Fri May 18, 2012
Holiday Message from the Editor in Chief
Wouldn’t it be great to turn back the hands of time when there weren’t upwards of 15 million people unemployed, too many others under-employed and many others just barely hanging onto their jobs – a time when it was far easier to attain the dream jobs you have worked so hard to achieve?
These are tough times – made tougher and more frustrating as today’s job applicant is likely to be on the receiving end of far more rejection letters than any human being should ever have to receive in a lifetime.
As businesses continue to downsize, college and graduate students are quickly finding out that the skills they have honed may not be the ones needed in a transformational economy. Adding to this demise, Don Tapscott, author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing your World says is the fact that the institutions we have come to rely on for the past 100 years or so are being shaken at their foundations and are quickly being replaced with other methods of conducting business (see Voices article, Plugged-In and Wired for Success).
Time will tell whether President Obama and those attending his recent symposium on jobs understand that the creation of jobs for your generation is predicated on whether businesses can quickly adapt to the new domestic and international economic landscape all the while burdened by burgeoning concerns over out of control governmental spending, a $12 trillion deficit, impending inflation and the taxes that will no doubt be heaped on Americans for generations to come. Will businesses actually be able to afford to hire talent like you?
There’s no question that we live in scary times – and the fear of losing a job or not getting a job is palpable. But as the eternal optimist, I believe that even under this massive financial burden that seems to corner limitations without recourse there are bountiful opportunities.
First, instead of succumbing to the fear and hopelessness many are feeling, you challenge these feelings by exchanging them for creativity and new solutions. Rather than start by thinking how you can fit into traditional careers– for which there are far too many applicants for too few spots – think about how you can pair your expertise with your passion to fit the emerging needs of the 21st century.
Today’s job market demands that you think outside of the box. It defies the conventional, inevitable steps that for past generations would have secured you a position after law school, for example, working in a law firm or as an in-house counsel. Sure there will always be a need for good lawyers but today’s attorneys, doctors, investment bankers, clergymen and women, nutritionists, teachers, (and others) must be prepared to pioneer groundwork for the new and pressing needs that will be important for your generation.
New York Times columnist David Brooks writes, “It would be nice if some leader could induce the country to salivate for the future again.” But rather than waiting on a leader, I believe that because you have Grown up Digital, you have the power to chart new possibilities for a career and a rewarding future.
These are exciting times when with a bit of reflection, coupled with a lot of resilience, you can reap rewards in whatever career you pursue. Take Voices’ reporter James Bickford (CA) for example. Bickford, a graduate of Santa Clara University with a degree in mechanical engineering and the chief engineer on a team that competed in the 2008 international Solar Decathlon (his team won third place) currently works for a solar energy start-up and is pursuing a career in intelligent power management and solar technology.
Another Voices’ reporter Atul Singh worked for one of the most prestigious law firms in the world until he decided he wanted to become an entrepreneur and went back to school to get a business degree. After he graduates in 2010, Singh plans to start a web-portal which will be the first place for analyzing international business opportunities and the exchange of information.
Maybe in 2010 you will be the one to devise a way for people to pay for quality journalism and thereby save the newspaper industry from total collapse. Or possibly you will become a lobbyist for small businesses which have provided 75 percent of all net new jobs – as compared to the companies “too big to fail.” Perhaps you will have a meaningful experience in the New Year that offers new insights as to how you can make a difference in the lives of other people.
Every day presents a new opportunity. All you have to do is seize upon it. Good ideas and innovation attract followers. Voices was a tiny seed of passion and you are the ones who have caused it to grow into an important international forum that is read by tens of thousands of your peers around the world.
So don’t let business or political leaders define your future for you because you might be left behind. Be a part of the transformational economic landscape and innovate a new path for the future. As Gandhi said, “be the change you want to see in the world.”
Leave a Reply
world headlines
U.S. headlines
editorial headlines
