TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

"The current climate seems to be turning against software engineers ...If that's the case, it begs the question of why more of us don't organize." -    Reddit Career Questions , December 22, 2022 So far, 696 comments have come in. Some point out the reality in all times - the best and the darkening like the present - that the software engineers in Europe essentially had and have a better deal. That extends from paid time off to greater job security since it is more difficult there to terminate.  Others note the documented advantages to workers from unionization. Obviously, with current layoffs hitting the white collar so hard - think Pepsi and Ford, for example - other categories of employees might also be shifting to the once-unthinkable: organizing. As an intuitive career coach, daily I hear anecdotes about how management allegedly treats unfairly the workforce.  Unionizing might reduce a lot of that. Another solution could be self-employment.  Intuitive care...

The newspaper of record -  The New York Times  - reports that Alphabet's head Sundar Pichai had called in the AI troops (that is, special teams at Google) to deal with AI ChatGPT. The threat is to the Google search engine. And, as we bear witness: Google blinked. It should. ChatGPT already provides features Google search doesn't. Since it is capable of learning and applying that learning its ability to surpass Google's approach to search will keep increasing. In this article in  seo.ai,  Daniel Hojris Baek presents a comprehensive comparison of a ChatGPT search and a Google one. For one thing ChatGPT simplifies. Yes, and that's a major selling point.  For another, the presentation style is engaging.  And three, you get the total package. For instance, suppose we feed into the prompt that we want the recent research on sustainable weight loss. Google refers you to a number of articles. ChatGPT customizes a readable report on what there is to know s...

"A partner asked me if I’d been gaining weight." Thread from Fishbowl Big Law, December 21, 2022  Well, will this wind up on the desk of employment plaintiff lawyer David Sanford of Sanford Heisler?  Should all lawyers but especially those who have made it to the partner level know the laws regarding this sort of thing? Even way back in 1979,. in the Fortune 50 we recognized remarks and recommendations associated with weight (as well as myriad other aspects of a female's body) were verboten.  Intuitive career coaching, with the option to use the Tarot, about your present and your next. Step back from that committee in your head and open to possibility.   Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.

"Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity globally fell well short of the high-water mark set last year as debt financing markets collapsed and stock market volatility decimated valuations, with dealmakers predicting a slow path to recovery in 2023." -  Reuters Legal , December 21, 2022 The latest headwind in the M&A space is this. As  Bloomberg Law  reports, a group of gamers have sued Microsoft in federal court about its proposed combination with Activision. The litigation is "DeMartini v Microsoft." Activision is not named as a defendant. This is the second antitrust lawsuit. The first had been filed by the FTC.  Already the falloff in M&A has resulted in direct and indirect losses of jobs, ranging from Wall Street to Main Street.  It's human to be optimistic and some with those in good jobs which haven't been shut down yet are envisioning an uptick in M&A in Q2 of 2023. But that seems increasingly unlikely. Because of that there could be blo...

  Most of us know that career paths are not linear and the journey along them not smooth. It’s amazing we have survived external forces and our own myopia. More and more of us may be on our second, third, or fourth career. Although increasingly familiar, those sagas still rivet. And inspire. ‘Tis the season to reflect on how those written off as “finished” managed to prove the world wrong. AARON CHARNEY It was January 2007, old-line time in Big Law. Generational differences hadn’t reared their heads. But the rigid conformist ethos didn’t deter associate Aaron Charney from filing pro se litigation against employer Sullivan & Cromwell. He contended sexual-orientation bias. Soon enough there was a countersuit and loss of his job. Amid the smirking in high-profile media such as New York Magazine was the assumption that Charney had blown up his legal career. That’s not what happened. Instead there was a settlement (some speculate it was $15 million). He quickly landed ...

"Cybersecurity companies have laid off hundreds of workers in recent months, as concerns mount that an economic downturn will delay funding rounds, and squeeze the amounts investors are willing to commit." -  The Wall Street Journal , December 21, 2022. The reality is that job security is going the way of cable TV and the personal computer. Yet, there is still the assumption that you can beat the odds of the layoff or being forced into early retirement if you just are career-smart enough to choose the right field - or the right major. Even members of Generation Z tend to believe that. On Reddit Jobs this is posted: "i am starting my associates of arts degree in psychology in May. and with my research and reddit, i am realizing how useless it may be. i understood that a BA in psychology is also useless too ..." Here is that  thread. However, other posts on Reddit Jobs lament being in software development which is laying off. Posts on Fishbowl Big Law ar...

Yet another generation of leaders and rank and file grows up. There is nothing new under the sun. They get it, once again, that being part of a glam sector (entertainment, media) and a major disruption (streaming) doesn't necessarily correlate with anything. That is, anything positive. Or what to bet on as a career path. Financially challenged Warner Bros. Discovery could be put out there on sale.  Paramount has been losing money on streaming. Disney isn't doing too hot either. In addition, at Disney parachuted-back-in Bob Iger has to make big portfolio decisions. Those include ESPN as a keep or throw-back. So much for sports being a must-be-there in that niche. What's ahead in entertainment/media could be massive consolidation, with large losses of ownership, power, influence, and jobs.  Here are the details from the experts. The ramped-up M&A activity could be a lifeline for law firms to have the revenue to hang on to their stars. In  Law.com , Mint...