Can we stop acting like everyone has an equal capability to become well off?

[DeluluTaylor]

Based on the pension thread but not about OP. All this ‘why do people spend their whole lives on MW’ is so woefully ignorant. Some people don’t have a choice.
Neurodiversity
confidence
childcare availability
institutional racism
learning disabilities
trauma and it’s impact
Lifelong insecure housing
Being able to speak English but not write it
So many, many reasons why it is difficult to climb up the ladder. I’ve never been able to as I don’t have the right skills for management. But the world needs more worker bees than managers!
Who do they think should do these jobs?

Sorry but how does knowing about the
Saxons help the average person get a job learning skills like cooking and woodwork make more sense to me l must have learnt about the Saxons I think I remember they had blonde hair try and shops or was there some important lesson about them I should have remebered

Nothing wrong about know about our own history and heritage.

Sorry should say blonde hair and ships

Education and training arent the same thing. Philistine thinking.

Having knowledge of the world is a good thing

Well what did they do please that would help me get a job I've never thought about them since I left school

There are a lot more useful things you could learn

Because some people like learning about history, and it can lead to a career. Museum based, or a teacher. Consultants for TV/film. Authors. That is off the top of my head. School is teaching the basics, but also planting seeds for other things too.
I have a friend who is a history teacher, and she loves it.

Education. Isn’t. Just. To. Help. You. Get. A. Job

The world of work has been hollowed out. There used to be so much more scope and room for all sorts of skill levels and entry level opportunities, with council housing taking the sting out of having a lower paid job. All thrown on the bonfire of maximising shareholder value.

Yep.

According to the PP, why do they even teach drama in schools? That is not essential. Oh wait... then we would have no actors, no entertainment, and all the jobs created around that.

@NeedAnyHelpWithThatPaperBag yup! They estimated that in the 19/20th century something like 70% of people with learning disabilities were employed, now it’s less than 10%. Employers are less flexible, less open minded and more judgemental. These people didnt just do simple work either, many did skilled work which gave them confidence and purpose.

I know someone with LD who has been a shelf stacker for a very long time. Then a new boss came and said she had to work tills.... she lasted about 10 minutes. She can not comprehend numbers and cash. But ask her where a specific item is, and she is a whizz.

There are no shelf stacker jobs anymore. People working in supermarkets have to know how to do everything.. shelves, stock, tills, back room etc.

@XenoBitchyes it’s really unfair. Not only that but people in trades have to be salespeople, retail assistants have to be health and safety officers, lifeguards have to have safeguarding training. I’m not saying it’s not progress but it’s cutting out so many people who don’t necessarily have those skills. Like my example of the band 4 nhs admin who have to do supervision, it’s bonkers we can’t adapt roles more for people.

One of the biggest barriers to highly paid work is intellect. Intellectual abilities are not a level playing field. Yes potential rocket scientists may be working as cleaners but potential cleaners are not working as rocket scientists.
Society needs all kinds of people. It’s ok to work in a minimum paid job and it’s ok to always do that.
The idea that hard work = success is the American Dream Fallacy, which in turn leads to the truism that if you are poor or unfortunate then you’ve not worked hard enough. This leads to social ills and as we can see a hugely disenfranchised people and a whole swathe of successful people who don’t feel that they should support others. Nothing good comes from this system.

Sorry haven't rtft but a very significant part of this I believe is an individuals ability to cope with stress. I had a good education and when I look at my peers who graduated with me the biggest difference between those who were most successful and those that didn't progress or left the field altogether was this. I left and am a much happier person for it. I know someone who neared breakdown and realised almost too late that this was not the right path for them, now works lower management and is thriving.

Also lifestyle factors, some industries require you to live in a city. I have a friend who took a substantial pay cut to move to a large town, same industry but lower down the ladder. IMO they are the best example of success because they got everything they wanted from life. They have former colleagues who are still commuting and working crazy hours, making more money but living an unenviable life.

Some people need reasonable accommodations, while some people want to take the proverbial. The difficulty is that, when it comes to human nature, a minority will always try to exploit any system, and their behaviour can end up creating a negative perception of those with genuine needs.

People forget that accommodations don't just affect the employer. In many cases, colleagues are expected to adjust their workloads or work schedules to afford those accommodations. When those accommodations are perceived to be excessive or unfair, it can create resentment.

I agree with you. If you scratch even slightly at the surface, you'll soon find out that better off people often have had an advantage or two being handed over : inheritance, being able to live at parents for a long time to save money, family helping with uni fees, driving lessons, family providing some childcare, money gifts etc...

Absolutely. Sadly, many NMW jobs are not low stress at all and now have a lot of demands and responsibility in proportion to the pay. Not to mention the toll the physical jobs can take on someone's body, or having to deal with abuse from the public.

Reducing it all to "they had an advantage" is just as offensive as reducing it to "people are NMW because they didn't try hard enough".