but get a GRIP!

I also put in free bee ads. It's for 1 item between $10 and $99, so "Green leather sofa, Good Condition, $75. 330-987-3763." Let me tell you, it's been really tough not to call on some of this stuff! There was a wrought iron bakers/wine rack that I WANTED but I just didn't have the extra $99. The thing about free bee ads is because they are free to put in, we don't take them over the phone- only via e-mail, mail or if someone stops in and writes it down- it's so we can enter the free ads at our leisure after we're done putting in the paid ads. Generally after our 3pm deadlines. People just do not grasp the concept. Dumb Customer "I'd like to place an ad, but I need you to tell me how much it will be." Me: "Ok, what kind of ad?" Dumb dumb "A free bee." Me: after a pause..."It's free..." Dummy "Ohhhh haha." Me: "Yeah, they weren't kidding when they called them 'free bee's'."
Pretty much anything people want to sell or buy, I place ads for. Along with the ever lovin garage sale ads. I also do apartment/house rentals and sales. So pretty much if anything (legal) is changing hands in Portage County, I've got a bead on it.

I also place service ads. For plumbers, landscapers, babysitters, electricians, painters... you name it. These people faithfully run their ads, sometimes every day all year round. The amount of money they spend is astounding. I can honestly say, in our department, it's not the Doctors and Lawyers that bring in the money, it's the Painter who runs his ad every day in the Record Courier. I've already established rapport with faceless people who I speak with weekly. I'm rarely Erin but often "Honey, dear, darling, sweetie, sugar..." I guess they could be calling me worse :)

I also place Employment ads. All help wanted ads that are in print also go online under the general Jobs tab on recordpub.com, my job is to get the customer to not only run the ad in print, but to also put the ad in a preferred position online.

So if you're looking for something, be it a product or a service or a job- let me know! If I find it for you, I wouldn't say no to a bottle of wine :)

And I can honestly say, from what I see on a daily basis, I think the economy is coming back. I place ads for people who are desperate to hire every day. Right now especially if a person has a Class A CDL, can weld, is a machinist/CNC/lathe operator, or is a nurse, STNA or HHA there is no reason not to have an amazing job. Those are the IN DEMAND jobs right now.

So when I was driving to Akron recently and saw all the bums with their cardboard signs I really just wanted to hand them the help wanted section of the paper and tell them to get off their asses and go to work. I had no sympathy. If you don't have a job right now, in my opinion, it's your own damn lazy ass fault. It may not be your dream job, but you could land a job.

This weekend I ran into two kids who grew up with my brother. While exchanging pleasantries, I asked what they were doing these days... they both told me the were working in factories- but they were both almost embarrassed by it. The one said it well though, "it's not my dream job, but it pays the bill and I have health insurance." I couldn't help but think of this video I'd seen of Mike Rowe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-udsIV4Hmc

It's 20 minutes long, but worth a watch if you have the time. I wish he'd run for president, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat after this video alone. But what he says makes sense. It's about how the problem with our country is no one wants to do the blue collar jobs anymore- so there's a deficit of welders and plumbers and pipe fitters- all occupations we need to keep this country rolling. It's not really our fault, it's our grandparents fault. They taught their kids, go to school, don't be a farmer like me. Then our parents, taught us, go to college, don't be a plumber like me, be a doctor or lawyer. Now we've got too many damn doctors and lawyers and not enough skilled tradesmen.

I have a college degree, but I could be making double what I'm making right now if I could weld or drive a truck. Shit. I just realized that. Now I'm kind of bitter. Here I was trying to make a point, but I am the point! I went to college and got a degree and "did what I was supposed to do." But if I would have had to learn a skilled trade, I'd be doing better than I am now.

In the video Mike talks about following your passion. In theory, thats great. But honestly, who is passionate about plumbing? Who is passionate about driving a cement truck (though when I was in kindergarten I wanted, more than anything, to be a cement truck driver) or working in a factory? If you're lucky enough to do what you love- that's just it, you're lucky. For the rest of us, the best we can ask for is a job we don't hate, one that gets us what we need to follow our passions; be it friends, family, vacations or simply a nice home, a good meal and a cold beer to come home to at the end of a long day.

Stepping off my soap box now...