Evil Congressional Bastards!

[MichaeltheGreat]

Shi - I'd say (from an employer's perspective) that most of the externalities for UI are private sector benefits, not any change in public policies or a push for specific public policies.

For example, the lowest paid person where I work makes 42 grand a year. Most of the people make more than double that, and have fairly good leverage in the job market. They don't expect to be unemployed at all, or for very long, but the presence of UI benefits reduces the demands they would likely make for severance packages, etc. High turnover, low value employees have no leverage, but a lot of higher level employees do, especially during economic booms when there are acute shortages of qualified specialized employees.

Most of our employees, what we pay them per day exceeds the annual UI cost, so any pressure for severance packages or wages is going to cost more than UI would.

Outside the immediate employer-employee nexus, you have a lot of indirect benefit in keeping people financially at least somewhat solvent between jobs - decreased delinquency and default rates with creditors, for the main category. Again, for $320 per body per year, it's cheap compared to the alternatives.

[chequita guevara]

I'm gonna say, this should now be titles, Evil House Republican Bastards. Senate Republicans supported the senate version of the bill, and House Democrats tried to get the House to pass a similar version.

But they could vote themselves a pay raise.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
Not to change the subject, but...

Chegitz - do you do mostly graphics work, layout & design, or web programming?

I won't have anything until January (between funding and getting design specs and blurbage), but I should have some web work I need done then if you're still looking.

Mostly graphics, layout and desgin. Though I'm currently teaching myself JSP.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by NeOmega
A web graphics designer?
Time to get yourself a job at Safeway. The Chevron Station was a fun job too. There are way too many web graphics designers out there.

Again, this is one of those things you learn on the way up. Once you reach a certain level in your career, it's very hard to get a job that is "beneath you," so to speak. If I go into Publix or Winn-Dixie, they will look at my job application and say,

"Hmmm, all of the positions you have here are web design positions. You know this is a stock boy position, don't you? We can't come close to matching your previous pay rate. I'd like to help you, but you won't be happy here. How long will you be here? Until you find a better job?"

I've already had that discussion a few months back.

[MichaeltheGreat]

That's one side of it. From the employer's perspective, you know somebody overqualified and underpaid will be looking for a job constantly, and you know that you're going to have to replace them quickly. Plus you expect the motivation to perform is going to be less.

The flip side is that once you take lower level jobs like that, you have a real dilemna for your resume - if you're stuck in a job like that for a significant amount of time, putting it on your resume is just a killer for salary negotiation and even hurts your employability, but if you leave a time gap in there, or slide employment dates around, you may run into problems with verification.

Chegitz - hint: learn ASP.net

[Jack_www]

Chegitz I hope you can find a job soon in your field. Right now I am still in school and working towards a B.S. in Computer Science. I tried to find a job in computer science, and could not find any there, so I kind know how it is. I though was able to get a job tutoring math, since I have to take a lots of math for my degree. Maybe you can do something like that. Just trying to help. At least I am still in school and can wait out this economic ression. All the jobs I can see in the adds is for costumer service realated field, or edcuation.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
Chegitz - hint: learn ASP.net

Send me a book.

[Jack_www]

I know too that if your in anthing to do with web sites, you should learn C#, I have heard that Microsoft is expected to take half the market from Java and Sun.

[chequita guevara]

Asher says C# is pretty lousy. I wonder what Seneca things. Heck, I don't even know C, right now, though I could learn. Time to dig out the ol' Programming in ANCI C.

[Jack_www]

C# is basicly java, but microsoft added a lot of stuff to it to make it easier to make websites, they stole most of it from Java and changed some things to avoid lawsuits. I have heard too that it executes faster then Java.
And even if it does suck Microsoft will try and take as much of the market as they can from Sun and Java.

[Odin]

Quit threadjacking Che.

[MichaeltheGreat]

I'm not a big fan of C/C++ any more, since all my coding work is windows platform based. C++ is a royal pain in the ass for doing custom components, and there's enough extensibility of VB (particularly with VB .net) that it's fully capable for serious development work without any real drawbacks.

C#'s real problem is not that it sucks, it's that it's different enough to annoy C++ purists, and both close enough to Java, yet different enough, to annoy Java purists (not to mention it's an M$ product.) I'm betting more of the marketplace will swing to C#, but I don't see enough advantage to it (or Java), to have either one supplant VB .net as our development platform of choice.

Chegitz - PO me a shipping address. I might not get to order it until next Monday, though - I've got a payroll to make, plus Ian's birthday.

A better bet on C (IMO) is Jamsa's C/C++/C# Bible.

There's a lot of C programmers out there in the market - I'm always more inclined to jump on new technology than old, and you have to get a lot of C background to really move into C++ and C#.

VB has the advantage of being much easier to learn, and there's enough third-party tools and toys out there (particularly desaware's stuff) that makes it completely extensible for doing anything in the windows environment, which is just flat out dominant in the business world.

I spent a good part of this year evaluating whether to go the platform independent/Java route, or straight C++, C# or VB, and settled on VB .net as being the fastest and easiest development environment. About the only non-M$ holdout product we're using is MySQL for some of our 2nd server tier boxes.

[Asher]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Asher says C# is pretty lousy. I wonder what Seneca things. Heck, I don't even know C, right now, though I could learn. Time to dig out the ol' Programming in ANCI C.

When did I say C# is lousy?

From what I've read about it, and from my limited experience with it, it's great. Kicks Java's ass, anyway.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by David Floyd

How about instead you just find one person who needs help, and send them money until they get back on their feet? All nice and voluntary.

Absolutely. I've helped out three friends this year who have had problems making ends meet due to unemployment etc. I'm not rich, but I still have my job and I think it's well worth investing in these people. I get a lot more from this personally than if I just paid a tax, and my friends take this money a lot more seriously than if it were an entitlement.

[Starchild]

I'm finding it difficult to even get a part-time job here in England. Everyone's got all their xmas staff already and no one wants me as a simple stock-boy when they hear that my last job had me opening the store, working unattended, and then closing at night.

I'm getting my first bitter taste of overqualification. Fortunately, living at home and working at my uncle's business for cash in hand payments keeps me in enough beer not to worry about life too much.