Getting a Job vs Looking for One

 

   I was standing on the corner of 8th and 40th while I beg for some change and some dude passes me talkin' 'bout, "You way too young for this man, you need to find a job." 

I'm thinking, "Really?"

I was starting to get agitated. Mindful from my reaction, it was time to take a break because normally those comments don't bother me. Shrugging it off would've been better. Instead, I counter with, "Mind yo business! Let me be! You can't knock the hustle!"

I should've just stayed quiet because honestly, who the fuck was he to be criticizing-- who the fuck cares? 

After the 2nd person making the comment, "You really need to get a job," I decided to stop. I made enough for the day anyway. I don't need much. What I need is for people to stop judging a book by its cover. 

To the two dudes who made their comment: 

It's ironic how you were both wearing contrasting colors but weren't there for each other to actually agree on something:

That I need a job. 

There's a huge difference between getting a job and looking for a job. I'm here to explain how:

• Getting a Job
• When we're getting a job, it usually confirms we've made it past the preliminary stages. We've demonstrated our worth into actually being considered for whatever position it is we applied for, we're about to: 
• Sign our tax forms, 
• Receive our uniforms (if they exist), 
• Change our schedules
• Looking for a Job
• This would be considered the nitty gritty of looking to make money through a work. When we're looking for a job: 
• Expect to be filling out resumes and to be reaching out to employers
• Expect to be walking around the city while applying at different establishments
• Expect to be setting up interviews with potential employers. 

Wanna know what getting a job and looking for a job have in common? 

We're still going to be wondering whether or not we're still going to have this fucking job!

If you're a homeless person...

    New World School of the Arts-- ever heard of that school? I attended the college program for three quarters of an academic year. One thing I could tell people is they give their students premium access to what the New York-State-of-Mind entails.

In New York City, it's a cut-throat environment. It's quick, it's a densely populated area, there's no room for nonsense here. Employers never disregard how easily disposable their employees are because for every person thinking they are highly skilled in their area, there are about 10 more waiting in line with the same attitude. New York is a place I do not play around in because that's just what school has taught me-- it's not a fucking playground so i don't know why people are out here playing with their money as if it grows on trees or something. 

In Miami, people think their city is quick-- it's really not. Miami feels like a town where people retire, sit back, and relax at any point of their week. The only downside would be how lost people are in Miami if they don't have money. (If you're not rich, chances are...you're lost as fuck in Miami. Trust me, I know cause I'm broke-- I still don't understand what is so hard about fixing this problem with homelessness.) The key philosophy there is, "We dress up for the kind of job we like. We conduct ourselves in the way we want to be treated in 10 years." 

These might be the same people who look in the mirror and complain about their weight gain when they don't do anything for the weight loss. 

These might be the same people who complain about how much money they don't have when all they need to do is learn the concept of saving.

At the end of it all, there's nothing different between both cities, though. It's a universal code of ignorance amongst us all to believe looking for and getting a job will solve all the problems regarding homelessness. 

    It didn't matter to look for a job up until now due to being on a 30-day transitional period at the shelter. It was a transitional shelter. They explain it to us at the very beginning, "You're going to be placed in a transitional shelter for 30 days and then after that, you will be transferred to a permanent shelter."

Knowing nothing about the state of New York, why would I apply for a job in Brooklyn knowing I could be transferred to another part of the city? To another borough or something? Knowing nothing about the state of New York, wouldn't it be smart for me to spend the next 30 days adjusting to the size of the city, learn where I could and could not work, so that I could be equipped with the knowledge and information to thrive here? 

I've read stories about people who find shelter, get a job, and then face the hassle of adjusting to their transfer to a permanent shelter because it is outside of their area. It turns out not being worth looking for a job in the first place since that person runs the risk of being late to work and being terminated for attendance. 

These are just the things I think about! 

There's a big problem because people who know nothing about homelessness think providing us with jobs is going to solve the problem. They think it's going to mitigate everything: the immigration crisis, the real estate crisis, the epidemic with drugs...

It's really not. It's time we started considering other options and really starting a dialogue about this issue. 

It's not merely about my story. It's about the people who don't even stand a chance. I could care less! I could do this for a living but at some point, I'm going to want to stop writing about the same damn issue. People are going to want to read something different. 

So what do ya'll want to do about it?