I think one reason many of us become frustrated with the women is the lack of "real world" skills. It is hard to think of one woman in the 3 seasons who has had a job that can support them and that they also find satisfying. Wouldn't it be a different show if career exploration and training was THE main focus for most of the women. The psychological, self-esteem and inter-personal issues could still be explored, but perhaps in context of life and career choices. Although Antonia doesn't really want to work, I think the design idea is a good one for her and taps into her dramatic side. However, it was ridiculous when Jodi wanted a different job and they sent her to learn wood carving and that was that.

• RE: No career skills in the house,petmama, 05:59 PM, 05-09-06
• RE: No career skills in the house,eire_heart74, 08:33 PM, 05-09-06
  • RE: No career skills in the house,Baxtera, 08:21 AM, 05-10-06
    • RE: No career skills in the house,eire_heart74, 09:37 AM, 05-10-06
• RE: No career skills in the house,maryellennaco, 00:10 AM, 05-11-06
  • RE: No career skills in the house,JessicaRN, 01:06 AM, 05-11-06
    • RE: No career skills in the house,Baxtera, 07:40 AM, 05-11-06

Kind of reminds you of Rhonda deciding Josie would make a good animal trainer and only having her spend two days at it. And, SO wasting all that money on Josie's graduation present, an animal husbandry course. For what? Tending bar and taking care of old people?

That's the difference from this season to the first one. One the first one Rana learned how to get off welfare and keep a job after a long history of job hopping. Even though she did eventually leave that job, she got another one driving a bus. Maybe not the most glamorous job in the world. But she knew enough to get a job with benefits and days that worked around her kids schedule. She didnt just wind up back at the house.

They sort of touched on this with Christina meeting with that job expert but she was so busy being out of sorts because the woman made valid points about her lateness and wardrobe that she learned nothing from it.

I think it's great that they encourage them to be creative. It just bugs me that it's always show as "you could make money from this" Like slap on some paint and sell it at the market. Throw some beads on a string and call it jewelry to sell at shops. Even Jodi's wood working made her wnt to make furniture to sell. Can't they just have a hobby?

Rana was the life coach.

I meant Rain. Sorry my mistake. Rana was her life coach though. So that's the big difference there!

LAST EDITED ON 05-11-06 AT 00:11 AM (EST)

JessicaRN, you're so right on! I think it would have been a much better and more realistic concept if SOH could have offered "real" career choices for the HG's. The whole idea that you need only "SHOUT to the universe" and magically things happen made the whole lot look basically LOONEY TUNES.
Especially this season. Between Christina's "art", SpitupLisa's "jewelry", Christie's "modeling", and Antonia's "designs"; they're run everyone completely off in the ditch. The key word here is "reality"....
Not some hocus pocus booray that Iguana & Rhonda keep throwing at them. Next thing you know, Cassie will want to become an orthodontist or something. It's just insanity!

Edited for spelling

Let's not forget - Allison spending an afternoon at Magic Johnson's foundation and deciding that she would have a well paying career helping those people, just like she helped the Katrina victims. Lisa 1, of course had a choice between jewelry and being a Tupperware multi-millionaire. Then of course there was Kim and her Louis Vuitton bag that decided that she could be a life coach for the rest of the world.

I've long been an advocate for getting these women real JOB training and realistic job goals so when they leave the starting over house they don't end up crying to the Universe to find the numbers been disconnected. I thought Raine's story was one of the most compelling of the SO stories although she seemed to have issues with Rhonda about the "process." It was important to see her work through the issues of what it's like to be on welfare and having nothing of her own to getting help in finding work, going through the process of getting an apartment, etc. The fact that she changed to being a bus driver after the fact just said in my mind she was determined to find something that accomadated the hours she could work with her kids and something that paid the bills and provided a saftey net for her family. That was actually what got me started watching the show and what I thought the show would become. Then came the move to LA LA land and it became a show about entertainment not helping people.