COMMENTARY | One of the more ironic stories to come out of the Occupy Wall Street movement is the story of how an unemployed Ph.D acquired a job through protesting. Not only did she get a job but she got it with an independent broker-dealer firm on Wall Street.
Tracy Postert, a biomedical scientist, received a job offer after displaying a sign that read “Ph.D. Biomedical Scientist seeking full-time employment” and on the back “Ask me for my resume”. She had been protesting when someone from John Thomas Financial Brokerage spotted her sign. He did ask her for her resume and later hired her. This story was originally reported in the New York Post.
Whatever you may think of the Occupy Wall Street movement, you have to admire both the occupier and the Wall Street broker. Both were willing to take chances and break stereotypes; they were willing to see the individual. OccupyWallSt.org calls itself a “people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District.” This movement has focused on Wall Street and all the ills of excessive financial greed. Tracy Postert was able to take a “people-powered movement” and turn it into a person-powered movement.
The Occupy Wall Street movement has certainly raised awareness for the plight of the “99 percent” although public support of the movement has dropped in polls. According to a poll by a Democratic polling firm, Public Policy Polling, support among voters for the Occupy Wall Street movement is down to 33 percent, compared to 35 percent support in October. This raises questions about the purpose of the movement; have the protesters stayed too long are their lifestyles becoming more important than their message?
One individual was able to turn a difficult situation into a bonus. Ultimately this is not a story about greed or the “typical” unemployed protester. This is a story about one person in need of a job and one person able to fill that need. Great movements start with great ideas; there are a lot of great ideas in the Occupy Wall Street movement. So far the best idea I have seen come from the movement is the one from Tracy Postert; it got her a job.