Anyone have experience with job interviews?

Started by Daniel, December 19, 2020, 07:21:02 AM

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abc123

#15
Quote from: Daniel on December 24, 2020, 06:57:54 PM

Not trying to be rude, but I think you're giving me too much credit. I am not an expert theologian or a mystic. I am just a lowly Joe, trying to navigate my way around an evil world, using a moral compass which only works some of the time. The only guiding principle I have to go with is this: "If company X appears to be evil, then avoid company X". And nearly all companies appear evil, hence my options are greatly limited.

Perhaps I could follow your advice if I were standing on less-shaky ground, but it is not so.

Yes, I am a competent programmer. But no, I won't pursue it, as just about every tech company out there is rotten and is under the influence of the devil. Show me a tech company who is authentically Catholic--who neither commands its employees to sin, nor values profits above its customers, nor contributes to the destruction of society--and I'll reconsider.

Teaching is a way of dodging the problem. Since the schools I'm looking to work for are genuinely Catholic (or at least try to be), there is less of an issue. A genuinely Catholic school is not going to command its employees to sin. A genuinely Catholic school is not going to put its employees to work towards the destruction of society and the damnation of souls. A genuinely Catholic school is under the influence of the Holy Spirit, not the evil spirit.


Nevermind. If you already read this, Daniel, know it comes from genuine concern. You remain in my prayers.

Merry Christmas.

james03

QuoteI am just a lowly Joe,
No you are not.  Lowly Joe's are humble men that get up early every morning and go to work.  You are a green horn puke that is too lazy to work and too prideful to do work "beneath you" (LOL).

t
Quoterying to navigate my way around an evil world, using a moral compass which only works some of the time.
You are not trying to navigate the world.  You spend your time making excuses for not taking responsibility for your f'ed up life and avoiding work.

QuoteThe only guiding principle I have to go with is this: "If company X appears to be evil, then avoid company X". And nearly all companies appear evil, hence my options are greatly limited.

Perhaps I could follow your advice if I were standing on less-shaky ground, but it is not so.

Yes, I am a competent programmer. But no, I won't pursue it, as just about every tech company out there is rotten and is under the influence of the devil.
Show me a tech company who is authentically Catholic-
How about this?  Show me where I said you should work for a tech company.  Get a job as a night watchman.  Get a part time gig at a local computer shop.  Work 60 hours per week.  While on the night watchman job, study for certs in coding and tech.  Then work at a local internet shop and make web pages.  Or learn about databases and maintain a database at any company. 

Your testosterone must be around 200.  Are you following the book?  Are you up to 3 sets of 20 pushups per day?  Did you go beyond that and now do 100 pushups a day and 10 pull ups?  Are you doing wind sprints?  Of course not.

So just accept that you are a worm that sits around playing video games waiting on Uncle Joe to bail you out of your student loans by enslaving my unborn grand kids via usury.  It would be better than this excuse making.

"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

james03

"Try Guys" T results.  Late 20's early 30's millennials. 


Here they are.  Are you happy being like them?

"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

Daniel

#18
Merry Christmas James.

Quote from: james03 on December 26, 2020, 12:25:18 PM
too lazy to work and too prideful to do work "beneath you"

You're making too many assumptions. I am neither lazy nor prideful, nor did I ever say that I'm not willing to work a job that's "beneath me". What I'm unwilling to work is a job that's beneath a certain minimum level of moral criteria. My unwillingness is not a sort of laziness or character defect, but, if anything, it's a virtue. I shows that I've not yielded to moral compromise even when it would have been far more "convenient" to do so and collect a paycheck.

QuoteYou spend your time making excuses for not taking responsibility for your [. . .] life and avoiding work.

Not taking responsibility? If that were the case then why have I responded to several job ads, in addition to sending out numerous e-mails asking potential employers if they currently have any positions open? And why would I have started this very thread, if not for the fact that I have been (and will be) dealing with job interviews?

Avoiding work? How can I "avoid" work when there is no work to avoid? I've been casting a wide net, and have applied to nearly every morally-acceptable position I could find (apart from those which I judged to be too far above my capabilities).

QuoteShow me where I said you should work for a tech company.

What you said was, "IF you did some coding with your gaming major, I'd go the coding route.  Get certified and get a job." I now see that I may have misconstrued your words, but what I had assumed was that you were suggesting that I work towards certification ultimately in the hopes of finding a job with a tech company (since tech companies are generally the ones looking for "coders").

QuoteGet a job as a night watchman.

I do see that you said that, but I honestly don't have any idea what a "night watchman" is. Do you mean like a hotel receptionist, sitting at the front desk? Or do you mean a security job, monitoring the monitors?

If it's an overnight shift then it probably won't work for me, even if it meets the moral criteria. And before you go accusing me of being prideful or lazy, I tell you FROM MY PAST WORK EXPERIENCE that I don't perform well at times of the day (i.e. night) when I'm ordinarily asleep. I'm not cut out for it, physiologically. My mind and body go all hazy a few hours into the shift, and I involuntarily go all sluggish and start making bad judgements. That's if I don't fall asleep entirely.

QuoteGet a part time gig at a local computer shop.  Work 60 hours per week.  While on the night watchman job, study for certs in coding and tech.  Then work at a local internet shop and make web pages.  Or learn about databases and maintain a database at any company.

And I've already explained the problem here. If there was some morally-acceptable company out there, that I was aware of, then I'd be more than willing to work for him writing software, making webpages, or maintaining a database. But as it is, I don't even know where to look for such a company. Why should I go through the trouble of obtaining certificates (which probably won't be free) when there's only a slight chance that these certifications would help me in finding work? No matter what certifications I have, I can't work if I can find no morally-acceptable company who will hire me.

I'm skeptical about certifications anyway. Not that I'm making more excuses, but when a job ad says that they're looking for a software developer who has 3+ years of e.g. Java experience, a mere certificate really doesn't help much when all the other applicants have 3+ years of Java experience and I myself do not. It's certainly better than having no documented proof at all, but it won't get me the job. But I don't see how this that much different than what I'm currently facing with the teaching positions. If I had 3+ years of teaching experience then I most likely would have less trouble passing the interviews.

QuoteYour testosterone must be around 200.

I don't know my testosterone level, and, frankly, I don't care what it is. Might be better to keep it low anyway. I'm not looking to attract a wife, and so lower testosterone probably entails less unnecessary inclination towards sexual sins.

Quoteplaying video games

I don't play video games (nor am I into porn or drugs for that matter). I do appreciate your concern though, as I used to be into video games and I do agree with you there.

Non Nobis

Daniel,

Do you think other guys in SD who do find jobs other than teaching must have lower moral standards than you?

Most companies probably do care more for their profit than for their customers but you could focus on the customers or fellow-workers, e.g. as a janitor or technical service person.

Maybe you should discuss the specific details of jobs you think would be immoral for you  so people could understand your moral reasoning.

God  allows us to live in an immoral world and not all can be hermits.
[Matthew 8:26]  And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.

[Job  38:1-5]  Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said: [2] Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words? [3] Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou me. [4] Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding. [5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Jesus, Mary, I love Thee! Save souls!

Daniel

#20
Quote from: Non Nobis on December 26, 2020, 08:34:49 PM
Most companies probably do care more for their profit than for their customers but you could focus on the customers or fellow-workers, e.g. as a janitor or technical service person.

Maybe you should discuss the specific details of jobs you think would be immoral for you  so people could understand your moral reasoning.

Two things.


I. The first (and bigger issue) is a matter of principle. Now I am sure that many will tell me I'm wrong about this, but I don't know myself to be wrong. And so my principle is this: companies by their nature are corporate (i.e. bodily) entities, which entails two things:
1.) all members of the body, insofar as they are members of the body, are guilty of the sins of the body as a whole (as evidenced by the fact that when a man is damned, his entire body is cast into hell); and
2.) all members are (or ought to be) in harmony with one another and with the head, working for a common end (the hand does not war against the other members, for example. And the hand does not seek to undermine the head).

In other words, the employee is a participant in the company's sins by the very fact that he formally works for that company. It is futile (and perhaps even an intrinsically disordered action) to try and make the best of this bad situation--if the company wants to do evil then it is not the employee's place to resist; and if the company wants to do one thing, it is not the employee's place to do something else, especially if he is claiming to be acting on behalf of (as a representative of) the company.


II. The second involves a more proximate participation in the company's sins. Most jobs (to a lesser or greater extent) require the employee to sin. This can be objective or subjective sin. Here are some examples from my own past jobs:

1.) Working as a cashier at a store that sells contraception, pornography, or other illicit items. A customer comes through your line seeking to purchase something illicit. What do you do? There is nothing you can do. Either quit your job then and there, or else commit the sin. Some priests try to make a distinction between "selling" and "completing the transaction", but it's a false distinction and a clear case of moral laxity among the theologians.

2.) Doing food preparation for a company which is lax on its sanitation standards, or worse: having a boss who tells you to do something that's unsanitary while preparing food. This I would say is a subjective sin. Perhaps some employees are just dirty people who wouldn't mind eating stuff that's been been prepared with dirty hands, stuff that's been sitting out for a few hours, or even stuff off the floor, so when they do it to other people it's not really a sin. But to me, it's disgusting and contrary to the silver rule and thus also a sin against charity. (When I am not at work, I always wash my hands before I prepare my own food. And I always make my own food with great care. Why then should I treat the customer as if he's some sort of a subhuman animal, giving him food that I myself would not want to be given?) It's a lack of charity in my mind, and so when I do it it's subjectively a sin. But what can I do? I am not the boss. I cannot tell others to be more careful, nor can I tell my boss to change the way the business operates. I can perhaps perform my own role as best I can (if I don't get fired for inefficiency), but, even then, I am not the sole preparer of the food: I am preparing food alongside other workers who care less about cleanliness, so no matter what I do, the customer is still receiving food that's been prepared in an unsanitary manner.

3.) Doing data entry whereby I am required to take shortcuts, resulting in me being more or less forced to upload sinful content to the company's website. Here's an example: The boss gives me a list of TVs (like 50 or 100 different models) which he wants me to add to his online shop's website so that he can sell them, and he tells me also to add as many product images as I can, as quickly as possible. He tells me that I should do this by going online and "borrowing" stock images from other websites. (This whole "borrowing" thing is quite possibly problematic in itself, if copyright law actually has any force. But we'll overlook it for the sake of this example, as I myself have no idea whether or not copyright law is binding.) The problem is, a lot of these stock images depict the TV with its screen turned on, displaying a pornographic (i.e. near-pornographic) bikini girl on-screen. So what do I do? I can perhaps photoshop the images in order to remove the bikini girls. But the dilemma is, I can't do this quickly enough. Either I'm going to get fired for not uploading all of the images, or else I am going to sin by uploading pornography. (On top of that, even if I photoshop out the bikini girl, am I not myself "looking at pornography" in the process of doing this?)

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but this hopefully gives a sampling of the sorts of stuff that seems to come up in just about every job.

Even something as simple as stocking the shelves in a bookstore becomes a problem the moment you are told to fill the shelves with evil books. What can you do? Perhaps in a fit of zeal you decide to take the crate of books and toss it in the dumpster. But does this solve the problem? No, it does not. Because even if you manage to do this without getting caught (and fired), you've just committed the sin of property damage (a mortal sin in this case, since books aren't cheap) AND you now owe the company the value of those books--perhaps hundreds of dollars. (There goes your paycheck.)

Graham

#21
You have zero chance of paying off 60k in debt within 2 years. A young Greg, Gardener, or James03 might be able to do it, with a lot of difficulty, but you in particular with your stringent requirements and lower success orientation have absolutely no chance on that timelime. If you want to become a monk you should look into declaring bankruptcy.

Daniel

Quote from: Graham on January 01, 2021, 03:42:36 PM
You have zero chance of paying off 60k in debt within 2 years. A young Greg, Gardener, or James03 might be able to do it, with a lot of difficulty, but you in particular with your stringent requirements and lower success orientation have absolutely no chance on that timelime. If you want to become a monk you should look into declaring bankruptcy.

I don't think filing for bankruptcy would do anything, as half my debt is student loans (which is apparently immune to bankruptcy) and the other half is restitution for theft and property damage (which nobody knows about). But even if bankruptcy were an option, I doubt it would be an option, as: 1.) I am not sure whether or not the government actually has God-given power, and 2.) even if it does have God-given power, is it really allowed to interfere with private debt? This seems like an abuse of power, and I would think God would still require us to pay up.

Realistically speaking, I think you're right. I can't imagine paying it off within 2 years. But it's not actually "zero chance", as chance is chancy and sporadic. Some lucky people become millionaires literally overnight, and I still have like 2 years. If God wants to give me the money then I'm sure He will. But until that happens I don't think there's much I can do, other than try to find an acceptable job and set aside all my income towards paying the debt.

Matto

#23
Daniel, you miss the point with your scruples. You are supposed to get a good job making tens of thousands of dollars so you can support a big family on one income. Then you are supposed to marry a nice girl and have ten children. And you are supposed to work in the evil job until you die because your soul is not worth more than keeping up with the Joneses. You are right that nearly all jobs are evil, but you must forget that truth and become a Jesuit, perhaps claiming that it is all "remote" cooperation with evil and perhaps acceptable, and either not going to confession, or making bad ones and receiving the sacraments sacrilegiously, in the hopes that you are able to see a priest and make a deathbed confession, hoping that after you make a deathbed confession, God will not damn you for not making proper restitution because making restitution would harm your ability to provide for your family with an inheritance. Your conscience does not matter. You are best scalding it so it gives you no more worry.
I Love Watching Butterflies . . ..

christulsa

#24
I have to ask, is it really sinful to work at McDonald's?  How about Subway?  Or a locally owned hot dog stand?  Or to dig ditches?  Does it violate a commandment to rake leaves for neighbors or wash their car?  So if I lose my job, my wife has to support us, before I go flip hamburgers for corporate America in order to pay the bills?  Any priest, SSPX/FSSP/Diocesan/Trad/Novus Ordo will tell you that you are obligated to find a job, and that there are many jobs that you can work at without sinning.

On the other hand, is it not a sin to be slothful?  To sponge off of parents and make them feed you, when you are not disabled?  Has your conscience weighed whether or not THAT is a sin?  Is it really so righteous to refuse to design websites or fix toilets or deliver the mail (btw the post office is hiring right now big time, and is a decent job) or deliver for UPS?  You are still young and can fix this if you want to. But you give the impression you have painted yourself into a corner by your own design.  There is nothing more I can offer.  I will keep you in my prayers, Daniel.

Daniel

#25
Not to make excuses, but none of that stuff would work.

Food service is out of the question. I just don't know how to do it without sinning.

Fixing toilets also won't work, because I'm not a trained plumber. I need something that matches my current skills. (If there were some plumber who would take me as an apprentice, and who would pay me as I learn, then that would be great. But I don't think it's going to happen. I don't even know any plumbers. Plus I don't really like the idea of learning a trade only to abandon it in two years when I become a religious or enter the seminary.)

Not sure about ditch digging. I know nothing about it, or how you'd even get a job doing that.

Leaf raking and car washing would be fine as far as I can tell, except that I don't see how I could possibly make any significant money doing that. (In fact, I personally would probably lose money, at least for the first few weeks or months, since I'd need to purchase the necessary equipment and pay for advertising.)

Mail/package delivery is questionable. On the one hand it seems like a legitimate and much needed service in today's world... but on the other hand it seems evil, so I wouldn't take a job doing that until I knew it was ok. (Though, admittedly, I have applied for USPS jobs in the past. And they never hired me. So even if I currently was looking for a job there, there's no guarantee that they'd give it to me.)

Web design is probably my best bet. It would be acceptable if (and only if) it was for a good company who sought to use the website only for good. Problem is, I'm not too hopeful of finding such a company, and I don't have all the skills at the moment. I could acquire many of the skills relatively easily, but there's no point in me doing that if I'm not going to be able to find work. Even if I found some acceptable company who was hiring, would they really hire me over somebody more experienced? Web design is easy, and too many other people have skills.


Quote from: christulsa on January 01, 2021, 09:58:22 PM
I will keep you in my prayers, Daniel.

Thank you.

christulsa

#26
Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM
Not to make excuses, but none of that stuff would work.

You need some fraternal correction, Daniel.  Honest work to pay for your food instead of your parents, instead of committing the sin called "sponging," is not "stuff."  And you didn't answer my question--have you considered that living off your parents, being slothful, refusing kinds of work that ANY priest will tell you is morally okay to do, is itself a SIN?  You say you don't want to commit a sin working for McD's, but what about committing a sin practically refusing to work because of your rigoristic personal standards?

Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM

Food service is out of the question. I just don't know how to do it without sinning.

You're not sinning making sandwiches down at the local Subway.  Ask any priest.  I plan to fit all my home health patients in my new job in 4 days (upwards 12 hour days mind you) so I can deliver Grubhub 1-2 days a week and make an extra 10-15k/year for my family's future.   According to you, I would be sinning because food delivery is a "food service" job.

Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM

Fixing toilets also won't work, because I'm not a trained plumber. I need something that matches my current skills. (If there were some plumber who take me as an apprentice, and who would pay me as I learn, then that would be great. But I don't think it's going to happen. I don't even know any plumbers. Plus I don't really like the idea of learning a trade only to abandon it in two years when I become a religious or enter the seminary.)

The point is there are many manual labor jobs you can do that do not require you to sin to keep your job.  Google Craigslist jobs in your area, under labor jobs and go put in an honest days work laying cement or painting houses.  That religious order/seminary you plan to apply to is going to want to see your resume and job history to know you are stable.  Otherwise I guarantee you will not be accepted.

Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM
Leaf raking and car washing would be fine as far as I can tell, except that I don't see how I could possibly make any significant money doing that. (In fact, I personally would probably lose money, at least for the first few weeks or months, since I'd need to purchase the necessary equipment and pay for advertising.)

Because you are an intelligent guy who carefully reads posts he is responding to, I can deduce from the above response that you ARE in fact making excuses to live a life not working.   Instead of sitting around starting daily threads like this, you are able to borrow a rake and start walking through neighborhoods asking to make some $ raking leaves.  Or a bucket with soap and a rag to offer to wash cars.  You might have to take the bus, and actually plan your neighborhoods to hit.  You may only make $50/day.  But you are obligated to work so your parents aren't required to pay for your expenses.

Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM

Mail/package delivery is questionable. On the one hand it seems like a legitimate and much needed service in today's world... but on the other hand it seems evil, so I wouldn't take a job doing that until I knew it was ok. (Though, admittedly, I have applied for USPS jobs in the past. And they never hired me. So even if I currently was looking for a job there, there's no guarantee that they'd give it to me.)

Apply again to USPS, UPS, and Amazon.  I've recently talking to all their delivery guys, and they all are hiring big time right now.  Stop making these excuses and hiding from Life.

Quote from: Daniel on January 02, 2021, 04:06:17 PM
Web design is probably my best bet. It would be acceptable if (and only if) it was for a good company who sought to use the website only for good. Problem is, I'm not too hopeful of finding such a company, and I don't have all the skills at the moment. I could acquire many of the skills relatively easily, but there's no point in me doing that if I'm not going to be able to find work. Even if I found some acceptable company who was hiring, would they really hire me over somebody more experienced? Too many people have web design skills.

You have painted yourself into a corner, Daniel, I'm afraid.  But trust in God to bring you out of that corner, one day at a time.  It is after all a New Year.  So seize the day young man, stop making excuses, and go out and do some humble work like James suggested. 


Daniel

#27
Quote from: christulsa on January 02, 2021, 05:37:01 PM
You need some fraternal correction, Daniel.  Honest work to pay for your food instead of your parents, instead of committing the sin called "sponging," is not "stuff."  And you didn't answer my question--have you considered that living off your parents, being slothful, refusing kinds of work that ANY priest will tell you is morally okay to do, is itself a SIN?  You say you don't want to commit a sin working for McD's, but what about committing a sin practically refusing to work because of your rigoristic personal standards?

It might be sinful, I don't know. What I do know is that if it's sinful then it's unavoidable. The answer is not to be found in trading one possible sin for another more probable sin.


QuoteYou're not sinning making sandwiches down at the local Subway.  Ask any priest.  I plan to fit all my home health patients in my new job in 4 days (12 hour days mind you) so I can deliver Grubhub 1-2 days a week and make an extra 10-20k/year for my family's future.   According to you, I would be sinning because food delivery is a "food service" job.

You're misunderstanding my concern. I am not saying that the nature of the job is sinful. Obviously there is nothing wrong with getting paid to make a sandwich, or with delivering food. What I am saying is that extrinsic factors make it sinful.

1.) A company is a body, and members of the body take part in all the sins committed by that body (and especially by the head who is directing the whole thing to sin). Therefore, if a particular company is manifestly sinning then you'd be a fool to deliberately chain yourself to that company. So, is Subway manifestly sinning? I actually don't know, but I suspect so, if for no other reason than the very fact that it's a huge restaurant chain. Corporate greed always runs rampant in these sorts of chains. So I won't pick on Subway, but I can say that McDonald's is manifestly sinning:

  • McDonald's makes use of advertisements beyond what's reasonable. It's one thing for a small business to use a few ads to make its name known and to give its customers a helpful reminder. What McDonald's does is something else entirely, forcing its name upon the masses and more or less brainwashing them into buying stuff that they don't even want (or at least shouldn't want, at least not on a regular basis).
  • McDonald's adheres to an evolutionary mindset, and promotes this mindset among all its customers, as exemplified by the constant changes that it's always making to its menu, and its use of buzzwords such as "new" in order to take advantage of, and encourage, the irrational and superficial man's craving for novelty.
  • McDonald's now uses machines in place of human cashiers. Which is obviously motivated by money: machines aren't prone to error and don't demand weekly paychecks. The customers are so enamored by the machines that they don't even notice the repercussions. Yet before we know it we are living under the rule of the technocrat, living in a world devoid of human interaction.
  • Fast food in general is destructive to society. What ever happened to nice food, and to actually sitting down with your family for a meal? These days everyone just grabs a burger and eats it on the go, sometimes doing this at the most inappropriate times of the day. McDonald's's entire business thrives on this.
Grubhub is also evil and destructive to society, so I would not work for them. Might be a slightly different scenario though since (if I understand it correctly) the delivery guys are contractors, not employees. Not sure if this distinction is a metaphysically-relevant distinction. Too confusing for me to sort out, and I don't think morality is supposed to be confusing. Too easy to fall into laxity. My intuition says to have nothing to do with them.

2.) In addition to what I've just said above, in my case (and I'm speaking only of myself here) I am incapable of doing food service work (and by that I mostly meant food preparation) without committing a sin against charity. Because the boss requires me to make the sandwich in a way that I judge to be unsanitary. The silver rule, however, states "Don't do unto others what you don't want done unto you". And I certainly don't want people making my food in a way that I judge to be unsanitary. So who am I to make other peoples' food in a way that I judge to be unsanitary? Are they not humans, to be treated as humans?

andy

Hi Daniel,

Are you familiar with a double effect principle? Or a remote cooperation rules? More strict does not always mean Catholic. Sometimes it is worse to see the sin when it is not there then not to see a sin when it is there.


mikemac

This thread should be titled "Daniel's excuses".
Like John Vennari (RIP) said "Why not just do it?  What would it hurt?"
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