However, the smart lady soon figured out the crux of the matter. So, she looked at Ben Parker and asked, "Do all these vacant positions require specialized skills?"
Ben Parker was taken aback but after a bit of recollection, he said, "My department at the New York Power Management Bureau indeed has quite a few positions that require certain expertise. After all, when dealing with electrical work, one must have relevant knowledge, even if they're just receptionists."
"However, the New York Power Management Bureau has always provided training services. The training, in the past, had higher entry barriers; you needed certain qualifications and ages were restricted to around 20 to 30 years old, as that's the age one learns most rapidly."
"Because of a severe personnel shortage, they have lowered the training age limit to between 16 to 38 years old, and it can be extended to 48 for those with relevant experience."
"One of my colleagues used to work in the railway department. He is already 45. The department started losing steam once space trains appeared, salaries dropped, so he came here for training. He's been on the job for a month now and is doing quite well."
"For jobs like platform safety officers at the Transit Authority, everyone has to go through three months of training regardless of who they are. There are no huge technical requirements, the job is to stand on the platform, reminding passengers not to get too close to the flightline and landing points. What technical difficulty is there in that?"
Gwen rubbed her jaw in thought while Ben Parker had already sat across from her on the sofa. He said, "The New York Power Management Bureau collaborates with developers and contractors. Many of the apprentices under me are dispatched from local contractors."
"They're young, some have just finished high school and some others come from decent households, better off than the Parker House."
"However, their parents are about my age, coming from the golden era. They are fully aware that it's a good opportunity to keep up with the wave of the era, learning a new skill is better than anything. It is the same as when they were young, and that's why they strived to get into the power system to familiarize themselves with new technology."
"In fact, it's working. After all, getting into the Stark Group by studying is too hard. Not everyone has such brainpower and talent, right, Peter?"
Peter shyly lowered his head. Aunt May slapped Ben Parker on the back. He coughed lightly, toned down his proud smile, and said, "Of course, although I'm proud of my nephew's genius mind, the other youngsters aren't too bad either."
"Young people always absorb knowledge well and are full of energy. Just a few months learning from experienced technicians will do the trick. Their parents made the right choice, and their situation is somewhat similar to when I was young."
Ben Parker put on a nostalgic look and said with a touch of emotion, "When I was young, the job situation was pretty good in New York. It was common for young people to leave home as soon as they came of age, making a living on their own without help from their parents."
"It was mainly because everywhere was hiring with good conditions. No qualifications were needed, just knowing a skill was enough to support a family easily, just like me."
Then Ben Parker sighed, "But it wasn't the same afterward. Not only did job opportunities shrink, many companies went bankrupt. Homeless unemployed people were everywhere. Fortunately, I had a skill that came in handy, or else I really didn't know how I could have raised you."
"Was unemployment high then?" Gwen asked again.
"Are you asking about when I was young?" Ben Parker thought for a moment and said, "There were always unemployed people, but in our time, most people who refused to work were either drunks or gamblers. As long as one was physically capable and mentally sound, you could find a decent job."
"If you can exchange an easy job for a stable life, who wouldn't do that?" added Peter, shrugging his shoulders.
Gwen's eyebrows stayed furrowed. She took up the responsibility of accepting tasks on behalf of Gwen Spiderman, joined the New Warriors team for spider points, and investigated the frequent protests erupting in the Bronx.
After some investigations, she found that someone might indeed be instigating the protestors behind the scenes, causing the crowd to become more agitated and expressing their anger through violence.
If you were to say they were trying to escalate the situation to fight for their rights, it wouldn't be entirely correct. There were plenty of journalists in the Bronx, but none of the protestors could articulate what they wanted.
They kept saying that at least they had jobs in the past, but times have changed, they don't even have jobs anymore, they can't even support themselves and their families, so hasn't the era changed for the worse?
Since the old era was good and the new era is bad, why can't we return to the old era and let them continue living their stable lives?
This is the logic they continue to repeat. Their main focus is not how to fight for their interests in the new era, but they want the environment to return to a state they can adapt at.
And various media and hidden forces continue to fan the flames, greatly exaggerating the idea to the extreme. It's gotten to the point where they want to loot and destroy the artifacts of the new era.
Nobody has ever told them that the era will not go backward, and now is the golden time to seize a better life in the new era. Ben Parker is a perfect example of this.
Although he inherently had some skills, if he didn't actively learn and seize opportunities to integrate into this era, then he probably wouldn't have been able to attain the better life he has now.
But on the other hand, is it the protestors' fault for not realizing this themselves?
Gwen was lost in thought, her brow furrowed. She wondered if the contents of the newspapers they see, the news pushed to their phones, the daily discussions with their neighbors, didn't include this reminder?
Didn't it remind them that as long as they attempt to actively integrate into the new era, there will be more and better positions waiting for them? Even if they themselves can no longer make changes, they could at least cultivate the younger generation and let their children gain an advantage as early as possible?
Why don't they realize that they're going against the wind? Didn't they realize that if they don't seize the opportunity now, they will be eliminated by the era?
Is it because they're foolish themselves and don't bother thinking, or is it due to various obstacles that prevent them from realizing it?
"Who's to blame for all this?" Gwen mumbled to herself softly.
Just as Gwen was deep in thought, Peter suddenly exclaimed. He got up from the sofa, walked over to the kitchen window and looked out.
"My God, isn't that Iron Man and the Supreme Magician? Why are they fighting again?!" Peter said helplessly: "I thought things would get better after I came back from the 2099 cosmos, but they're still fighting!"
Gwen woke up from her contemplation, stood up and walked over to the window to look out. She saw two shadows chasing each other across the skyline. Leading the chase was the Supreme Magician, who was waving red ribbons, and chasing behind him was Iron Man, wearing his advanced Iron Armor.
Watching them battle in the sky, Gwen didn't react at first, but then her face changed, exclaiming, "Oh no, they're heading towards the Bronx, we can't let them go there!"
Peter paused, then said, "Why? Are you worried they're going to hurt people? Don't worry, everyone can fly now. They will control their altitude during fights and won't endanger people on the ground."
"No, I mean, the Bronx is packed with reporters now. If they catch a snapshot of these two fighting and put it on the newspaper, the crowd will say 'ordinary people are struggling in the mud, while superheroes are only engaged in infighting', they would absolutely do such a thing!"
Gwen ran a hand through her hair, gave Peter a look, and Peter immediately turned around and said, "Aunt and uncle, Gwen and I are going to go for a walk. I have something to talk to her about. We'll be back before dinner."
"Off you go, off you go. " Ben Parker waved to them. As the two young people walked out, he said with a chuckle: "When your Aunt May and I were young, we were just like you guys, always having endless things to talk about."
"But now you don't even consult with me before buying such a gas-guzzling car!"
"I did discuss it with you!"
Amid their bickering, Gwen and Peter casually left the house as if they were leisurely going out for a stroll. After they were out of the sight of Ben Parker and Aunt May, they swiftly took out their folded battlesuits.
Gwen threw the little piece of paper in her hand, and in an instant, Gwen Spiderman's battlesuit was equipped onto her body. Peter's eyes widened, looking up and down at his girlfriend as if she was a stranger, then he cried out, "Cool!"
Proudly adjusting the Spider Silk Launcher mounted on her wrist, Gwen replied, "I'm not your delicate lady anymore, see you!"
With a shot of Spider Silk, Gwen swung up into the air. Spiderman didn't want to be outdone. The two zoomed along the skyline of New York, resembling intertwined falling meteors, their pursuit of each other adding a fascinating dynamic.
"Hey, how are you doing so many tactical moves?" Spiderman shouted. "I remember you aren't good at sports or gymnastics, right?"
"It's the battlesuit that does it!" Gwen swung out a beautiful arc, answering, "Just like Mr. Stark doesn't know how to fight hand-to-hand. There's nothing technology can't solve!"
"Wow!" Spiderman broke into a brilliant smile.
He then shot out another strand of Spider Silk, albeit at a slightly off angle. As he swung sideways, one hand wrapped around Gwen's waist. Gwen let out a yell, and in the end, the two dropped straight down. Just before they hit the pavement, they swung up high again.
"How was that?!"
"Not bad...I mean, not bad at all!"
"You're becoming a bad influence!"
"You started it earlier than me!"
The two, one in front and one behind, swung to the Bronx district as fast as they could. By this time, the New Warriors Team was already waiting on the rooftops. They too had noticed the two mega-superstars having a brawl in the New York sky.
After retracting her telescope, Nightingale spoke with a puzzled look: "Why would Iron Man want to fight the Supreme Magician? I mean, why would they fight over a dozen times in one month? What deep-seated feud can't they settle?"
Standing behind her was not a member of the New Warriors Team, but Treasure Woman Jessica. The long-haired girl in a cloak sighed: "In the past, they fought, no big deal. Ordinary people weren't affected, and the fights provided them with some post-dinner entertainment."
"But is this the time for a brawl? Ordinary people are marching for their careers below, while superheroes are throwing punches in the sky. Even if they're practicing combat skills, it's not okay. The reporters are bound to go crazy again."
Xu Shang-Chi also looked up at the grand fireworks show in the sky. To him, this indeed appeared to be nothing more than a fireworks show. The fight scene between the two was completely different from what he'd seen in movies.
If he remembered correctly, shouldn't the Supreme Magician be using something called Mirror Space? Iron Man was just doing some maneuvers, firing some missiles that's all.
But why are these two making such a grand spectacle of themselves in mid-air?