Newsletter - Silicon Valley Mood Disorder

The Silicon Valley Mood Disorder

Dealing Constructively with the “Silicon Valley Mood Disorder”
What Would You Have to Give Up to Live Your Dreams?
Quote of the Month

Dealing Constructively with the Silicon Valley Mood Disorder

Undoubtedly you know someone who has been down-sized, right-sized, excised or capsized by the economic changes sweeping Silicon Valley and beyond. I know dozens people in career transition. (I keep their names on a post note on my computer so I can send them job leads and words of encouragement.)

Some of them are among the most talented and remarkable people I’ve ever known. And yet even these valuable contributors feel the sting of being “laid off” or labeled “unemployed”. We have got to find a way to make these transitions dignified and graceful.

Consider the following:

People entering the workforce today will change jobs on average 17 times in their career. How many different jobs have you had so far? In how many different companies? Lifetime employment is a thing of the past. Check out concepts popularized by the Career Action Center ( www.careeraction.org ) like:

Career Self-Reliance
Workforce Resilience

If you don’t know what these are it’s time to learn about them.

Or have a gander at Charles Handy’s book “The Age of Unreason”. Handy points out that “. . .we should stop talking and thinking of employees and employment. They are words, after all, which only entered the English language some 100 years ago. . . . If everyone were treated as self-employed during their active years, then by law and logic they could not be UNemployed.”

And a few more stats for you analytical types:

As of last month the median time it was taking people to find their next job was 6 to 7 weeks. (US BLS) While in the past 80% or more of jobs were obtained through networking and personal connections, now some experts in the field say that figure may be as high as 95%. Prime the pump before you’re thirsty. Stay in touch with friends, colleagues and associates. Help them find jobs when they are looking. Pick up the tab at lunch when you are employed. And make sure you have enough cash reserves to cover the lead time to get a new job.

What Would You Have to Give Up to Live Your Dreams?

Many people are finding that being in job transition is an opportunity in disguise. Sometimes it’s just the kick in the pants needed to force a reconsideration of priorities, or the catalyst to take a risk they’ve been avoiding.

Take a moment to write down the answer to the question “What would you have to give up to live your dreams?” Is it a particular view of yourself? A certain lifestyle? Your current definition of success? A salary to which you’ve become attached?