Whatever Happened to Starting at Bottom?

Why does Dima Kurland (“The Graduates’ Paradox,” June 5) think that everyone owes him a living? When I got out of business school at UC Berkeley in the late 1940s, there was no such thing as rows of employer booths. I was very happy to, on my own, get a job in a retail firm starting at the bottom. The bottom was learning how the warehouse ran, and part of my job was to sweep out the warehouse.

With hard work, long hours, and very low pay, I worked my way up, ending up with my own retail chain of stores. But nobody gave it to me, as the graduates of today evidently expect. As a former employer, I probably wouldn’t hire Mr. Kurland. I don’t think he wants to work; he just wants someone to give him a prestigious position.

THOMAS OSTWALD

Rancho Mirage