Wow, Mary.

I had no idea employment standards in the U.S. were so low. In Canada, you need four years to become a dental hygenist and do you realize the kind of wardrobe that is required by a legal secretary? Only two years required for web design? What are the pre-requisites? Besides that, web designers are a dime a dozen. Nursing? Don't even get me started. There must be a shortage of workers in the U.S. because in Canada, you either need a skill(plumber, carpenter, electrician) or a minimum of four years of university to find a job capable of supporting a family and thats with two people working.

If you have a family member to give you an 'in', two years of college might do, but nepotism is frowned upon. Two years of college in Canada will get you into a four year university if you have the GPA, but there are no job guarantees. In fact, unless you have a Master's degree your job prospects are pretty dim unless you want to work for very low wages.

Gone are the days when a high school diploma and a couple of years of college was enough to get a job that would support a family. It won't get you anything except, maybe, a husband with a good job. Around here its called an M.R.S. degree.

And yes, Janie, I know all about the underground economy. I live in B.C. where the traditional resource based industries are gone. The young, unemployed men have little choice but to work under the table. I'm sure its the same in the States. In fact, I lived in a community where money did not change hands. Any money you had was spent elsewhere. Everything, including labour, was bartered.

Its a pretty dismal situation where it is truly damned if you do and damned if you don't.