Alaska@Work
Cain Ramsey
UI Technician I
May 10, 2021
Employed with UI: Since July 8, 2020
Describe what you do for work:
"On a day-to-day basis, I get to utilize laws, statutes and regulations to assist claimants in receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits. Through this I have learned basic clerical duties and how to read and understand state and federal laws. I have also learned how to work in a bureaucratic environment without bias."
"Well, as I was hired to assist in the program, I would not say that my work has been affected too much. However, the case load has been plentiful, and until recently, we were receiving more work than we could do. I endure stress with ease usually, so other than the extremely high number of claims, my work has been steady and on the decline since the beginning of 2021."
What issues do you most frequently see at your work?
"Often times the issues I come across are more related to our economy and the problems COVID-19 has created for us - that we have had to learn and adjust too consistently."
What kind of advice would you give claimants?
"If I could give one piece of advice to claimants, it would be that as everyone is aware, unemployment rates have been at an all-time high this past year, to understand everybody in DETS is working as hard as they can to get everyone taken care of. As the world constantly changes, so does the program, which doesn"t allow the quickest of transition times, but all our claimstakers understand the need to access benefits as quickly as possible."
How has the pandemic affected you personally?
"When the pandemic first started, I was working at a minimum wage job, working 50-plus hours a week. I was offered this position through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program as a result of COVID-19, which has helped be build a future career and has changed my life in many ways."
How do you keep yourself busy and healthy during the pandemic?
"I love to go outside, hiking, paddle boarding, skateboarding, and hanging out with friends. I am currently invested in educating myself further in stocks/cryptocurrency trades. I also find joy in making and listening to music of all genres. Recently I have a newfound love for bedroom musicians (people who make music in their bedrooms)."
Anything else you"d like to add?
"I think throughout the pandemic we have learned as a society that not everything in life is an individual game, and rather, we are all here in order to assist each other in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Everyone is deserving of love, and we can all learn from each other, even in disagreements."
