Las nuevas alternativas laborales

Hoy escuchaba a un profesor dando cátedra sobre cómo debe ser un profesional al terminar la universidad;

“Una vez que salgas al mundo laboral, no te duermas ni flojees, tienes que buscar inmediatamente un trabajo para comenzar a lucrar y si no encuentras trabajo, acepta cualquier oportunidad ya que nunca sabes dónde te llevará”.

A primera vista parece del todo correcto, sin embargo, creo humildemente que mirándolo desde otra perspectiva, puedo decir que es absolutamente errado y fuera de tiempo.

En primer lugar, en el colegio siempre me inculcaron que había que ser abogado, ingeniero o médico, es más, gané la burla de mi curso al decir que quería dedicarme a las serpientes o ser empresario.
Hoy en día eso ha cambiado, muchos técnicos y emprendedores llegan más lejos que los clásicos y estereotipados “mateos”. Hoy gracias a las herramientas del emprendimiento, aquellos creativos e ingeniosos logran desarrollar por completo su talento sin represiones o burlas.

¿Quién dijo que buscar trabajo y ser empeñoso es una idea novedosa? Todo lo contrario, la opción de buscar trabajo la dejaría como última opción en el caso que todo lo demás falle.
Cuando uno sale de la universidad no tiene nada que perder, no hay hijos que alimentar o colegios que pagar. Uno no tiene mayores ambiciones, por lo que es precisamente ahí donde hay que arriesgar.

¿Arriesgar en qué? Hay muchos caminos al éxito pero creo que parte del éxito es ser una persona de mundo, una persona que ha visto otra realidad y sabe qué es lo que nos falta para mejorar. Hoy en día existen infinitas oportunidades para poder vivir fuera, aprender un idioma nuevo, conocer otras culturas, juntar dinero y volver con un portafolio enorme de experiencias que siempre en un trabajo se valorarán.

El discurso de este profesor creo que sería adecuado 40 años atrás, donde uno entraba y jubilaba en una empresa, donde existía una real estabilidad laboral. El mundo de hoy en día busca creativos, busca personas que pese a las burlas tienen ese anhelo de cumplir sueños y harán lo imposible por cumplirlos, busca personas que donde unos ven un problema, ellos ven un negocio. Hoy antes de los 30, uno ya ha pasado por varias empresas cumpliendo jornadas interminables.
Estoy convencido de que la palabra adecuada para decirle a un alumno no es “busca trabajo”, sino que es “inventa un trabajo”.
Con este pequeño cambio, hoy serían muchos los que cumplen sus sueños y crearían su propio mundo laboral con sus propios horarios, sus propias reglas y disfrutando cada logro. Serían muchos los que crecen fruto del propio esfuerzo y conocen el real valor de la palabra subcontratación.

Todo aquel que es profesor debería de incentivar clase a clase a sus alumnos indicándoles como alternativa el camino del emprendimiento, de la innovación, de la creación, y jamás cegarlos o asustarlos con términos de que “el mundo es muy competitivo”, “agarra lo que venga”. Que el buscar trabajo sea una opción, pero jamás el único camino.

Do I get a turn?

I have recently read President Nicolás Maduro’s letter published on The New York Times, as well as Julio Borges’ answer and that of Professor John Peeler.

Since The New York Times has given those three parts the chance to be read, this Venezuelan ucevista, NOT part of the well-off, hopes to have the opportunity for their word to be read, too.

There are just so many lies and attempts to hide or mislead the truth in Nicolás Maduro’s letter that I’m not really sure if I should take time to respond to all of them. But there are definitely some important points Mr. Maduro and Mr. Peeler need to learn about:

1.- Education in Venezuela, Mr. Maduro, has been “free to our citizens nationwide” since 1870, when Antonio Guzmán Blanco promulgated a historic public instruction decree. Several users of Twitter have told you that already, right after your letter was published. Public hospitals have also existed in this country for a really long time. The problem is that there are not the resources needed: doctors, medicines or basic health care materials.

And this has been going on for ever, too. It is true that Hugo Chávez did some attempts to improve that, and he succeeded in some cases, but the problem has not been solved. Instead, it worsens every day, particularly during your rule, Mr. President. Let’s just not go into theories and set apart the matter of the creation of a parallel health system (Barrio Adentro, which is also failing) instead of taking actions to boost the existing one. That would be your talk to specialists, not to me.

Back to my point here: this is NOT a record for the “socialist” movement to cite. Find something else.

2.- Let me help you a little on that (I’m talking to Maduro, Mr. Peeler and every reader in general here): I agree with the idea that some of the so called “socialist” policies carried out by Maduro’s “father” Hugo Chávez and his government have improved the life of some of the poorest. I live in a really depressed zone in Venezuela (which I am not revealing here because, by the way, and I am sorry to break the helping paragraph with this, I fear for my security, since pro-government “colectivos” have threatened journalists and entire families recently – http://caraotadigital.net/articledetail.asp?art=1893044, http://diariocontraste.com/es/asi-es-como-los-colectivos-amenazan-a-familias-opositoras/).

I can responsibly tell that very many buildings have been raised to bring people from their deplorable conditions in the slums to a better life. I have also seen the prices at government-run food stores and some other programs that deserve to be saluted. I would NEVER oppose to such practices. And most of the opposition militants think the same way. The thing is: there are serious shortages on those products too. And as the government can’t blame “the fascist right wing” on trying to distort the economy, they blame: the people! “Over purchasing”, they say. As a result, the world is watching (almost silently, by the way, Mr. President, unlike you state it in your comment on international media headlines) one of the richest countries on Earth going into a food rationing system. UN-believable! But sadly true. And that is the real reason for protests, not that the poor are having chances, but that they, as everybody else, have lost too much life quality since the start of the economic debacle in our country.

3.- Hence, I am not willing to remain in silence while the President of my country and an American supporter of Chávez accuse the non-chavista people of wanting to revert those achievements . How can you, Mr. Peeler, allow yourself to state that “most of the militant opposition to his (Maduro’s) government comes from the better-off parts of society and seeks to roll back many of these changes”? Do you really believe that? Wow! I am truly impressed, and not precisely in a positive way. Is that what you teach your students?! Allow me to recommend you to use the social networking a little bit more and see what is going in Venezuela nowadays. That would be a better way for you to have a more accurate idea of the reality behind the protests than just keeping the data that the government provides. Do you have any idea what it is like to spend a couple of hours every single day at a different supermarket or grocery store because you finally found coffee, butter, flour, cornmeal, poultry, beef, eggs, or any other basic food product, after a month of frustrated search? Just one at a time, eh? Don’t you think you’ll get all of those at once! No, you won’t! Have you tried to imagine what it feels like to go to a private clinic with your blood pressure at 16/10 (when yours is 11/7) and to be told “See that lady over there? She has just suffered an ictus, and she is still waiting to be taken care of. We are collapsed.” How about that? Did anyone let you know this is happening? Do you know why that happens? Because this is the reality at a hospital: http://www.elpropio.com/actualidad/sala-emergencias-Hospital-Perez-Carreno_0_484151618.html. You’re welcome.
True people, workers, mothers, students, grandpas in Venezuela are fed up with the government’s excuses. Again, a little bit more of help: http://diariodecaracas.com/dinero/acalorado-debate-en-el-metro-el-desabastecimiento-video?utm_content=bufferd8571&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer. That’s what you hear at the subway, at the supermarket, at the bus, at a public or a private company’s office or at the remains of the shopping centers whenever you try to get some goods or services. Believe me, none of the material I’m providing here has been edited. It is just that we so near collapse that we have this feeling of “this-might-be-the-last-time” we do whatever in this craziness.
Do you really think you understand a bit of what’s going on here? The fact that we know we are one of the richest countries on Earth is what makes us so angry. Why should we live like this if we have so much to be so much better? What have we done to deserve this?
In the name of the entire opposition movement, in the name of every citizen in this country who simply does not share the practices that this government and its predecessor have called “socialist” (let’s, once again, put theories apart) I demand respect from Maduro, maduristas, chavistas, and every pro-communist around the planet. I am not rich. I am not stupid, either. And most of the opposition militants do not fit into such description either.

4.- Dialogue. Jesus Christ! How to start? What to say? Mr. Borges has spoken clearly:

“For any sincere dialogue to take place in my country, Mr. Maduro must first commit to respecting Venezuelans whose human rights have been trampled upon over the last month of protests. He must order government-armed militias that attack protesters to stand down, and he must instruct the National Guard to stop using violence. Detained demonstrators and political prisoners should be released.
Mr. Maduro must acknowledge the root causes of the social discontent: the chaotic economic and security situation as well as the politicization of Venezuela’s democratic institutions. This means cooperating with the private sector and other actors to address rampant inflation, food and medicine shortages, and a spiraling crime problem.
Also required is a transparent and impartial process to renew the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Electoral Council and other democratic entities that have become partisan arms of the governing party.”

Let me talk about the so-called “colectivos”:

First of all, in a “latin” way to speak, my grandmother taught me that “everything has a name”. Those guys who are part of such groups are CRIMINALS. Hence, the so-called “colectivos” are nothing but gangs. And there is a really important thing I want to make clear on this: they ARE related to the government, NOT to the opposition. And they are carrying out UN-believably violent actions against unarmed people inside their homes, out in the streets or at universities, in particular the UCV, which has been one of the most respect universities in the country. Need more help? OK.:

o http://venenews.com/2014/04/04/director-del-ministerio-para-la-juventud-comando-asalto-de-paramilitares-la-ucv/. There you have what does not need words from me.
o http://www.redesrevolucionarias.com/colectivos. That is the web site of a political party led by Juan Barreto a figure directly associated to the government. Some of the events denounced in the last month and a half have shown some guys of those groups seriously engaged in barbarian acts.
o These are some of the images published on social networking registering barbarity carried out by those horrible people:
• http://www.venezuelaaldia.com/2014/03/incendian-estacionamientos-en-residencias-palaima-de-maracaibo-fotos/
• http://diariodecaracas.com/que-sucede/la-gnb-junto-colectivos-en-puerto-ordaz-fotos

And about the government’s speech:

Just in one pair of phrases in Maduro’s letter there is so much to point, that I’m only going to say that deaths are deaths and none of them should happen.

So, Nicolás, don’t you feel ashamed of writing such a statement like “Protesters are, we believe, directly responsible for half of the fatalities” while “a very small number of security forces personnel have also been accused of engaging in violence, as a result of which several people have died”?

Jesus! One needs to have trained patience like saints have, in order for one to properly handle the feelings this provokes, and to produce an accurate answer.

I wonder if anyone on Earth has ever tried to think what it feels like to be a Venezuelan reading this? Anger? Pain? Impotence?

By the way, Nicolás, your sad attempt to convince the world that your government works for human rights is nothing similar to reality. Nobody believes you! No body! Not even chavistas. How about that? Creating ANOTHER institution to replace an existing one that doesn’t work is not the way. Once again, as Mr. Borges said, the real solution is that you “order government-armed militias that attack protesters to stand down, and” that you “instruct the National Guard to stop using violence”. That’s all. No need for a new institution that is going to cost a lot to us, common citizens.

Sadly, there is another condition one can’t officially bring to the table, because we common citizens lack of any kind of proofs of it: the Cuban regime’s inherence in our country. This is so painful, so embarrassing… And it has got to stop. NOW!

Therefore:

This dialogue seems to me really far away to be achieved any time soon, since I don’t see the government truly engaged in bringing any of these changes into reality, and I don’t think those are points opposition militants should negotiate about. Very hard to find oneself belonging to a country that has gotten to this point…

I make call to the international community to side with the truth: we, Venezuelans, are in the hands of a bunch of criminals. We are hostages of a bad government. To those like Mr. Peeler, who believe that Maduro has changed the road of the “XXI century socialism”, let me remind you that we came through this path hand by hand with the unburied.

About the sanctions-to-be:

Well, I’m going to have to stand by Mr. Maduro in his call for the U.S. government not to impose economic sanctions that take us, Venezuelans, common people, into a worse situation. I guess we don’t even need to talk about an absolute NO for anything similar to a military operation, and this is my statement.

However, I really am looking forward to seeing people like Diosdado Cabello and SO MANY others loosing the money they took away from us. I want their masks to be taken off. As I understand, some people in the U.S. can make this happen. Well, that’s my call: DO IT, please! Make it happen! We need justice and we can’t take it on our own! Let the world and the chavista people know who they really are. DO IT! Bring them out to light.
Please, freeze that money, and immediately return it to the people of this nation in pain.

Thanks for your help.

Truly Venezuelan,

The Real Citizen