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The meeting was far less interesting than he expected. They talked about him first, who he was and where he came from. It brought a sigh from the worker in front of him. He had introduced himself as John and seemed very dispirited when talked to. Little by little, Ron's mood was being eroded as well.

Until John asked him about his competences.

Ron knew very well that having been a miner wasn't worth crap around here but he had a new identity now. He was an engineer, whatever that was. Well, a student engineer. It shouldn't be too far from the real deal. So, he said: "I'm going to start studying engineering at the start of the next semester. I want to find a job related to that during the afternoons or at night"

At the word 'engineer', the worker in front of him changed tune. He was now smiling amiably and radiating happiness. Was it some secret code?

In fact, John saw him first as a pain to deal with, a product with no worth. He seemed too young and, on this planet, a youth meant a lack of experience and knowledge. With the use of robots, where could such a guy with no qualifications work? John would only get a bonus if he was successful in placing his clients… And to find work for these guys in this city was just close to impossible. Most of the time, when he faced such people, he told them to move to a different planet, a third-ranked one. They would have more opportunities over there. Those places weren't as technologically developed after all.

But if it was an engineer, things were different. In this world where technology was so important, engineers were just as important. Especially the young ones. They could be nurtured by the companies and be their workforce for the future. There was always a demand for engineers, young and old. Placing them was incredibly easy. John could already see his bonus.

The face of the kid was now the same as a spatial bill in John's mind so, of course, his attitude changed. This was no longer a waste of his time but a sure-fire way to get some easy cash. He began to work harder and gave a few contacts to the kid according to where he lived, picking the closest recruiters.

It seemed like the kid didn't yet have a wrist-com so, he was forced to print most of the locations, contacts and details of the offers. That being said, it was something worth doing in his opinion. The kid would be bringing him money if he joined any of those companies.

As the kid left, John decided to go take a break. He would boast about finding an engineer to his bros over there first before tackling another job searcher. He was in a good mood right now and didn't want it to be spoiled by one more useless waste.

…

Ron left the job center with a smile. He had mixed feelings through the first half but as soon as he mentioned being an engineering student, things changed. Was being an engineer so great? Anyways, he now had a few leads on where to find a job.

Since he was already outside, he might as well go check the first company. If he could get the job early on, it was that much better. His finances were going to crumble little by little otherwise. It wasn't free to live.

He reached the first company not too long after departing from the job center. As John said, it wasn't too far from here and his home. The company was called Robotronics 752. It was sub-company to Robotronics. It didn't take a genius to figure out they dealt with something related to robots. Ron obviously understood that much.

He entered the building and walked to the reception. A cute and youthful woman was waiting there behind a counter. He greeted her but got no answers. He tried again without success. After a moment, he thought it was a prank and moved his hands in front of her. The young woman remained stoic throughout, not moving, not even blinking.

At that time, a door to the side opened and a man walked out of it with a smile. He was a middle-aged man wearing a grey suit and looked rather refined. He had a grin on his face as he walked towards Ron and, as he looked at the young woman, said: "Quite realistic right? She's our latest prototype. Clerk Robot version 157. We haven't put her into function yet, that's only the outer shell for now. I'm Carl Jenril, from sales. How can I help you, young friend?"

Ron was surprised to discover that this woman was a robot. She looked so much like a real one. If his future wife (he hoped he would have one) was at least half as beautiful as this robot, he would be satisfied for a lifetime.

He took a moment before he greeted Carl Jenril back: "Good morning, Sir Jenril. My name is Ron Morgensen, I was told you were hiring so I came by"

Carl Jenril thought he found a customer but it was just a random guy job hunting. What a waste of his time. He sighed and then told the kid to follow him. He would drop that thing to the HR and go back to making calls…

Ron found Carl to be quite the nice guy. As they moved through the building, he introduced him to quite a lot of different things they did. It was very instructive though Ron only understood a small part of everything.

He was led to an office. Carl knocked twice on it before a rough voice was heard from inside: "Come in"