Follow Up to "Career Doldrums"

Just a quick follow up to my previous post.

I was a bit unfair in saying that the book advises you to deal with doldrums by changing careers. That's not all it does. It's also great confidence booster, especially for baby boomers who are worried that they're too old to find a new job.

It explains the differences among the Baby Boom, Gen X and the latest generation (Gen Y. See Wikipedia's List of Generations for generation definitions.) This comparison serves as a foundation to convince the baby boomer that his/her contribution at a new company will be valued. Gen Y wants immediate gratification and frequent rewards, but Baby Boomers don't need that. Gen Y doesn't want to waste time giving their boss progress reports -- they just want to dive in to the work and finish it as quickly as possible.

The generational comparisons also help older workers understand their younger bosses, who come in to the workplace and turn it up-side-down.

So I found it interesting. And it ultimately helped me understand that I might be better off staying where I am.

Resources from the "Career Doldrums" Book

I finally got around to reading "Escape the Mid-Career Doldrums: What to do Next When You're Bored, Burned Out, Retired or Fired", which I mentioned in my January 17 post, "Book Recommendations From CareerBuilder.com".

Basically, the Escape involves switching careers. This involves making extreme financial sacrifices and tapping into a vast store of retirement savings. The assumption is that you've already raised your child(ren) and he/she/they've somehow managed to become self-sufficient. For some reason, the book didn't mention playing the lottery.

This is not a book written for my generation.

Anyway, I wanted to record some of the online resources that the book offers:

www.engineeringjobs.com

Occupational Outlook Handbook -- www.bls.gov

www.hotjobs.com

www.jobbankusa.com

www.computerwork.com

www.computerjobs.com

www.dice.com

www.justtechjobs.com


Philanthropy News Digest -- news regarding fundraising and establishing a foundation.
www.foundationcenter.org/pnd

www.idealist.org

www.nonprofitoyster.com


Self Employment

www.betheboss.com

www.money.cnn.com

www.wibo.org "Boot camp" for entrepreneurs.

www.franchise1.com

www.smartbiz.com

www.sbaonline.sba.gov

Enjoy!

How New Blinds and Windows Can Keep You Cool

I've had the new window shades since November, but I didn't start to appreciate them until the warm weather arrived.

The neat thing about these shades is that they open at the top and the bottom. So do the windows. (The picture is of Bali's DiamondCell - Solitaire 3/8" Double Cell Shade, which is the style of shade I bought and installed.)

So that means I can keep the top of the windows and blinds open even at night without compromising privacy. And the hot air that collects near the ceilings can leak out more easily.

It also helps that the window panes are coated to reflect the heat of the sun.

It's simple things like this that prevents us from wasting energy.