I get knots in my stomach when I hear about how twisted this job market is becoming. Frankly, the stories are never ending. From nurses at Penn who are completely skilled in their profession but have new educational mandates to complete by a certain date (or else!), to recent college graduates who are overwrought with confusion about what to do next, to baby boomers who are pressured to take severance packages before the ax hits, it’s no wonder that we’re all losing it.
When I read the title of a recent Wall Street Journal post, “In This Economy, Quitters Are Winning,” frankly, I thought I misinterpreted something. People are quitting jobs, moving on to new positions, and making more money.
No doubt there are many tough career stories in the naked city. I interviewed a close family friend yesterday about what it took for him to stay in the game. I have to tell you that I was completely moved by his brutal honesty in discussing having been fired four times over the course of his career. Mind you, I am not talking about downsizing or the company going offshore. I am speaking about being let go for politically incorrect behavior on the job. At the same time, what is even more remarkable is the fact that today this individual is an out-and-out complete success in his given industry.
Last year, Forbes reported on a startling finding that by 2020, 50 percent of the workforce will be self-employed. That’s only 7 years from now. When I digested this possibility, it reminded me of the fact that I NEVER had a desire to be self-employed. Nope. Not me. No way, ever.
As we take steps to achieve success in our chosen careers, we sometimes search for mentors as well as role models. We quickly realize that many celebrated individuals who have been catapulted onto the world stage arrived there, not only as a result of hard work, but also after being closely mentored. In the past, men have been dominant in, but not limited to, business, entertainment, sports and politics. They arrived at the top of their game often times, as a result of not only of their hard work, but because they had someone in their life who gave them sorely needed direction.
What do you do if you can’t sort it out? What happens when you become so fed up with trying to figure out next steps? You and I both know there is a huge cost to this kind of storm that might be brewing inside you.
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