The New Workers

I was reading a Wall Street Journal article about the problems of graduating college this year. The author points out that, with the economy, job seekers will have to either make less than they anticipated, or start in a different industry than they wanted to.

Good.

We no longer live in a society where you can graduate and immediately make $40K a year. That was called a bubble, and it’s burst.

And about changing industries: every single person I work with is doing a different job than the one they went to college for. Some still work in a similar industry—a nurse becoming a manager at a pharmaceutical company, for example—but none of them are doing what they planned.

Listen, all you graduating seniors: Grab this opportunity.

1. Learn rigorous financial scrutiny. Watch every dollar you spend. Literally, record every purchase and compare it to your other purchases. Don’t worry; you won’t have to do it forever. But this will keep you from becoming like my generation, which bought more than we could afford.
2. Explore the job world. Your goal right now is to get as many job offers as possible. So, apply for jobs you never thought you’d want. What’s the worst that can happen? You can always politely decline their offers. You can find some fantastic people to work for, and you can learn skills that you’d never get in your intended industry. Heck, why not take a 3-month job in a weird industry?
3. Meet a lot of people. Make a big network of friends and acquaintances. You don’t have to like all of them. But many of them will be useful, and the bigger the pie, the bigger the slice.

In general: Take advantage of this. Please.

If you want a job, drop me a line, and I’ll try to hook you up with someone.