Life Really Does Factor into Career Success (and can hold off retirement for boomers)

 "On TikTok, thousands of young people have posted videos of their travels with the phrase 'I will make my money back.'” - The Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2022

They probably will. The professional world they enter has broad skill demand, opportunities for a Wall Street career investing in tourist-related industries, and entrepreneurship as a real option for earning a good living. As for the latter, they could invent the next Airbnb. Obviously, their travels can give them unique insights for all that, a network of contacts, and confidence. 

This is a strong argument for valuing what goes on in one's life, not just what's embedded in the traditional ways of training for and pursuing a career.

Actually, that shouldn't even be needed to be pointed out.

There is the well-known anecdote of Steve Jobs' auditing for no credit a calligraphy course at Reed College. That was after he had dropped out of pursing an academic degree. The introduction to fonts was his first step in the journey toward inventing a PC with a graphical interface. The rest, as the cliche goes, is history. Life and technology intersected. 

Also well-known is that the "C" students in college become the bosses of the "A" students. On AOL, I published an article explaining why. While the "A" students were chasing the good grades that they hoped would produce the good job the "C" students were learning about people through extracurricular activities. Psychologist Dan Goleman documented the critical importance of those social skills or emotional intelligence in career success. 

An interesting deviation from the "C" student model has been the career of Brad Karp, chairperson of the elite law firm Paul Weiss since 2008. As Bloomberg Law reported, in college he had dreamed of running for Congress. So, he invested plenty of time in ventures associated with that such as writing about policy. 

However, he also achieved the stellar grades to be admitted to both Harvard Law and Yale Law Schools. Meanwhile in his current job, as another Bloomberg Law article featured, Karp is one of the most well-connected heads of law firms in the Biden Adminstration. That's a power tool for getting things done inside the beltway. It also can give him the edge in new business development. Annually he acquires about 20 accounts. 

There is also me. While I was operating a ghostwriting-speechwriting boutique on the Gold Coast of Connecticut, I spent weekends in Salem, Massachusetts. There I was learning about mysticism. That included the skills of reading the Tarot cards. When extreme-career colleagues became aware of that they chastised me for "wasting my time." I should have been networking in the Hamptons, they smirked.

That mystical avocation has allowed me to take the off-ramp from the increasingly glutted communications niche. The glut will swell as media centers, such as Vox, continue to lay off amid current uncertainty. There's a dog fight for landing assignments. In addition, the surplus of talent has depressed compensation.

Since the spring, I have a growing enterprise providing Tarot readings for professionals struggling with decisions and setbacks. Yes, I have transformed a non-work interest into a profit center. 

The hourly rate for Tarot readings is higher than that of my previous career path in content-creation. I am also treated better by clients. A business mentor has encouraged me to relocate my startup to a larger city where there is more opportunity for expansion. I am the oldest of the boomers. A hobby has faciliated my not having to retire. Yes, there is the possibility I could "make it big" in the business of mysticism. It is a $2.2 billion sector.

The reality of how things play out is this: life and work do merge. And in profound ways. GenZ is wise in grabbing experience that traditional careerists would label "not work-related." 

Your just-right professional fit. You can bypass the usual pain points. That includes Tarot readings, both spreads and one-card pulls. Complimentary consultation for coaching, job-search materials, and interviewing. Please contact janegenova374@gmail.com or text 203-468-8579.