Here’s a well-written blog that offers good practical advice for young educated professional people trying to ride out the recession. I can’t relate to it because I’m not a young professional person, and I’m not about to enroll in an MBA program or go for a law degree, and if I were 24 right now, I would probably be more likely to do something daring and fun, like joining the Air Force and going off to one of our wars (yeah, I’m a little weird that way and never would have considered doing this when I actually was 24).
Come to think of it, I was 26 during the Reagan recession, the last time we saw unemployment of these levels, and after working at a donut shop and a printed circuit board factory with my Writing degree and my 3.7 cum, I did join the Army.
Just a Cold War then. I lived in Germany. Nobody ever shot at me. I stood on the border once between East and West and dipped my toe over the line while East German machine gunners in a tower watched my wife through binoculars. I traveled all over Europe, except for the side where I wasn’t allowed. I hated the Army, but never regretted the decision for a minute.
So do I have a point? Yeah, maybe. Why sink 30 grand on an MBA that will probably mean squat in the long run? Ride out the recession by taking a chance. Do something bold. Screw career progression and all that crap. Recover when the economy recovers. If you’re really so brilliant, you’ll find a way.
In the meantime figure out a way to do something different and fun.
I got out of the Army at 31. I was an enlisted guy with a Master’s degree in Information Systems by then. I’d been to all kinds of places. I climbed up inside big golf balls and repaired satellite dishes in Japan as a civilian for a year, drove like a madman through the streets of Istanbul after that. And eventually had a decent career. I started out at 30k. Believe it or not that was considered big money back in 1987 for a guy that age.
Yeah, maybe I could be a hotshot laid-off businessman now with a BMW sitting in my big garage right now instead of a Sentra, but so what? Being conventional sucks.
Now back to the geekmba360 blog. It’s a really good blog, and I totally understand the desire to be successful in life, but as the great food critic Anton Ego says in Ratatouille, “What we need here is some fresh perspective.” I’m just trying to provide some.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, Jack,
Great article. And thanks for commenting on my website!
Although I went through the business school process myself during the last recession (i.e. the dotcom bomb), I actually quite agree with your points. Over the years, I kept telling people that attending expensive graduate programs such as MBA or JD will not solve one’s career problems. And I wish more people explore different paths before they fix their goals onto getting an MBA. Our country and our society are much better off with more people who’re making things, as opposed to work in investment banking or management consultant.
I do think that getting MBA does help people who want to make career transition to certain jobs (e.g. banking, management consulting, brand management). But, it’s neither sufficient nor necessary. It just helps.
I also quite enjoy your writing on layoff after 50. As you might have read on my site, I did “layoff satisfaction survey”. One common response I got back was the challenges faced by folks who’re over 50 — higher pay, more expensive medical, etc. But, I’ve also heard inspiring stories from folks who’re in their late 60’s or even 70’s. They were able to get jobs relatively quickly after they were laid off because they’ve kept learning new things. As more baby boomers will be facing “retirements”, I think this will become an increasing important topic.
Sorry for the long comments (I couldn’t find any contact information on your site.) I actually want to ask you if you’d be interested in making a guest post on my blog, providing a different and refreshing perspective on careers, and enlighten my readers.
thanks
Hi Bill,
Thanks. Did you read this article in the New York Times? It’s sort of expands on your point about making things. The writer is actually a motorcycle mechanic and he’s got a book on the topic. I have a good friend, Greg, born the same week as me, who also works on motorcycles. He was smart and we agreed on everything but it took him forever to get his degree. He just wanted to teach track to young kids, listen to jazz and work on bikes, and I remember him saying to me one day, “You know, not everybody is meant to go to college.” I never forgot that, and I believe it.