A Thanksgiving batch of links
Since the most recent batch of links went out, paying subscribers received a meditation on midlife crises, then some reflections on working at corporate. This coming weekend, they will enjoy a recommendation about how to better to pair people up.
Below, you’ll find a batch of links that represent the themes of this newsletter, which are career development, community building, and self care.
Zoe Ball is right to leave top job in her fifties. I did it too. “My philosophy now is not about whether you work full-time or part-time. It’s about having a job that means you are not zapped of all energy to deal with the rollercoaster ride that this stage of a parent’s life can bring.”
Thanksgiving dinner is historically affordable this year.
Who told the Bros to start journaling? I’m surprised to discover this trend, as it runs contrary to what I believed that cohort would be involved with and interested in. I wouldn’t have put journaling into that category with saunas, but I supposed it’s not far off from meditation.
Why it might be easier to change jobs next year.
Should You Still Learn to Code in an A.I. World? I’ve been speaking about these boot camps a lot of late since I’ve been thinking about these boot camps a lot of late. What was that career trend, and did it work out for the people who were training there, even before the downturn slowed the pace at which people could and would be hired? This is a good look inside what was going on then - and now.
The latest news? Not right now, thanks.
Lunchables were a smashing success. Now they’re in crisis. What changed? “Although it has tried to add healthier ingredients, such as fruit in 2023, most of its products are highly processed and high in sodium and saturated fat. A ham and cheese Lunchables with crackers contains 650mg of sodium and 7g of saturated fat.” That’s what changed. An emphasis away from calling that a meal for kids.
The Midwest is drawing people in as some leave big coastal cities.
Social media creators turn to subscription apps due to increasingly competitive, volatile content economy. “Subscription platforms like Patreon address this by allowing creators to bypass the algorithm entirely, connecting directly with their most loyal fans who are willing to pay for exclusive content.” There’s a generation that not only went off on their own sooner into their careers than others may have, but also they are monetizing in any number of different ways to protect themselves.
Could tweaks to the tax code lead to more marriages — and more kids?
Employers plan to pump the brakes on hiring in early 2025. This makes sense, and it also runs contrary to the conventional talking point that after the holidays things would pick up again. There’s a lot of magical thinking about hiring practices, and people just saying things to fill space, as if they know.
A Safe Jobs Haven for Tech Majors Suddenly Looks Dicey.
Still, I’m not convinced that cosmetic procedures are really the norm for either Gen Z or millennials. And what of the 30-something who hasn’t dabbled in treatments? How much or how little are we bringing down the average? Can it really be true that, as a generation, millennials look so much younger?
Trending–people taking their friends on their honeymoons.
If My Dying Daughter Could Face Her Mortality, Why Couldn’t the Rest of Us “Medical teams may fear death, but so does society, in a cycle of suppression and evasion that ultimately fails us all. It is why so many of us feel so alone when death and grief come.” I thought this whole essay was phenomenal, but this section really hit me hard.