Perhaps it is true that government is inhabited by angels and the masses are but crude knaves. An article celebrating the City of Asheville’s Youth Leadership Academy says:
“During their internships, CAYLA students are placed into an adult-centric world, where they encounter, often for the first time, the hidden norms of the workplace: punctuality, open communication with supervisors, follow-through on real projects,” [program coordinator Erika] Germer explains. “By learning how to meet these expectations, students are well-prepared for future employment.”
Funny. None of that ever helped me advance in the workplace. If anything, basic reliability convinced supervisors I had to anchor down the entry-level slots, or so they say. Maybe promotion-worthy norms like lying, back-stabbing, and sleeping around aren’t hidden because that’s what everybody’s doing on TV.
Actually, I’m just sour-graping because these kids are getting better jobs than many of us have been able to muster in over thirty years trying to deliver more than is required on-budget and on-time in the workforce. So, don’t worry that this might be an advocacy article. CAYLA receives $120,000 in funding from the city and county (a.k.a. taxpayers caught in treadmill jobs), and it just happens to be budget season with outside agency funding up on the chopping block.
