Education & Careers » entertainment

Education vs. Experience: Don’t kid yourself!

marcus — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:08:09 +0000

The debate is not a new one. Self-made entrepreneurs thumb their noses at their school-going counterparts, insisting that you can’t learn to be successful in school, that the really important lessons can only be gained through real-world experience. They will even go so far as to claim that education is just an unsubstantial stamp of approval with very little value behind it. To these lucky few, I would say the following…

First, for every self-made millionaire who rejected higher education and hit the big time, there are thousands of other degree-less workers who will be forced to settle for low-paying, unsatisfying jobs for the rest of their careers. You see, the anti-college millionaire is the exception rather than the rule. Meanwhile, those others who decided to skip college find themselves under a very low glass ceiling. They make up the vast majority of those who skip higher education. Those who work while their peers go to school may find themselves making more initially. But the statistics plainly show that their degree-holding peers quickly and uniformly surpass them in pay and promotions.

An old adage says, "Experience is the best teacher." Numerous other adages, however, say, "Learning from others’ experience is best of all." In essence, that is what higher education is, a collection of the experience, successes, and mistakes of the past. It gives students exposure to knowledge, concepts, and people that they would never have known otherwise. Beyond just career success, education imbues individuals with awareness beyond their day-to-day world. I believe this trait is called being well-rounded.

Am I rejecting the value of real-world experience? Absolutely not. Experience is an invaluable companion to education, and it becomes proportionately more important as one’s career progresses. I am opposed, however, to those who would devalue education as a foundation for success. Common sense does not support their claims. The statistics certainly do not support their claims.

Don’t kid yourself! School is the best way to build a foundation for the rest of your career. Of course, ultimate success will depend largely on how the individual chooses to perform after school. But there can be no denying that school is the best way to start.

Recession-Prone Careers Headed for Disaster

marcus — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:53:40 +0000

There comes a point in the movie Titanic when it finally dawns on the fated ship’s passengers that they’re going down. Of course, by that time, it’s too late for most of them. They scream, fight, fall from incredible heights (like that propeller guy… ouch!), and overturn lifeboats, only to suffer the same watery death in the North Atlantic. Like the Titanic of old, our economy is heading for an iceberg, if we have not already hit it and are taking on water.

Not all job sectors will sink to an icy doom. As has been reported and regurgitated across the internet, some job sectors are supposedly “recession-proof,” like health care and information technology. That’s great- the flood of people switching to careers in health care will probably neutralize any benefits that might have been had. Perhaps of more concern, however, should be those careers that are most likely to get hit hard by the recession. You know, give those folks time to get to the lifeboats.

This list is based on two simple economic assumptions. First, tighter regulation and control, particularly in lending institutions, will severely limit the number of loans made. Second, when jobs start disappearing, people stop spending on things they don’t really need. Even if they hold onto their job, they’re still spooked enough to hit the brakes on those shopping sprees. Based on these assumptions, the following job sectors are most likely to get hit hard by the recession. Consider yourself forewarned:

1. Mortgage Lending – I know, I know. No big light bulb on this one. These people have been getting sent to the slaughter in droves for months. With mortgage standards tightening up, the number of loans approved will drop, taking loan officer commissions with them. Needless to say, it is no longer the kind of business where you just have to get your license and some cute business cards and watch the money roll in.

2. Real Estate Sales – Your local realtor would tell you that now is a great time to buy a home. “It’s a buyer’s market,” they would say, and they would be right. But that’s good news only for first-time homebuyers. If you think about it, most people need to sell their existing home before they can get into another one. If it’s a buyer’s market, that means more houses are being sold than there are people to buy them. And that means most people won’t be able to get into their new home because they won’t be able to sell their existing home. Also, during a recession, consumers get very nervous about throwing their money around. That means they may forego buying that house until things get better. Add in tougher loan guidelines, and you’re looking at a rough ride for real estate agents.

3. Retail – Specifically, retail of luxury goods, things people don’t necessarily need. People will always need basic food and clothing. But when inflation goes up and people’s financial futures are in doubt, you can bet that the first things to get cut from the old budget will be plasma TVs, Coach handbags, luxury cars, and other nice-to-haves. This translates into instability for those who work in retail (unless they are selling necessary goods).

4. Leisure – Tourism and other leisure industries are likely to take a hit. When extra spending money dries up, so do family cruises, visits to the spa, and Disneyworld vacations. People will forego the body peel, the upper lip waxing, or jet skiing in Tahiti in favor of saving for a rainy day, which could come sooner than later. Ironically, many people may find themselves less stressed knowing they’ve got their backs covered than they would have after that Swedish deep-tissue massage.

5. Entertainment – Unfortunately, concert tickets, movie tickets, and music CDs are considered luxury items. And Hollywood has never been shy about downsizing its workforce in lean times. Rest assured it won’t be Tom Hanks or Angelina Jolie taking a pay cut. Movie extras, production assistants, and stagehands, beware! Your chances of really making it in the biz never were very good. So now is a great time to jump ship and find stable ground.

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Being a Sidekick Rocks!

marcus — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:13:34 +0000

In continuation of Wired’s March article on sidekicks, I felt moved to write on the plusses of being a sidekick. After all, it’s not that bad of a career. True, sidekicks are usually given the weaker wardrobes to make their star partners look better, they don’t get the girl, and they typically have zero say in what happens, even if it means charging into certain doom. Before you count out sidekicking as a career, however, consider the following perks:

1. Zero accountability – What’s the first rule of leadership? Everything’s your fault. Sidekicks don’t call the shots, therefore they have no accountability. If Batman accidentally incinerates Gotham’s west side in a fiery blast, everyone’s going to come down hard on the Dark Knight. Robin can make a quick exit to Metropolis or something.

2. Less angst – Most A-list superheroes have turned to brooding as of late. Their parents were killed. They never knew their home planet. Nobody appreciates them. Whatever the reason, they sit for hours on darkened rooftops or fortresses of solitude pondering the weight of their callings. Makes for a pretty dreary personal life. This is not so for sidekicks. Sidekicks tend to be more chipper, less weighed down with grief and stress.

3. Fashion freedom – Being a headliner puts a lot of pressure on you to look the part. The public expects conservative, masculine, not too showy. This makes for limited fashion options. Sidekicks, who are already kinda funny and cute by nature, are free to wear whatever they want. If Robin wants to dress like he’s headed to Mardi Gras, nobody cares. If Supergirl wants to change from a spandex bodysuit to a sassy white t-shirt and skirt, nobody gives a hoot. Some sidekicks like Pepper Potts and Jimmy Olsen just go casual.

For those now convinced of the awesomeness of being a sidekick, take a look at this gallery of some other great sidekicks: