A recent college graduate lands a job at a large corporation. His first day he undergoes the typical new-employee orientation, complete with a highly polished corporate video. Then the next day he sits in his cubicle, answers e-mails, and starts his work. Hours later he stands up, finally, and goes to lunch.

Now consider a two-year technical school graduate who lands a job with a contract manufacturer. He arrives at a custom fabricator and gets oriented, but in this case he actually talks to people. He talks to the press brake operator who has been with the company for decades. He talks with an estimator who knows every aspect of every process inside and out. He talks with the operations manager, a guy with some stories to tell. He goes to lunch with co-workers and somehow feels like he’s been working at the place for months.

You can probably guess which situation has the happier employee.

John Green, author of popular youth novels like Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, described (in a YouTube post) how young people face challenges when they enter the workforce. One aspect is financial, though that depends a lot on one’s family situation and personal circumstances. But he also mentioned another challenge that’s more universal: “The crushing monotony of it all.”

-The 17th China（Guangzhou）Int’l Sheetmetal machinery, Forging, Stamping and Setting Equipment Exhibition