TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  Boomers remember that era before air-conditioning became standard . There were times when even in our capitalist max-productivity system it was too hot to work. At a Pennsylvania college - Seton Hill in rural Pennsylvania - the president gave all employees the day off.  By midcentury, projects the Union of Concerned Scientists , that could happen on a regular basis. About 32 million outdoor workers could lose out on $55 billion each year in wages. (College staff didn't lose pay.) Those out-of-work could range from landscapers to construction crews to farm laborers to those Manhattan dog walkers.  So, labor markets are not only being reconfigured by AI, extreme cost-efficiency and the end of management as we've known it. There are the implications of what some believe to be climate change. Yet, in coaching more and more clients tell me that "I want to work outside." A nation tires of The Box, that is, the office. Let's get outside, move around. In addition to wo...

  Unless Congress takes action, the Social Security Trust Fund has been projected to be depleted.  On June 6th of this year, the Social Security Administration estimated that would occur during Q4 of 2032. The monthly payment would be reduced to 83% of the usual. By 2021, that would drop to 65%. Well, there may be a bit of a stay of execution on that. CNBC reports that the Penn Wharton Budget Model came up with a different estimate. Here is that model. According to PWBM, the depletion won't occur until February 2034, with 86% payable. By 2021, that would plummet to 60%. However, lots could happen before February 2034. For the better or for the worse. A significant variable is how effectively those concerned about Social Security lobby Congress.  In coaching, I guide clients on how to live below their income in order to sock away more for retirement. Given increasing longevity that could go on for 30 years. Careers? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matt...

  The last time China released numbers about  youth joblessness they were over 20%. That was 2023. No numbers have been made public since. I guess we should assume things have not improved.  Perhaps it's in response to concern over jobless youths (a revolution could be brewing) that China is pulling back on the liberal arts in higher education.  For example: "The Communication University of China in Beijing ... cut five undergraduate degrees last year, including photography, comics, visual communication design, new media art and fashion design ... Fudan University is also slashing liberal arts enrollment from 30-40% of total enrollment to 20%."  The push is toward AI training.  But, as we know from the US, AI skills might not necessarily be the ticket for gaining access to entry-level jobs Employers are going for experience, not untested skills and enthusiasm. Those AI natives in the Class of 2026 might not, it is turning out, have an edge. Time will tell i...

Right now, at least. You don't have to be rich to feel financially safe. That is if you had invested in the stock market. If you did that you probably also have a reserve in your checking account. All that is enough for psychological well-being in these crazy times. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 51,885.44 USD ▲ +214.41 (+0.41%) today June 16, 9:57 AM EDT · Market Open  

Those whose professional lives have been irreversibly damaged by association with manipulative Jeffrey Epstein can feel satisfied that he too suffered. The New York Times article by Charles Homas, et al. documents his despondent state when imprisoned. It was enough for the system to provide attention to his mental health. Also, as Homas reports: "Robert Adams, an M.C.C. guard at the time, thought Epstein seemed like 'a lion taken out of the jungle and put in a cage.'”  However, that extensive bit of investigative work likely hasn't convinced many that Epstein's death was a suicide. Many of the comments responding to the article push back on that conclusion. They go with the theory that Epstein simply was a man who knew too much. Much of the disagreement with the Times argument comes from its reliance on what inmates say. How credible is that kind of input.  As a result, it's now obvious that in the realm of conspiracy whatevers the world has "Another Kenn...

  What's become sticky are the blubs about great towns/cities to live which are affordable. They mention the quaint downtowns, outdoors activities and friendly neighbors. But, one category remains blank: availability of top-of-the line healthcare, including access to specialists.  The good news, which turns up when you research, is this: There are locations which embed both: LCOL (low cost of living) and highly ranked healthcare, especially for specialties such as cardiology, orthopedics, memory, psychiatry and physical therapy, along with access to primary care. Toledo, Ohio is among them. The Wall Street Journal documents that the medium price for a single-family house is $235k. In addition, a  685-square-foot apartment rents for $685, covering water, sewer, trash, gas, heat and air-conditioning. In that particular complex - Cambridge Woods on the Southside - rents didn't go up this year at lease-renewal time. The healthcare infrastructure is one of abundance: Cleveland...