SUCCESS
Lost Your Job? Announce It On Social Media
Losing your job is a traumatic experience. All at once, your life dramatically changes. You immediately start to worry about the financial implications. How long can you last in between roles? What are all the paperwork and other things that need to be reviewed and signed?
You fear telling your spouse and kids. With the labor demand cooling for white-collar workers, it could take a long time to find new employment.
Instead of keeping your job loss to yourself, it is essential that you leverage social media platforms, like LinkedIn and TikTok, to alert others that you are in need of assistance in procuring a new opportunity.
The S&P 500 And Dow Reached All-Time Highs
This can be viewed as a positive indicator for the economy, potentially leading to increased consumer confidence, business investment and job creation.
The record highs in the stock market reflects positive sentiment and confidence in the economy. Investors may view the market as a barometer of economic health, and all-time highs can signal optimism about future corporate earnings and overall economic growth.
What This Means
As stock prices rise, individuals and households that own stocks may experience an increase in their wealth. This can lead to higher consumer confidence and increased spending—referred to as the “wealth effect”—which can positively impact various sectors of the economy.
A strong stock market can potentially lead to increased business investment and expansion, which may translate into job creation. Companies may be more inclined to hire and invest in their workforce as they experience growth and profitability.
Many Americans' retirement savings are tied to the stock market. When the market performs well, it can have a positive impact on retirement account balances, potentially improving the financial security of retirees and those planning for retirement.
There’s Always A Concern
While all-time highs can be indicative of a robust economy, they can also raise concerns about market valuations and the potential for a market correction. It's important for investors and policymakers to monitor market conditions and economic indicators to ensure sustainable growth.
High-Paying Skills That Can Bring You To Millionaire Status
These skills are in high demand across various industries and can lead to high-paying career opportunities. I’m not going to sugar coat it—to learn these tech and financial skills won’t be easy. It will require a lot of work, studying and learning.
Here’s The List
Data Analysis: The ability to analyze and interpret complex data sets is highly valued in many industries.
Software Development: Proficiency in coding and software development, including languages such as Python, Java, or C++, is a valuable skill set.
User Experience (UX) Design: Understanding how to create intuitive and user-friendly digital experiences is in high demand.
Web Development: Proficiency in building and maintaining websites and web applications.
Project Management: The ability to plan, execute and oversee projects is a valuable skill set.
Financial/Statistical Modeling: Skills in financial and statistical modeling are highly valued in finance and related fields.
Cloud Computing: Expertise in cloud computing, including platforms such as AWS or Azure, is increasingly important.
Machine Learning and AI: Proficiency in machine learning and artificial intelligence is a rapidly growing field with high demand.
Cybersecurity: With the increasing importance of data security, cybersecurity skills are highly valued.
Keep Getting Your A$$ Kicked In Your Job Search? Here's How To Bounce Back
If you are in the interview process, you will need to be prepared for a long slog. There will be times when a company strings you along, neglects to offer feedback and ghosts you. It may be cold comfort, but you are not the only one going through this, as it has become commonplace in today's labor market. In this LinkedIn Live, I share how you can mentally bounce back from the suckerpunch that is job interview rejection.
Nothing Is Good And Everything Sucks, And It’ll Cost You A Fortune
While companies prioritize making products in the fastest and least expensive way possible, leading to a decline in quality due to the use of inferior materials and labor, we are also facing a "competency crisis"—a perceived decline in the skills, knowledge, or abilities of individuals or organizations. You can see this when you call up a customer service hotline, dine at a restaurant or buy products from major companies.
Incompetence denotes the inability to do a job to a satisfactory standard. If an employee completes a task on time, without errors and the way he was asked to do the work, the employee is considered competent. If the final product goes beyond what was asked of the employee, the employee is more than competent. Signs of an incompetent employee include work being submitted late, over budget, with errors or requiring considerable help from others.
Simple Laziness
A common cause of incompetence is laziness, which can lead to errors, lateness and other problems. Not double checking your work is an example of incompetence, since anyone can do that. If you include typos in written communication, these can lead to making your company look unprofessional or can cause other departments to make mistakes. Not bothering to check the status of a project you are managing or not asking for commitments in writing are other examples of sloppiness and carelessness, since you can easily do these.
A survey by Premise found that 61% of diners have noticed a decline in restaurant service quality since the pandemic. Others say that the use of pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones has led to a decline in food quality since the 1960s.
A survey by Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business found that 74% of customers have reported issues with products and services, up from 66% in 2020 and 56% in 2017. According to Forbes reporting, the quality of customer service has declined due to a decrease in employees' soft skills, such as professionalism, courtesy and attention to detail.
From Reddit:
“I hate it…since the pandemic, it seems like most of my favorite products and restaurants have taken a noticeable dive in quality in addition to the obvious price hikes across the board. I understand supply chain issues, cost of ingredients, etc but when your entire success as a restaurant hinges on the quality and taste of your food, I don’t get why you would skimp out on portions as well as taste.”
“My favorite restaurant to celebrate occasions with my wife has changed just about every single dish, reduced portions, up-charged extra salsa and every tiny thing. And their star dish, the chicken mole, tastes like mud now and it’s a quarter chicken instead of half.”
“My favorite Costco blueberry muffins went up by $3 and now taste bland and dry when they used to be fluffy and delicious. Cliff builder bars were $6 when I started getting them, now $11 and noticeably thinner.”
“F@#K shrinkflation.”
“I’ve been especially annoyed by the quality of produce lately. I feel like I used to be able to just grab some produce without closely inspecting it, but lately the produce quality is way down. Stuff goes bad faster, often I’ll find mold on the insides of peppers or packaged fruits and veggies. I grabbed a bag of potatoes that looked fine but turns out the ones in the middle were all soft and green”.
“Not just you. I keep getting moldy produce. Potatoes that look okay, but taste like mold. Celery heads that look fine on the outside, but are brown and squishy in the middle. Bags of onion that are fibrous and half rotten.”
“Our former favorite restaurant that we used to eat at weekly has made us sick the last 2 times we ate there, after several lower quality orders, so no more of that. Same experience with other places we used to frequent. Soapy tasting breakfast burritos, slimy sushi, bell peppers with brown spots. All different places. We have eaten out rarely since the onset of the panini, and it's so much disappointment when we treat ourselves and spend 60 bucks including the tip for an upset stomach and questionable at best foodstuff.”
“It sucks a lot because we both want to support local businesses but not at that cost with no quality. I blame corporate gouge, poor salaries, razor-thin profits for small businesses. Really sucks.”
“Dollar menus are not a thing. They all changed their names and no product on them is a dollar anymore. I never eat fast food anymore. It's not fast or cheap. I can get a better meal and often faster at the local diner.”
“Then there are doors flying off planes, FTX and Binance corruption. Colleges are dumbing down and focusing on nonsense. Allergies. Poison in the food.”
National Debt At $34 Trillion
The United States’ multi-trillion dollar debt is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, but it's important to consider it in the context of the overall economic picture and understand the complexities surrounding its impact.
Here's why:
Size and Growth: The national debt currently stands at over $34 trillion, and it's projected to continue growing for the foreseeable future. This rising debt level raises concerns about the government's ability to manage its finances and meet its future obligations.
Interest Payments: As with any loan, the government has to pay interest on its debt. These interest payments are taking up a growing share of the federal budget, leaving less money available for other programs and investments.
Economic Vulnerability: A large debt burden can make the economy more vulnerable to economic shocks, such as recessions or rising interest rates. If the government is forced to raise taxes or cut spending to manage its debt, it can further dampen economic growth.
Generational Burden: The growing debt also raises concerns about the burden it places on future generations. Future taxpayers will be responsible for paying off the current debt, which could limit their ability to invest in their own priorities.
However, it's important to consider the issue of debt with nuance:
Debt Relative to GDP: While the absolute size of the debt is large, it's important to consider it relative to the size of the economy. As a percentage of GDP, the U.S. debt is currently around 98%, which is lower than its peak during World War II and similar to several other developed countries.
Economic Impact: The impact of the debt on the economy is complex and contested. Some argue that a large debt burden can act as a drag on economic growth, while others point out that moderate levels of debt can be manageable and even stimulate borrowing and investment.
Debt Management: The government has some options for managing the debt, such as raising taxes, cutting spending or extending the maturity of its debt obligations. Choosing the right strategy will be crucial for mitigating the negative impacts of the debt.
How To Get A Job In Tough Times: All The Advice You Need To Succeed From A Top Executive Recruiter
There’s an old saying, “Tough times make tough people.” In this book, Jack Kelly will help guide you every step of the way in your job search to ensure that you stay strong, resilient and positive, and get that great, new job.
Great Idea!