Since the late 19th Century, when our forebearers began the transition from animal and human-powered transportation (think oxen or horse-drawn carriages and bicycles) to the earliest cars, the automotive industry has seen a tremendous amount of change. Nearly every aspect of the way cars are designed and manufactured has undergone near continuous transformation. Through all…
While visiting a friend in Hong Kong in 1979, I was invited to tour the refugee camps that were occupied by the Vietnamese “boat people.” After the fall of Saigon in 1975, over 200,000 immigrants barely arrived in Hong Kong from Viet Nam on mostly insanely overcrowded, rickety vessels, having upended their lives and livelihoods…
First of all, I hope you & yours had a safe and healthy 4th of July! The holiday is frequently fraught with a lot of anxiety for many people and animals whose nerves get frayed because of the noise generally associated with the day’s celebrations. It’s one thing to attend a formal fireworks display, where…
A year ago, if you had asked almost any employer if their company had plans for the majority of its staff to work from home, you would have received strange looks and a rather firm “no” to you query. Certainly telecommuting has grown tremendously over the last few years, and the technologies that enable workers…
Sheila was well established as an architect long before we met over 20 years ago. She had received numerous accolades for her home and building designs and worked for prestigious companies. Having not heard from her in a long while, I was unaware that she was making a transition into a new, albeit somewhat related…
Recently a friend told me she was returning to her former place of employment. “Why would you want to be going back there?” I asked. “I thought you wanted to be going forward in your career?” The idea of her returning to that employer was a bit of a surprise because when she left her…
While talking with a couple of Gen X’ers the other night, they questioned if it was a good idea to find new employment in hopes of bettering their benefits? Certainly a good benefits package is among the reasons people accept particular jobs. But if all you want to do is improve your benefits without trying…
What does it take to get your career pursuits back on track after your plans get derailed due to a major health crisis? How do you come back after years of recuperation? Battling a major illness and recovering from a severe injury are among life’s most difficult challenges. But after all the physical healing is…
In honor of last week’s observance of Veterans Day, I thought I would dedicate a little space to issues surrounding putting veterans to work. Sadly, unemployment of returning military personnel is too high, hovering around an average of 8%. Certainly there are a variety of factors contributing to this high number, not the least of…
It is not uncommon that I talk with folks who are surprised at where they are in their jobs and careers. Not necessarily unhappy with where they are in life, but recognizing that the path taken has turned out differently from what they started out to pursue. Some aren’t sure they are where they are…
Do you ever contemplate relocating to another part of the country, or another part of the world? Do you wonder if greener pastures are on the other side? Are there new, different, more exciting opportunities for you someplace else? It certainly is possible that something different, maybe even better, awaits you in another location. But…
Did you hold on to your dreams? Do you recall when you were young and all the adults around you would ask what you wanted to be when you grew up? Did you chase those dreams into a real vocation? Did those dreams change over time? Did youthful exuberance borne of naiveté give way to…
One of the things I think some people take for granted is the freedom with which we can make change to our work lives in this country. If you’re not happy on the job, feel you could be making more money, or have more control over the work, you are free to leave your job…
The ebb and flow of populations moving in and out of urban centers has a direct effect on the growth of our economies. It seems that at present, our cities are seeing an influx of people. Some folks move to the cities to find work, others for education, or to find better access to healthcare…
Back in the day, workers spent a lot more years with a single employer than they do today. We once thought we’d spend our entire careers with a single employer, but this is no longer the case. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly rare for employees to spend more than 5 years with a single employer. …
