Why Don't the Unemployed In Detroit Get Jobs in Ann Arbor? They Lack the Skills
By Michael Barone, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Great interactive graphic from the New York Times showing December 2008 unemployment by county. Where is it highest? To the best of my mouse's ability to discern, the answer seems to be Imperial County, California (22.6 percent). This is the agricultural Coachella Valley, a majority-Hispanic area. Second highest, according to my mouse, is Baraga County, Michigan (20.6 percent), in the old mining country of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
One thing that's interesting is that next-door counties can have quite different unemployment levels. Wayne County, Michigan (11.7 percent) includes Detroit and only a few upscale suburbs; Oakland County, Michigan (8.6 percent) is more upscale suburban territory, Macomb County, Michigan (10.9 percent) somewhat less upscale, and Washtenaw County, Michigan (6.9 percent) is dominated by the university towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Why don't unemployed people in Detroit get jobs in Ann Arbor? Presumably because they don't have the skill levels required.
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Tags: Detroit | Michigan | unemployment
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so everyone lacks a skill? the people who live in ann arbor can't get jobs either! this isn't a detroit thing; honey it's nationwide.
Education not a panacea. Skills, grit, character matter a lot!
"13 Reasons Colleges Are in This Mess" is the lead story in the March 13 Chronice of Higher Education. "How greed, incompetence, and neglect led to bad decisions."
Among the 13 common mistakes: risky investments, lazy trustees, cheap credit, "bowed to boosters."
The Chronicle is a refreshing truth-teller! I treasure my subscription.... available to all.
Catherine, your spunk is great!
In truth, nobody ever asked my for my hard-won, painfully acquired BA in English from Smith College when I looked for low-level editorial work at the U. of Michigan circa 1970. Nobody told me all those pro-forma ads were for jobs already promised to insiders!
The only time I ever made much money was the entrepreneurial way. I founded, edited, and published the Ann Arbor Observer monthly from 1976-86 with my then-husband. Yes, writing skills were important.... I think I learned the most in high school.
But other factors in success were true grit in the school of life: thinking about which advertisers we could serve best, selling those ads, fussing over circulation, not being ashamed to deliver bundles of our publication from our old pickup truck (and having ink all up my inner arm in summer). It didn't hurt that my dad was a stubborn German, and I had to be, too.
Oh, yes.... our sweat equity came from our shared job as caretakers of the First Baptist Church. I cleaned toilets, mopped floors, etc. at the age of 32, with that Smith BA and a U-M MA. Our job made us free.... free from creditors, nonprofit boards, etc.
Education doesn't have to be expensive
If you are computer savvy and are on the internetyou can get an education ON THE CHEAP.
I have been laid off and I wanted to refresh my skills. I recently learned that with an E-mail account, the DOL of NYS here in Nassau County can provide me with the Quickbooks Program that I need to hone my skills on.
In today's Internet Age, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get an education. But don't tell that to the universities that make big bucks convincing people otherwise.
Truth be told, you are your best educator. And if you really have an intense desire to learn, you will learn because there are so many tools out there to help you to learn through the Internet.
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