Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
I know some people who've gone and started their own business. They're entrepreneurs, and frankly, pretty impressive people. They've got their own jobs, and though its work, its work they love.
People often look at such people with envy – they want to make the leap to owning their own business, freelancing, etc. They want to be entrepreneurs.
They already are, the problem is they don't know it.
More on my ideas on helping cons appeal to progeeks and profans. Previous articles are: here, here, and here.
In my musings, speculations, and ideas on ways to add more professional and career-building events to conventions, I've talked about guests that people can invite to conventions. I want to talk about something that's often missed.
Local guests from local businesses.
And let's get down to some more boring career advice! You know you enjoy it, if only because it saves on sleeping pills!
Today's subject – stability versus profit at work.
Sure we all want high levels of pay, and a lot of us probably deserve them. However one of the factors to consider in long term career planning, is that just because you get paid a certain amount a year on average, it doesn't mean that's what you'll make in the end. You will face pay cuts, layoffs, etc.
That has to be taken into account in working on long-term plans and budgets.
What's the average rate of pay in your profession – and the average amount of time someone spends unemployed – and how often does it happen? If you've found over eight years that you get laid off every 2 years and it takes you 3 months to find a job, that's not eight years of solid employment – that's 12 entire months of unemployment in 8 years – you really only worked 7 years. In short, you made 7/8 of your pay rate (not counting unemployment and severance of course).
That little bit of math can be a lifesaver in long-term planning because it not only lets you project ahead and tells you about your unemployment prospects (for instance in some professions certain months and quarters are more likely for layoffs), but also lets you do some long-term budgeting. You can, with just basic math skills, do a bit more planning ahead and calculations to stay on an even keep financially.
So, take an inventory of your past employment and see what you can see in layoffs, hiring, and how it might impact your budget.
– Steven Savage