pbozhinow
We live in a century of possibilities. You know, it’s possible to turn almost everything into cash or some kind of asset in general. What’s not good is the fact that it has become something like a fix-idea for many people out there. It’s not the work that matters, it’s the result of it. The product doesn’t matter but the money do. It’s like an epidemic way of thinking that has spread all over (my surroundings, I hope).
Exactly that way of thinking decreases quality, increases quantity and ceases the natural progress. It’s some kind of pragmatic thinking but it has gone way too far. Anyways, that was not what I wanted to talk about now.
People seek money. And they want to achieve it in the easier way. Or the faster one. Laziness, economical prerequisites, trends, hypebeasts… Or both… Doesn’t really matter. What counts is that the industry sees that. Many people out there with their diplomas, certificates and language knowledges are being attracted to companies offering supportive services for another companies which create the real products. It becomes a closed circle because those support companies are fleeing the market with large* (for the reference, see some paragraphs below or just continue reading, you’ll figure it out yourself) salaries and non-hard but time-spending positions which do not offer any kind of personal development. Right now, the situation looks as follows: if one wants to make money, one starts working for such a company, whether it be a call-centre or a customer support service in an IT-company. Not because of the lack of knowledge but, in case of working into the area one has specialized into, the salary would be about 3 times lower when with no experience. It’s something close to normal if seen as a temporary solution, but the problem is that people actually stay in those companies, just because the money they are getting there are vastly reachable by any other companies into different industries, producing something actual.
That lack of end product is horrible. As far as we all know, exactly the manufacturing of goods is what moves things forward. And when it’s missing, when everything is taken down to trade and support, things just don’t work. Why? Well, let’s draw the following scenario. For the sake of example, I’d offer computer repairing services in a closed community. In order for me to earn money, I need someone with a computer to come. But if everyone within this closed community offers services and no one produces something actual, first of all, who’d have a computer (ever since there’s no place to buy a computer from because no one could actually produce one) and if some has taken a computer out of somewhere, how would he pay me? From where’d he get the money since nobody in this community can pay him? I know this example is vastly exaggerated because there are no that closed communities but even though it is not a bad way to visualize why the support niche is only a small part of the whole macroeconomical picture of a community (or at least, should be). But when the majority of the young, working force earns out of such companies, most of which foreign, well, things just don’t work out. People are having trouble with earning enough because of the lack of manufactured products and here the above mentioned example is the perfect way to explain why. The standard gets lower and the community is getting non-competitive and all the other stuff that comes after that.
I’d like not to get any deeper because it sounds probably too dramatically but let’s face it. The state is too bureaucratic and non-safe for external manufacturing investments to come in and it seems it tries to stick to that behavior at all costs. Even the existing investors are trying to hide their money outside. * And here comes the above mentioned reference: the support branche is OK with all of that because of the cost of labor and the character of the work that’s being done there. It looks like a win-win situation but it’s not. And the one who’s losing is the whole community, even after some people, or you, are receiving higher salaries.
I’d like to thank you for reading part of my afternoon thoughts. That article was not meant to be an in-depth economical review or something like that but more philosophical. And so, I’d love to hear from you, do you agree or disagree and why? Feel free to leave a comment:)) Thanks for your time again! 🙂
I feel like you presented your view well and that there is some truth in what you are saying. However, saying that manufacturing is what moves things forward presents a huge hole in your argument. Services and manufacturing are interdependent. Take your example and flip it around – if everyone is producing computers and noone is there to fix them, the system would be very unproductive and unprofitable. Here also comes the assumption that working as a service provider doesn’t provide you with any sort of personal development. This can not be farther from the truth – take one of the most popular uni degrees ever – accounting. It has nothing to do with accounting, it is essential to any firm that incurs costs and produces profits, and most importantly for this point – allows you to develop yourself – your general accounting skills (be it management accounting or financial accounting) your view of the company and of the economy, you can start consulting bigger and bigger firms on their accounting practices. PWC and Deloitte and just 2 of thousands of such examples of firms that allow you to do just that. Overall I feel like your view comes from a very biased standpoint of someone that is obviously very involved in the more manufacturing side of the organisation. Good article though, provided me with some food for thought.