For weeks... months really, nobody contacts me from work. I go away for one week to work on my house and suddenly Im in demand. Emails, voice mails, etc . It took me all monday morning to go through.
I have this feeling of general blah. I havent had an original thought in weeks. My only reality seems to be determined by a house. The really self flaggelating thing is we plan to do this again (and possibly again) in the future. The only way to get a mortgage down to a truly manageable amount is the 'Property Ladder'. Though the lottery would be nice as well...
This is the reality of today in Alberta. Oh I know it's not just here, but it's really nutty here. I dont know where the money is coming from. People say it's all the oil but who really gets that money? It doesnt trickle down to the common employee. The big companies are the ones raking it in and they dont like to share. I should know, I'm one of the little people. Actually, Im probably somewhere in the shrinking middle... but thats not the point.
Where the big money is, if you are a little person, seems to be in the trades. A tradesperson in Alberta has a license to print money it seems. They charge what they want, show up when they want and generally dont seem to have to answer to anyone. Specifically, construction contractors. I dont want to stand too high here, but man.... the stories I've heard are downright criminal.... and they're considered reality! 'You have to expect that when dealing with contractors' WHY!?! Why do I have to expect that when dealing with contractors?
Why is it that when a service becomes in demand, those delivering the service suddenly decide to take the low road and deliver less for more? Is it fear? Get all you can while you can.
Simply because you CAN charge more for doing less (and with less quality), doesnt mean you should.
I'd like to hear some positive stories for a change about contractors doing more for less....
Why is that statement so funny?
1 comment:
The oil money goes to the investors who take the risk of investing their money in something as volatile as energy. Be happy for them.
And the little people do get it. You might just be at the wrong place. Many people I know get stocks, options, amazing benefit plans, not to mention extremely competitive salaries (that they wouldn't have dreamt of before the boom). Not just people like us, but the receptionist and the custodians too.
But yes, you're right, the tradespeople have a license to print money.
You can do the same thing, though. Become an expert in a critical technology, and go to business for yourself. And then you can charge excessive money too! Hurrah!
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