Blogtown, PDX

Friday, August 24, 2007

Portland Still Asking: What’s the Point of Portland?

Posted by Amy J. Ruiz on Fri, Aug 24 at 2:08 PM

Sometimes blog posts never die. Matt’s post from Monday, asking what the point of Portland is, is still carrying on a raging debate. Including this morning’s comment:

The other day at a party a friend’s buddy, whom I just met, pulled me aside and said, “I heard you work at a graphic design firm; I’m really intrigued by that line of work. I’d be really good at it, if you ever hear of any openings. But I don’t want to work with any clients that I don’t believe in. Like, the clients have to be really ethical — hopefully sustainable and green. And I want to be able to have a personal life. Like, I don’t want to work weekends or late nights. And I have to respect everybody I work with. So, let me know if you hear of anything.”
All noble requests, I guess. But when you have thousands of people expressing — scratch that, they’re demanding — the same dreams, you might not find a good job market. Why? Companies generally like to hire people that are hungry: people who feel lucky to have a job. Portland is about work-life balance, with life often winning out over work. That can work fine in a socialist country, but we’re not one.

If we want jobs, we’ll have to collectively change our attitudes about work and our relationships with employers. Otherwise, we’ll continue to be a city comprised mainly of small businesses (that often get acquired) and government jobs. Cities with many jobs, like NYC, have many people working 12-hour days, six days per week. Could you envision that for Portland?

The conversation’s happening here, if you want to catch up and join.

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Comments

Hilarious!
First off, this person just thinks he/she "would be good at it" but has no degree in that field in (of all places) PORTLAND, where the graphic design job pool is saturated with talented, educated candidates. Haha!

Secondly, uh yeah. Good luck (with your non-experience and non-degree) getting that work that only fits your views, where you do the work only YOU want to (because YOU are right and to heck with the client), respecting EVERYBODY you work with, and not putting in extra time because it doesn't "fit in" with your social life.

Um...yeah. Best of luck!

Posted by employedgraphicdesigner | August 24, 2007 3:05 PM

Oh, wait!
I just realized this person wants to work HERE!! At the Mercury and has all those requests!!!
ROFLMAO!! Even more hilarious!!

Posted by employedgraphicdesigner | August 24, 2007 3:12 PM

I want a job where I don't have to show up or actually do any work and I can go hang out at coffee houses or lay in bed or go shopping or drink all day and get paid for it. Oh yeah, I want full medical benefits and vacations too. Please, let ME know if you here of any openings.

Posted by threebs | August 24, 2007 3:49 PM

How about if you've worked your ass off for ten years on very high-profile projects, have extensive experience as an administrator, copywriter, fundraiser, et cetera, et cetera, never take vacations, are willing to work overtime, weekends, and nights and after months of looking you STILL can't find a job? Even making sandwiches? 'Cause that's where I'm at.

Posted by Grant Cogswell | August 24, 2007 4:04 PM

This strikes a chord. I hired people who cried when I got pissed because they would not empty the trash.... they wanted the cool gallery job but I guess having a degree meant they did not have to do things like that. It isn't called work fer nothing.

Posted by adam | August 25, 2007 8:20 AM

Hey cool gallery boss adam, the person crying is the janitor you're too cheap to hire.

Posted by gerry | August 27, 2007 6:01 PM

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