Have you ever been unemployed? It’s not a really entertaining scenario, is it? The lack of money, coupled with all those biological addictions to feed, bills and the list goes on... this can seriously affect what you perceive to be reality - everything is relative, right? Nevertheless, as information becomes easier to access and the slowing of our consuming market economies continue the recession, and the inevitable cutbacks cause us to reduce staffing levels - site layoffs - and out sourcing to China continues to affect job security. It all seems too complicated as technology continues taking the place of physical human mechanics and competition builds through the increasing population boom; and reality strikes - the chances are your closer to useless than one thinks.

The paradox of this situation is this: notwithstanding the for-mentioned ‘doom and gloom’ we're more intellectually capable as individuals than ever before, better educated and more socially aware – ‘I’m not kidding!’. The reality is however, I’ve been looking for a good job for years now - am I unemployable? ‘I’m currently working on my second book.’ However, ‘no one will give me a good job!’ and ‘What is a good job, anyway?’ - you might ask. Well, individually speaking it relates to your overall biological and chemical requirements, those that drive your individual biological needs and personality, there's also an economic factor; and as a job, or paid-work, is based on energy flow. We no doubt, attribute the input of our energy from working, to the stored energy of the dollar value of our input. A bad job gives us less than the required output and vice-versa. My parents had two children, a mortgage and a car, and the odd holiday on one income. Should I want for less you ask?

We have the ability to access huge amounts of data and information and other resources, visual media and communication networks. But, this current availability of information simplifies complex tasks, on one hand, and creating more systems based logic requirements on the other: information at the finger tips, has caused wide spread issues regarding employ ability, because it cuts out the need for labour intensive work, and direct human interactive problem solving skills. We will still need tradesmen, engineers etc. But effectively, simplifying the working processes using digital logic, brings about a creative disadvantage to the individual, in terms of intellectual ability being a tangible financial assets. Why should we strive to be creative, without reward? Jobs in the era of information technology tend to be reduced to systems based logic - the Chinese have their hands up - and languages under a digital framework; and, decisions making, the programmer uses an analogue skills-set – lets get some rope, wood and labour and build a bridge, for example: working outside of a contemporary system, or predictable system, based on theory enhances what we are able to achieve, creative, a hands-on interactive human analogue craftsmanship. Stimulating the mind, and thinking is not something rigid digital systems do well - yes, I know, another job goes to the Chinese. Nevertheless, applied to our working lives, this leaves us asking the question: ‘Why am I doing this boring job? There has to be more to life than this…’

Currently, employment opportunities based on diverse human ingenuity and problem solving skills are decreasing, outside that of highly developed systems, development of software and hardware, science and maths - less human analogue creativity, please, the system is saying. In place, the need for specific task orientated skills that require repetitiveness are on the rise, requiring UI templates, and rigid software parameters. While, at the same time our individual ability to process, store and trouble-shoot complex problems are magnifying hugely, with the aid of technology, overall, we are ask to fit in rather than extrapolate, not a promising dynamic for the current working environment.

I have a simple question for you. If you were to be honest, how much of your current skill set is specialized? For example: that which is over and above general computer literacy, lets say, a degree level education or a general standard IQ of 100 - 110. And how long would it require your employer to train such an individual to be competent at performing your daily tasks with proficiency – one month or longer?

This question is fundamental to the current employment issue, on two fronts: the first being our drive and determination to strive, to learn and create in a dynamic work environment; and further, to achieve satisfaction based on our chemical biological requirements; secondly, to put our skills to use in a way which benefits humanity on a level which achieves the fundamental issues of our existence.

Would you ask Stephen Hawking to teach first grade maths or Gandhi to learn to operate and run the latest income tax software? Well we do it everyday!

Within the current archaic management structures, stereotyping is essential to moderate all forms of financial procurement, systems, such as, mobile communications and banking etc. This is not a new phenomenon however; the master/serve systems working the mills during the industrial revolution constituted employment for the masses, in much the same way as today. Although, with the increase of individual intellectualism and the lowering of intellectual working opportunities the system is suffering from the thermodynamic effect of entropy.

When we take an example like the Internet, and apply the second law of thermodynamics to it, it becomes obvious that the life expectancy of such a system regardless of its initial peak is determined by an arrow of time, until which time it becomes absorbed into a relative state, or dissipates with the passing of time. My close friend mentioned the other day the wonders of the Internet, his words were, “The Internet is fantastic, it gives anyone the ability to talk to Bill Gates” although, on reflection, when we apply the second law of thermodynamics, you will see that over time the building entropy complexities and disorganises matter to a point where finding Bill using the system would be terribly difficult now and more as time passes…

So, in the end, I write, travel and work at bringing quality into the world ... and, one day, maybe one day, I might find a job at it... Just a reflection.