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The New Underemployment: Degree Got You the Job, But Not the Title or the Money

Not all academic degrees - undergraduate, graduate and professional - are unmarketable. And a liability to include in your job-search materials. Here on Reddit there's presented another aspect of investing in a fine education. That might be called The New Underemployment. Yes, what you majored in got you the job. But in terms of the title and compensation it's significantly below expectations. A typical blurb on that kind of Reddit posting: ******************************* BS Molecular and Cellular Biology R&D, QC/QA, and now lead of a new manufacturing department to make our IND. Built the team and department from scratch. $51k/yr. Title and pay greatly deflated compared to what I actually do. ******************************* The same playout is in other sectors. Take the BA or even the MA in Communications. With exceptions, you do get work but it probably doesn't come with the status title or with a living wage. Yet, here's the rub. This situation is being made ...
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Speeches Are Back - Your Career Future May Not Be in Slide Decks But in Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"

Want to build your brand? Get the unique edge? Create deep connection? Maybe you should invest less time in putting together multimedia slide decks. And return to nudging for invitations to deliver, authentically and with heartfelt language, that old-line rhetorical device: the speech.  None other than The Wall Street Journal headlines with its selection of the best speech of the week. Spoiler Alert. It isn't by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney but US House Speaker Mike Johnson. On LinkedIn, Canadian speechwriter/ghostwriter Neil Hrab is attracting lots of page views and more analyzing recent speeches. And I was asked to give a speech, not a slide presentation, on my contention that most advanced academic degrees should be left off a resume. Sure, we expect speeches and snippets cited in legacy media from those in those noble professions like practicing law which go back to the early 20th century . The big names in that sector were known for their eloquence in delivering influ...
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BoomerVille: Guess What Goes Up Must Come Down (hopefully, only a bit)

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 49,103.11 USD ▼  -280.90 (-0.57%) today January 23, 9:35 AM EST  ·  Market Open
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Nobody Cares What You Feel - And, You Probably Could Get in Trouble at Work Venting

Amazon contends that in this round of massive cuts the objective is to reset the culture. Before employers had the upper hand again (post-COVID) employees at such corporations doing RIFs might be hanging around grousing with each other about all of that. Probably no longer, not if they are in-tune with how much values have changed - and not only in the workplace.  The Atlantic  hammers: Emotionally venting has become unwelcome. In a more relaxed era sharing troubles had been a bonding ritual. It deepened the connection. Now that we're in overwhelm you're bound to be ducked if you're known to overshare what's wrong in your life or in the society. Yeah, we all know what's wrong with current government, the cost of living and weather. Get it: No one cares what you feel about things. There's more: On the job or in a job search sharing critical feelings can get you in trouble.  As an intuitive coach/tarot reader the usual I'm hearing about work is how quickly yo...
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Trying Too Hard: The "They" Won't Let You Get There

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Did hyper-ambitious Gavin Newsom blow up his presidential chances at Davos? The Wall Street Journal captures his frenetic activity on that global platform: "California Gov.  Gavin Newsom  spent his days at the World Economic Forum trying to portray himself as the antidote to President  Trump . It didn’t always go smoothly." And success should be put into place smoothly. That had been the old-money code of WASPdom. The signature charm of long-time chair of elite law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp. And the source of Larry Fink's influence. He's CEO of Black Rock and co-chair of the World Economic Forum Board of Trustees. In contrast, there is the long list of those who aimed for the top - of the whatevers - and got blocked. For example, Hillary Clinton never made it to the US Presidency. Many venture capitalists steered clear of Elizabeth Holmes. We bolted from Al Gore's earnestness. And those Ivy junior lawyers ... In my intuitive coaching/tarot reading I have observe...
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BoomerVille: So, What Should We Make of This?

Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 49,482.92 USD ▲  +405.69 (+0.83%) today January 22, 9:33 AM EST   ·   Market Open  
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All Those Advanced Degrees and Other Sunk Costs - Too Often, a Loser's Game

  "I worked hard for that MA." That's what one former middle manager blurted out, shocked. They had come to my intuitive coaching service to unretire. I had advised deleting that advanced degree from job-search materials. Already they had strikes against them: age and years with no work history. The MA could send the signal that they would expect premium compensation and other kinds of special treatment. Also, in no way was that particular MA related to the skills they could pitch. This situation represents a current common example of trying to protect sunk costs. Yes, earning an advanced degree required hard work, at least a year or more of one's life, angst and a financial investment. But in this current labor market, with some exceptions, it could be a loser's game to protect that sunk cost. You may never work again. And meanwhile you're getting older, therefore as Pro Publica documented, less marketable.  But the higher education piece is just one form o...
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