Comments on: Your Job Search: Give Up Unreachable Goals

By: How to Turn UNemployment into FUNemployment | The GoalTribe Blog

How to Turn UNemployment into FUNemployment | The GoalTribe Blog — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:50:03 +0000

[...] Your Job Search: Give Up Unreachable Goals (punkrockhr.com) [...]

By: Allan Bacon

Allan Bacon — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:53:15 +0000

The other problem with our focus on “work as everything” is that it takes away the time and mental energy we could be using to explore and experiment with other things (outside of our jobs) that could ultimately lead us to meaningful work. I think this is why so many people feel stuck after years of just taking the next job after the next job.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:26:54 +0000

@latinahr I really applaud and support this. That’s a smart way to think about life & what’s most important. Way to live your values!

By: Ian

Ian — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:31:49 +0000

Discussions on this topic always make me think of my favourite line in Fight Club: “We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

It’s a perceptive take on GenX’s general disaffection and alienation and I think it goes double for the millenials. Not to say it’s an apology or an excuse for people who use said disaffection as a reason to do nothing but slack and complain (I mean, slack if you like, it’s your call, but don’t complain if you don’t get anywhere), but it’s a really helpful little line for understanding where they’re (we’re) coming from.

By: Latina HR

Latina HR — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:26:38 +0000

There was a time when I thought that I had to give 200% of myself to a job, work late hours & weekends, work thru my lunch breaks and really dedicate myself to the detriment of my family…when I was let go on a Friday and the bosses new daughter in law was in my office on a Monday, I quickly realized what I fool I was. It was a big wake up call for me and it took months to “get over it”. When I finally snapped out of it, I took my career towards a different path. The next job I took was working for a smaller company, I did not clock in the hours and I made sure that I took some time for my personal needs each day. I’m much happier now then I ever thought I was before and this is just the beginning. In the next year I plan to redirect my entire career into a totally different path including writing a book and spending more time persuing personal goals such as travel. I downsized everything including putting my big house up for sale, just so that I dont have to take a job for the money….so far its been an exciting new journey and I’m really looking forward to staying on track!!!

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:48:43 +0000

@Nelking Now go use some Burt’s Bees!

@Class that woman who spends $536 is probably mortgaged to the hilt with no savings.

By: class factotum

class factotum — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:43:44 +0000

Oh yes. Do not make your job your identity because if you do, you will be devastated when you are laid off along with 800 other salaried employees at HQ. You had to know it was coming because they ran out of hourly people to lay off a long time ago. Five years of layoffs will do that. And yes, you will be devastated anyhow, but it hurts worse if you are emotionally attached to the job.

It will be worse when you take that Christmas temp job at Macy’s at Christmas in Women’s Finer Sportswear (Ralph Lauren, Dana Buchman) and wait on two of your former colleagues who are still employed. You know — the ones who were on the team YOU WERE RUNNING.

Yes, there is dignity in all work and you are happy to have the job because hey, you have a mortgage that has to be paid, and you do get a 20% employee discount, which is why the women who work full time at FedEx are also working at Macy’s in the evening (although you for sure aren’t using it because see: mortgage), but damn, you never did like that woman and it is a little galling to ring up her $536 purchase while you are working for $9/hour before taxes.

By: nelking

nelking — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:18:41 +0000

Death is natural. I will never look at a “natural” product again without thinking: Death. cobra venom, and black widows.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:44:52 +0000

@Tracy Tran Who gets two job offers, these days? Anyway I get your point but sometimes aspirations are misguided or immature. I have relatives who still think they have talent like Britney Spears. I’m like, yeah, okay, you can hope to be discovered but please get yourself a job, yo.

@Jenn OMG, the list of natural stuff is brilliant. Death. Death is natural, too.

By: Jenn Barnes

Jenn Barnes — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:21:01 +0000

Right ON. I’m not surprised that some people don’t get this concept, though. In America, we reward persistence. However, misplaced persistence can be a major hazard professionally, psychologically, socially, economically, etc. Put it this way: stalkers are very persistent.

It reminds me of the “natural” argument people use. “This product is NATURAL so you can’t be allergic to it or have a bad reaction from it, it has to be GOOD for you”. Guess what else is NATURAL? Cobra venom, black widows, tobacco, a lion’s teeth, lava, poisonous mushrooms…