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Skilled vs Unskilled Labor

There's no such thing as unskilled vs. skilled labor. Every job requires skills.

Once, after my chronic pain had started but before I needed a wheelchair, I worked in a greenhouse in an "unskilled" job. I loved being surrounded by plants, even though they set off my allergies and asthma some. I was also a very hard worker- something the management complimented me on several times. Nobody there was hired on directly as an employee. We were all hired for a 2-week trial period, after which it would be decided if we were suitable for the Mother's Day rush or not. 

After 2 weeks exactly, I was fired. I couldn't understand what had happened. I pushed through the pain as I hauled plants, climbed ladders, trimmed, watered, and arranged. I pushed through the sensory overload of the sound of the broom as I swept, mostly. I never complained once. I asked why I was being let go, and they cited 2 connected reasons. The first was that I hyper-focused on tasks and didn't notice what was happening around me very well (which is an autism trait for me). The second, shocking reason (to me) was that I was supposed to be their permanent cashier, and I hadn't been doing my job that day. They had cashed out several people for me. Now, this shocked me because I had no idea that I was meant to be their permanent cashier. Each morning for 2 weeks, I came in and asked what my job was, and they gave me a job just for that day. On the 13th day, they said, "You'll be running the cash register," so I thought it was another 1-day job. I came in on the 14th day and said, "What will I be doing today," and they said, "You'll be cleaning the agave plants." I had no clue that the cashier job was long-term, and I would be doing it alongside cleaning the agave plants. I guess a neuro-typical person might have known that? 

Either way, I didn't really have the skills for the greenhouse job. I cannot notice things around me when focused on a task or overwhelmed. I cannot infer instructions that are not explicit. And nowadays, my physical health is worse, and I use a wheelchair for standing longer than 5-10ish minutes and could not do the physical aspects of the job.

Meanwhile, I had another job, a "skilled" one working from home for a school in Singapore preparing students for the English Language tests required to immigrate to Australia and the United States. I had some trouble with attendance in that job (and every job) due to my disabilities, but other than that, I excelled at the job. I love teaching, proofreading, grading tests, and writing curriculum. My students felt that they learned well and began referring other students to me. In the end, I had to leave the job for health reasons, but I had the skills (and TESOL/TEFL certification) to do that job well. 

The salient point between these two anecdotes is that there's no such thing as unskilled vs. skilled labor. Every job requires skills. "Unskilled labor" is just a term made up so that people don't have to pay appropriately for "unskilled" workers' labor.

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