A late October batch of links
Since the most recent batch of links went out, paying subscribers received a casual review of two memoirs, then a meditation on play. This coming weekend they’ll learn about what I got from going to urgent care earlier this year.
Below, you’ll find a batch of links that represent what this newsletter covers: career development, community building, and self care.
The Economy That’s Great for Parents, Lousy for Their Grown-Up Kids.
Ask many older Americans how they are faring financially and they’ll tell you they are comfortable. Their houses and 401(k)s have soared in value and they’re looking forward to secure retirements. Yet many are brimming with pessimism about the economy because they see how their children are struggling—to find jobs, to afford mortgages or even rent, to pay for healthcare and child care.
Why Job Hunting Feels Impossible Right Now. Good coverage. The young grads are the ones most in jeopardy of missing out on careers they were promised. There’s really nothing good to say about the jobs market at the moment, especially for those who are left on the outside looking in on promise.
Tech hopefuls are listing San Francisco in their online bios — even if they don’t live there.
See How the Average U.S. Worker Has Changed Over 250 Years. This is an extremely smart and savvy way to tell a story about changes over hundreds of years, taking the roles that remain consistent to what we know as necessary jobs and comparing what those same jobs look like over time. I never considered this approach before to tell the story about a simple, standard evolution of the country over time.
LinkedIn engineering VP says technical skills alone ‘don’t cut it’ for entry-level engineers.
Are Kids Still Looking for Careers in Tech?
AI is such a new field that’s evolving, that if we’re able to set roots in it right now, we’d be able to see that outcome as we grow older. Understanding its security is very important to me, especially considering it’s being used almost blindly by everyone. What interests me is being at the forefront and making sure I can have some say in how my data is being used.
‘Job huggers’ are a new cybersecurity problem.
Why isn’t AI creating any new jobs? I’m unconvinced that past poor periods for employment are any indication of what’s happening now and ahead. I would prefer that we not depend on academics and so-called experts to guide us about what to expect. It’s just all so bleak, and any false hope that 2026 will be any better than 2025 has been doesn’t sit well with me.
The housing market’s fall surprise: Buyers are back, and Zillow says the momentum isn’t over yet.
Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite.
A leaner new normal for employment in the U.S. is emerging. Large employers are retrenching, making deep cuts to white-collar positions and leaving fewer opportunities for experienced and new workers who had counted on well-paying office work to support families and fund retirements. Nearly two million people in the U.S. have been without a job for 27 weeks or more, according to recent federal data.
Grab a hard hat. Here are the most dangerous jobs in America.
Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound. This was particularly good writing on this subject matter: “It was amazing how profoundly people could misunderstand one another, and assume that others didn’t mean what they were saying—how minds could wrest sense out of things that made no sense.”
The Great Resignation is over — unless you’re a retail CEO.
CEOs don’t call the shots. Some of the difficulties that people run into with senior-most leadership might not be about anything more than the executives being ill-prepared for the role. I haven’t seen previously anyone write about this subject, something that I’m sure comes up more often than I realize. Executive coaches do their part to provide a needed salve.