When doors open
“When the door cracks open, kick it in.” Whether you’re just starting out or pursuing your fifth, tenth, or fifteenth job, that’s a good rule of thumb. I heard that comment at a conference put on by the Association of Health Care Journalists this spring. At the session, which was on freelancing, writer David Dobbs...
Most adults want a different career
It’s time for a wake-up call. More than half (55 percent) of working adults want to change careers. Nearly 1 in 4 of them say they are extremely or very interested in switching careers. Just 14 percent of American workers are happily ensconced in their dream careers. These findings come from a recent University of...
How to rebound
Some people bounce back from failure or setbacks better than others. When you’re still reeling from being laid off or feeling dull and burnt out from clinging to a job that is no longer a good fit, what can you do to get your mojo back? In Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success,...
Financial giants’ humble beginnings
A recent Financial Post article about the early jobs of big enchiladas on Wall Street reminded me of something. Most powerful people do not start out that way. In fact, early on, many held humble positions that bore little relation to what they do now. Charles Schwab, founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation,...
Who wants to be a gladiator in a suit?
I recently discovered Scandal, the TV show featuring Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, a fixer for the elite. Pope specializes in damage control, mending public images and keeping secrets from leaking out. In the first episode, one of her employees asks a young lawyer whether she wants to be a gladiator in a suit. She...
Early signs of LBJ’s future in politics
Long before years of wheeling and dealing etched deep lines into his face, Lyndon Baines Johnson displayed a preternatural ability to cozy up to those in power. In college, his first job involved picking up trash, chopping weeds, and raking small rocks and lugging larger ones off campus, according to biographer Robert Caro. Whenever he...