Scaring Up A Job

Throughout this election, and especially in last week's debate, we keep hearing about how bad the economy is and how there are no jobs. And it's very true. But it is not just a problem for us here in the States, it's a world wide problem. And nothing shows how bad times are more than the fact that a recent college grad in England is forced to take a job as a scarecrow as reported by the BBC. Yes, the kind of scarecrow that sits on a farm chasing birds away from the crops. That's an entry level job nowadays for college grads. That used to be a job for a lifeless straw-stuffed dummy with a stick up it's butt. Be afraid. You now have to have been to the wizard and have a brain to do that job.

Jamie Fox is a 22 year old young man who graduated last spring from Bangor University with a degree in Music and English. (That was his first mistake.) He is now employed as a scarecrow by farmer William Youngs in Norfolk. He wears a bright orange rain slicker and scares the birds with his accordion playing. In moments of quiet he takes in the fresh air and reads. He is getting paid about $400 a week. Doesn't sound too bad actually. I wonder if the job of being a scarecrow comes with health benefits? You know in case you were to contract bird flu?
This has me thinking of some of the ridiculous jobs I, a degree holding woman several years out of college, have done along the way that have paid way less than the scarecrow job including: dog sitting, playing Wii with senior citizens, distributing beer samples dressed as a fraulein....not to mention it's not any great professional accomplishment that I essentially touch my toes for a living (in between performing/filming gigs) teaching fitness and dance classes and sometimes I don't even make as much as this scarecrow position. Now granted, I hold a degree in Drama and Art History. Why did my parents let me do that? But I'm beginning to feel that maybe I should rethink my career path. As far as dignity? Ha! I gave up on that when I shot this in an ad:

So if you know of any openings for a scarecrow in the New York/tri-state area, I hold a BA and thanks to yeas of dance training, I am comfortable jumping around scaring those birds. I can't play the accordion, but playing Wii with those senior citizens I got really good on Guitar Hero. Additionally, I can loudly deliver at least four Shakespearean monologues on command, and I know that they must be off-putting because I have not been cast once from delivering any of them. But most importantly, I do have a lot of experience getting rid of birds as I spent many obsessive hours beating Angry Birds.