Jobs

Thursday I had the opportunity to go to a BYU MBA alumni gathering near the temple here in Phoenix (Mesa). It was during lunch, so I packed up with a fellow employee (Thomas Whitaker - who happens to be a double-alumni with me - both BYU and Thunderbird) and we drove down. There were a few strange things I noticed. One is that most of the people were men - and by most I mean 95%. I guess this shouldn't have been too unexpected, as perhaps many of the BYU women were home with the hijos. The second thing was that people have the strangest jobs. Most of the people I have known in this life have normal jobs: engineers, managers, doctors, lawyers, etc. But as I get older and interview people for jobs, I realize that there are a TON of people out there that either have no idea what to do in their life or they are not fit to work a normal job.

I use the term "normal" loosely, as certainly this is from my perspective. At the luncheon there were guys who did odd jobs for the government, had companies that they couldn't even explain what they did, or just had jobs I've never heard of in industries I had no idea existed. As I thought about it, it made sense. We have billions of people, and they can't all possibly fit into the few jobs that are out there. So many times people have to make up jobs - or they make one up for themselves. I've even seen it done in large companies. You have someone you hired and realized they aren't really good at what they do. You like them, and don't want to fire them, so you "find" a job for them. Maybe they start auditing stuff, or track things, or organize something.

So when a real job comes up, it's no wonder there are millions of applicants. Of course, in my case it seems next to impossible to hire someone. I have two positions open - the perfect position! An entry level position for recent college grads to start out in the international department for a Fortune 500 company. But who do I get applying for this position? Airplane repairmen! Teachers! What are these college kids with no jobs doing???? If you know of anyone, let me know.

In the end, I am even more grateful for my job. What a great job it is. Do I make a million dollars? No. But that is probably a good thing. It is a very secure, fun, challenging, and interesting job. I manage fantastically talented people (probably much more talented than I), get to speak to people around the globe, and only work 37.5 hours per week. So how did I end up with such a great job and Mr. Fulano de Tal (John Doe in Brazil) is working as a salesperson for special water that will cure me of cancer? I'm not sure. My first inkling would be to say it is because of my wife. People meet her and they melt. She is nicknamed the 'moviestar' at work. How can a guy with her on his arm not have the confidence to do well? That confidence is going to show in every job interview, at every job, and during every task. If she thinks I am good enough to marry, then I must be pretty da#* good! The old saying that behind every great man is a great woman is so true.

So do you want a good job? Marry a smarty with a strong testimony, great mother tendencies, and a nice asset - er, figure.