I was sitting at home, at least home for now, Sunday night, around nine that night, as I was about to tune into The Walking Dead, I get a random phone call. It was a potential employer asking if I could come to their office the next morning, or afternoon, whatever was best for me. I elected to go to the afternoon meeting, mostly because I wanted to get a good shave and hair cut in. Yeah, I have an old razor, so cuts and hair pulls happen more than a Dusty Rhodes/Ric Flair match. I wanted enough time that I could do something with the cuts, so I didn't have scabs everywhere. Anyway...
I show up to the companies building, I won't name names, because the company sounded and appeared to be top notch. Yes, it was commission based pay, but the benefits were great, its the kind of work the more persistent you are (trust me I can be like a dog with a bone), the more willing you are to earn some money, the better you will do. So, I went through their little pep-rally, and it was a downer for me, but hey, I can deal with it. Went through the whole thing, only to get to the terms and conditions, again a top notch company on the surface, and wanting to make sure they are following the letter of the law.
You have to be state certified. To work for this company, you have to be state certified. No, its not as a nurse, a shrink, doctor, lawyer, or anything major. Just a lowly salesman. For a one time $350 dollar fee, plus associated costs to update your education, you too can be a lowly salesman in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alrighty then. But this isn't the only job in this place that you have to carry a state certification. Oh no.
This time last year, I applied to a local security company. Its not a great job to have. Its long hours, dealing with people who treat you like crap, and if anything should go wrong, you get the blame for it. Yeah, we aren't talking about the guys you see walking around making tons of money, not the armed guys you see hovering around celebrities. We are talking about the guy who greets you at the front desk of a high end hotel, the guys you see walking around a hospital, or your local mall. I wasn't refused outright for the job, but $90+ a year to be certified, and keep the certification or loose whatever job I landed was a bit much.
Now, I can see a certain point about having a whole laundry list of jobs requiring someone to be certified at the state level. Really I can. It ensures that those who are working in security, or some other vital jobs are reasonably intelligent, and aren't going to do something totally ignorant. Oh wait, they certify the police officers here... How well is that working again? Back on point, certifications can be a great thing to have in many professions. I agree with that. The problem is when you are poor, or out of work it can limit your ability to climb out of your situation. Well, the only good thing about it was, the one security company I applied to, but was eventually declined, offered to pay the fees for the certification, but only because they would take the fees back out of my pay at a later date.
So how is this absolutely brilliant? The state profits from fees associated from acquiring the certifications. The companies benefit because you are charged for classes to acquire the certifications (because lets be honest, they are taught by people who work for the company). Then the state comes in and charges you taxes on the income you earn, providing you get the certifications. Double dip much?
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