Job Hacking

Mr. Farmer was right

When I entered the 4th grade, I requested my teacher. Mr. Farmer. My parents were not wild about this choice because Mr. Farmer was the teacher who handled all the kids on the path to juvenile delinquency. And, my parents, who knew me better than I did, had me figured for a different future. Still, they supported my decision, the only time I had requested a teacher.

Looking back now, I learned more about human nature that year than any other during my Elementary years.

One thing Mr. Farmer had instituted was a reading time. The deal was that you could pick out any book in the school's library and read it during reading time. No book was off limits, and there was no pre-selected list. And did I have at that library! History, mostly. Nancy Drew, not so much. 

Over the weekend, I read that having students pick the books they like is gaining ground in the education world. And, Iike most any theory, there are some who think it's not so good, and others think it's great. 

For me and many of my peers at Hines Grade School, that one year in Mr. Farmer's class where we got to pick the books we read made a great deal of difference to our futures. I'm glad to see that some other teachers have discovered the wisdom in Mr. Farmer's method.

Ever wanted to cast a spotlight?

It's fun, you know. Shining that high-wattage light on the star. Jazz-hands. The hush of the audience.

Take a look at the reflected light of a post from The Joy of Living Creatively.

Yup, that's my wife's book he's reading, kinda cool!

Ever wanted to know what a big deal looks like?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away (yes, that would be California), a little girl went to a school for Spoiled Children (yes, that would be USC), even though she was not a spoiled child. There, she worked on the craft of acting (yes, that would story-telling).

The story went on for many, many more years after she graduated w/her BFA. She was saddled with debt, discovered that the world was not paying thespians a lot of money, embarked on a career in HR, kissed a lot of frogs, got married, had kids, and rediscovered her talent for telling stories.

Which brings us to this chapter in the story, "Falling Star":

If you want to know more about the fun of creating a book, check out Tess's blog post.

The Market Meltdown

A little far afield from recruiting, but jobs are driven by business growth, so maybe not that far!

The world-wide equity markets seem to be in free-fall, with no apparent end in sight. All the experts are in a tizzy about what to do about it. And, the Fed has cut the Federal Funds Rate by 3/4 of a point, something that hasn't been done seen since 1984.

If you want some sort of sense as to why this is occurring, check out two books highlighted on my blog's main page, "Fooled by Randomness", and "The Black Swan". Both are written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a former Securities Trader. In particular, "The Black Swan" is most directly applicable to our current situation, but "Fooled by Randomness" definitely sets the stage.

There are many good lessons to be learned from these two books, and if your job requires the application of modern statistical methods to help make decisions, it's high time you read both of them.  But I'll warn you, there's a moment where you'll say, "OMG, I've been doing this ALL wrong!"