Personal correlations - unemployment statistics

Transformative learning has been said to be primarily a reflective process. As such, it may only be possible in hindsight. This presents a challenge from a curriculum development perspective. It may not be possible to control facilitation of the construction of such knowledge structures.

Yesterday's newspapers were full of the latest employment data, or should I say the lack thereof. I do not refer to a lack of information, of course. This was cause for reflection on my part.

There have been four peaks since I graduated from high school in 1979. I find it notable that high points in the joblessness numbers empirically line up with decisions and transitions in my life.

What brought this to my mind was how the pundits, in unison, declared today's situation to be the worst in "X" number years. Fifteen years ago I relocated to Miami. Nationally, unemployment rose to over 7% that year, and this may have been an obstacle for me. My mother has recently begun again to ask that I return to South Florida, which has highlighted memories of 1994. Perhaps some wisdom that I gained during that time is now being activated. I should state that while I am certainly older, I make no claim of being wiser.

Of course, the worst job situation in the United States since the Great Depression was in 1983 and into 1984. The rate was 9.7% the month that I graduated from college. The Federal Reserve, under Volcker, had "shocked" the economy to defeat the stagflation of the 1970s. Again, decisions I made may not have been optimal. Specifically, I declined the option that I had created to matriculate at the Graduate School of Business. I entered the job market instead. This may have been because my future wife, who is older than I, had preferred not to be tied to the University at that time. In addition, my student loans seemed insurmountable, however that is the one obligation that I have successfully managed over time.

Do I even have to say when the most recent spike idled our workers? It was during 2002. The statistics are national, but coming to Philadelphia then was complex for many reasons. I now see that the city has been in a long, steady decline. Back in 1983, Philadelphia was the 4th largest regional economy in the United States, a manufacturing center. Today it stands at ninth. On the bright side, it seems that an equilibrium may have finally come here.

I photographed burned out cars in the city the day after last fall's sports triumph. I was going to post them with the caption "World's Serious Hangover." I decided not to do so, since my visual communications are even more of a pain for everyone to decode than my writing. That said, burned cars are the iconography of this learning sequence.

The question remains, what will this new spike mean to me? We do not yet know how high the jobless rate will become during the months ahead. Is this statistic a valid indicator in my life, so that I have a new transition to face?

I see that it would be ironic were I to finally give up my tattered and under capitalized business. How funny to do that during such an upheaval. Just think, I have made copies, sold pens and waited on table. This is perfect experience for the emerging debacle. I went back into Sears recently to pay my bill, but I could not visit any of the associates that I knew when I worked there. They are all gone. I was able to observe firsthand how the consumer durable goods business, which had been exceptionally kind to me, is now a smoking ruin.

If history could be a learning opportunity, then 1983, 1994 and 2002 would lead me to believe a new fumble is pending from yours truly, the prince of bumble. I ask now for your support. Best regards -D