As a 41-year-old, I’ve seen the working world make a sizeable transition from when I was a kid to the point we’re at now. When I started working, it was all about “getting your foot in the door” with an entry-level job and working your way up. The pay wasn’t great (it wasn’t bad either), but more importantly, they weren’t difficult jobs to get and were a genuine stepping stone to something greater.

Then something happened. It wasn’t Millennial entitlement like we’ve heard ad nauseam — at least not in the corporate world. No, it was corporate entitlement.

Some jackass was the first to advertise an entry-level job that required 3–5 years of experience. It’s been happening long enough that I’ve had plenty of conversations with people about how ridiculous the concept is and that it doesn’t make any sense. I even joked in a previous article about how we’re the ones who misunderstand because, in reality, the job isn’t entry-level; the pay is.

But let’s break down what this actually means. Why is an entry-level job so emblematic of corporate greed and employee dissatisfaction?

Previously, it was about an equal exchange of value

Once upon a time, an entry-level job gave both parties a “fair” outcome. Someone with low skills but high enthusiasm could join a company, learn the ropes and make themselves useful for a salary that was just enough for them to live on. Then, with a bit of hustle and learning, they could quickly move past that and onto better things.

The company got something out of it in that, while they had to spend time training the person and there was a period where they wouldn’t get much out of them, the low pay offset that. It was a small investment in the future. So far, so good.

But then, someone in the corporate world decided that they were getting the short end of the stick in that arrangement. They decided that they shouldn’t have to provide any training. If you wanted to work and didn’t have experience or skills, well, guess what? We call that an internship, and you don’t get paid for it. That’s right. You have to go and find an even crappier job to pay the bills so you can work for us for free.

We’ve spent so much time maligning Millennials, that we missed the truth

And the truth is that this corporate attitude reeks of entitlement. It’s Steve Jobsian in that, rather than having an exchange of value that benefits both parties, you instead decide that you only win if the other party loses. It’s entitlement because now, companies offer the same wage intended for someone without skills and expect someone with 3–5 years of experience to fill it. All while continuing to call it “entry-level”.

You’re supposed to come in with your 3–5 years of hard-earned skills and experience and accept pay previously reserved for someone without any. How disgusting.

It’s little wonder that so many people despise corporations. Working conditions in the US only exacerbate such a shitty starting point. You can be immediately fired with no recourse (called “at will” employment), and you don’t even get mandatory paid vacation time. Even if a company offers it, there’s no guarantee that you’ll let them take it.

Jesus, that’s a couple of steps up from Dickensian. The only difference is you aren’t working for 18 hours a day in a coal mine.

American corporations, you’ve reaped what you sowed

Interestingly, the Great Resignation isn’t really a thing here in Australia. Sure, there are murmurs of it, and many people are re-evaluating their working lives right now, but there isn’t this mass resignation. That’s because we have employment laws like minimum wage, mandatory paid vacation time of 4 weeks per year and the fact that you can’t just be fired because your boss feels like it on the day.

We protect our workers rather than corporate giants because they’re the actual people that make up most of the country. Society tends to crumble and divide when you’re busy screwing them all over. Oh wait, but you already knew that, huh?

The fact that there are even debates about a living minimum wage is mind-blowing. This idea that an employee has to live off government assistance so their employer can pay them next to nothing and prosper is so ass-backward.

But of course, now, the chickens have come home to roost, and people have decided that they’re not going to put up with it anymore — even if it’s to their own detriment. When you’re faced with the choice of being poor and treated like garbage and just plain old being poor, the latter is a more attractive option.

I don’t have anything insightful to end this with; it’s pure schadenfreude for me. I’m glad to see that wages are starting to rise because there’s a shortage of people for companies to screw over. I’m glad that companies (well, the smart ones at least) are falling over themselves to be more flexible and attractive to potential employees.

The market was long overdue for a correction.