Why Feed the Middleman?

Craigslist is actually using the word "gigs" in their jobs menu now. I think it replaces "etcetera" to describe irregular and wacky opportunities. There is also a rise in the number of companies that find and organize gig jobs for applicants.

For overseas jobs such as teaching English to Chinese children, that makes sense. How else would you find the Chinese children who want to learn English, if not through a middle operator? But some of these cleaning, administrative and handyman sites that keep popping up serve only to take a cut from what is already a very small pay scale.

The goal of NEK GIG inc is to put the power and all the income into the hands of the Gigster, and to offer old school non-electronic means for employers to submit listings. For a place like the NEK where the internet is frequently sketchy and the denizens were born well before the internet era, retro methods are necessary.

It's hip to be retro, and bulletin board listings are pretty retro, so does that make NEK GIG inc hip?

Cynthia

GIGLs Debuts

No respect for Gigsters. What a shame.

Not everyone can build a career or work at a 9 to 5 job full time. Some have health or transportation issues that make mobility an issue. Some have other responsibilities such as caring for a child, elder, or disabled person. Some are still looking for where they fit in.

In my case, financial scarcity dragged out my college years so long that by the time I got my BA, my age peers were already done with their graduate degrees. I am overqualified for entry level jobs but can't break into management or leadership positions. There's a glass ceiling AND a glass floor.

So early on I discovered interesting Gig Work that pays the bills and lets me experience life from a variety of viewpoints. This unfortunately makes my resume appear sketchy. Even though I have worked steadily and always paid my bills on time, banks would not dream of loaning me money for a mortgage, and every new interview is an exercise in justification for the gaps between similar jobs.

People who have found their niche are unnerved by people living by the seat of their pants. Gigsters are judged, unfairly, to be lazy, flighty dabblers - when actually it takes more creative Yankee Ingenuity, consistency and self confidence to piece together a life of brief stints, than to do the same thing every day and be dependent upon a single employer.

I believe that by banding together, the growing league of Gigsters can form a coalition to provide financial security and respected social standing for the very necessary work that we do.

Find out more by attending the 4th Saturday info discussion at The Work Commons at 194 Main Street in Newport from 10 - 11:30 am. September 28 is the next event. See you there!

- Cynthia, Presenter