There are a lot of reasons why I work for a large company, as opposed to a start up or myself. And it isn’t because I enjoy falling in line with the company “vision”, or enjoy dealing with people I otherwise wouldn’t associate with. The main reason is this: Stability. Recently I got a flu shot provided by my employer, and it made me sick. Or, at least lowered my immune system to allow something else to make me sick. Either way, I’m still feeling somewhat crap-tastic. And I haven’t gone to the doctor, since I know what’s wrong. But I could if I wanted to, since I have insurance. It’s that little card glistening in my wallet telling me everything is going to be ok. Here’s a rundown of how it has single-handedly saved me from bankruptcy (and possibly alcoholism):

The only ties I have ever owned were given to me by my dad. They look good, don’t get me wrong. The man is reasonably classy and has good tastes. I mean, at least we have similar tastes. He went to prep school and gets his fashion sense from that. I did not go to prep school, but looked up to him because he was the only non freak show in my life. As such, I follow in his fashion footsteps. In fairness though, my full Windsor is still pretty mediocre. What can I say? Like most Americans my age, I too will probably not be doing better than my parents.

But it’s not for lack of trying….

Or is it?

I incessantly worry over what the future economic prospects will hold for my generation, and most importantly, I can’t quite figure out where I fit in it all.  Some days I feel like I have a lot of people beaten. Others, I feel like I’m going nowhere. I’m just not sure if I’m giving it my all. But, then again, sometimes I think I am and the opportunities just aren’t there. I’m sure this is a constant worry for many, but I’m particularly concerned because I often worry about what I perceive to be compounding results.

My primary concern with compoundingresults is that if you don’t get super ahead now, are you only that much more behind over time? I keep thinking of it like it’s the natural log or something. There’s a continuous growth rate necessary for success and if you don’t get a jump on it, those who got a better break than you a little earlier on will fucking trounce you. And on top of that, any mistakes and set backs will be that much more  detrimental as well.

Basically, does anyone know where I can make a bunch of money so that I can pay my student loans off quickly?

No comments about the horrors of student loans. I am in no mood to be more bummed.

Thanks.

Matt.

I can safely assume that a good number of you who read this blog know about Brazen Careerist. So I don’t need to tell you that they’ve re-launched the site, moving away from a blog-focused site into a robust social networking tool for career-minded Millennials to advance, promote, and further themselves in an ever-tighting job market. (If you don’t know about it…well…now you do. So get on it.) Being on the older side of the “Gen-Y” spectrum, I’ve seen an evolution in how folks get hired, fired, and advanced within a company. Lance Haun over at YourHRGuy.com did a fantastic post on it, so I won’t waste anyone’s time. Considering I started my corporate career over 10 years ago, it’s safe to say that a lot of my youthful transgressions that would have otherwise kept me from being employable were fortunately done before everyone’s life was on-line.

So what’s it all about, then? Why bother connecting with folks when I’ve got a job? Simple. There is nothing static about your career anymore. Not yours, not mine. Take my own path for example.

Intern → Accountant → Chef → Accountant → Money Manager → ???

I put the ??? at the end of that because I have no idea what’s coming next. As some of you may know, I am leaving my position (and the salary) at the end of the year to go back to school full-time and finish my degree. My goal? Information Systems Management. In other words, something completely unrelated to any of my previous jobs.

So what does Brazen Careerist have to do with this? Everything. I’ve been doing quite a bit of freelance work in the last few months, with the intention of having that supplement my lack of income once I am back in school. I figured it would take 6-12 months to build up some steady business. How long did it take? 4 weeks. Why? Because of places like Brazen Careerist, I was able to connect with people that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the pleasure (or disdain) to meet. It’s been a melting pot of politics, technology, honest debate, and forward-looking people. People that are not easily found.

And seeing many of their success stories, I can be confident in leaving one career to start on another.

I always talk about getting rid of cable. Unfortunately, I never get around to it because I have little interest in dropping off the box. And, I have a routine in the morning where I watch Morning Joe on MSNBC. It’s actually a pretty terrible habit if you think about it. But, like all reasonably obsessive compulsive people, I have a hard time breaking habits.

Anyways, I always complain about Morning Joe because the pundit banter is pretty obnoxious and I think Joe Scarborough is a tool. Here’s a guy who went to UF but roots for Bama. That’s like doing a tour of duty in Iraq and going “you know what bro, I just root for Al Queda. I like where their heads’ are at and I think they’ve got a good tradition going on.”

So based on the above example, it’s clear that when watching Morning Joe, you are dealing with a complete boner of a host. As such, there are often many guests who are of the same caliber. Jim Cramer is one of them.

Jim Cramer got his first big break as a journalist by covering the Ted Bundy murders in Tallahassee. In other words, he lived in Tallahassee, which means he probably likes FSU. Hey buddy, you know why you’re bald? It’s not genetics, it’s the Lord’s way of telling you that FSU sucks and you suck for being even remotely associated with them.

Weirdly enough though, these two dipshits got something right this morning. They were talking about health care and Jim Cramer made an excellent point about the social forces that were dictating the debate and could ultimately lead to its defeat. Jim more or less explains that the people who don’t want to raise taxes on the rich are not necessarily the rich, but the average Americans who somehow think they’re going to eventually become rich. Jim goes on to explain that he’s already a millionaire and really doesn’t give a shit if they raise his taxes by a percent or two if it would save the health care system, and potentially save a whole slew of other things being paid for by the federal government. He alludes to the fact that the real problem you have is that too many people in America think they’re going to become millionaires and don’t want to be taxed more once they get there. And! Joe kind of agreed with him by regaling the panel with ridiculous stories from his youth about driving around in the panhandle and wondering how he could live in the big houses on the water and was told that all he had to do was go to school and work real hard and become a congressman and then quit and then get a tv show and then root for Bama even though the school that give him a good education was UF. Fuck you Joe. You’re a dick and I want that diploma back.

Anyway, I’m getting away from their point.

Their real point was that wanting to be a millionaire is cool, but not very likely. I agree with this.

I am not a millionaire, but would like to be. If I were to get there, I wouldn’t mind paying an extra one percent tax for other people’s health care. I’m not the most sympathetic or empathetic person, but it seems reasonable enough. So, Joe or Jim, can you guys show me where I can make a million dollars? I’m not asking for a lottery ticket bro. Just a shot at the big time. Joe, you owe me. You sold out the gator nation and I hate you.

While I am classified as being in Gen-Y (I was born in 1980), I tend to ride the fence in terms of my perceptions vs. the general sentiment of bloggers out there. One thing I’ve noticed lately is many folks giving advice (which is really closer to their opinions) on what it takes to transition into the workforce. And most of it is bullshit. But as I see it being spewn about the internet, I can’t help but remember seeing the same thing happen to me when my son was born. So how is starting a career like being a new parent?

My son will be 2 years old in August, and it’s been a non-stop learning experience since the beginning, as both my wife and I were first-time parents. Once we announced to our friends and family that we were having a baby, the floodgates opened, and out poured more useless and unsolicited advice than you could imagine. The types of advice that we received can be categorized as follows:

General Advice

This kind is pretty harmless. Most likely, these folks are just passing on some bit of experience that they’ve acquired over time, and it’s broad enough so that, while not being very helpful, certainly isn’t bad.

Outdated

I’m not saying that there aren’t things to learn from older generations. Actually, I’m a big fan of that. However, when it comes to a lot of things about raising a kid, the world has changed from when you did it 50 years ago. The technologies and education environments (not to mention medical advancements) have changed the way a lot of things are done, and for the better.

Irrelevant

I have a boy who loves to smile, wants to watch baseball before cartoons, and hates (beyond belief) getting his hair wet in the shower. So please stop telling me how ‘such and such product / service / idea’ worked for your 5 year old girl. It’s not helping. And esp. since you don’t know a thing about me or my family, what makes your believe that what you have to say makes a difference at all?

So was there anything actually useful? You bet. And interestingly enough, it came from a friend of mine who (at the time) had a 1 year old. Their experience was relevant, timely, and proved to be valuable. She told me this:

“Over everything else, never ever let the child turn you two against each other”.

She was right.