Gawker's Doree Shafrir tells it straight-off-the-shoulder to Millennials: Manhattan might not be the first, second, or third stop after that elite college. I would add: And not after that MFA or Master's degree in journalism.
Shafrir recommends that Millennials give up the media dream, including doing serial internships and working survival jobs in hopes of landing something in the field. Instead they should stay clear of Manhattan, search for something they love to do and go on from there. The Manhattan media world was always difficult to break into, not it's probably impossible in its downsizing mode.
Before they exit the Dream, it's my hunch, they might want to go to the New York Public Library and check out two books.
One is the 1949 novel "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow. In the first person it tells the story of a hustler who navigates the world with a series of schemes. Both hustling and cunning are back. WASP or elite cool, at least when it comes to earning a buck, is out. Here is my ebook on that which has had more than a million downloads Download SavingSoulsJaneGenova.
The other is "Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us." It's the new book by Daniel H. Pink who gave us "Free Agent Nation" way back in 2001, when we assumed there would always be full-time jobs with benefits. "Drive" provides research that shows that work that we love pushes us to pull out all stops in achievement and sticking with it. As long as it pays enough to pay our bills or support a family, it's irrelevant if that labor pays a little or maximizes our income. Pink reinforces the zeitgeist: Do what you love, the money will follow.
After digesting those two books, not only the young but all generations can put themselves out there with a fresh and raw realism to earn a living. Back in 2003, a Behavioral Cognitive Therapist Amy Karnilowicz of West Hartford, Connecticut [family.therapist@comcast.net] brought me to that same point. Although professionally things didn't get easy, they became unstuck. Today I operate three niche businesses.
Comments