Posts Tagged → Just
Job Search: We’re NOT Just Looking For a Job
Article by Dorothy Tannahill Moran
Copyright (c) 2011 Dorothy Tannahill Moran
I recently posted a question in various Linked In groups and posed the question “What are your Career goals for 2011?” Among the many things I heard about, a common theme among the job seekers was, of course, to get a job. It didn’t stop there. We’re not just looking for a job; we’re looking for more.
I’d like to discuss some of the comments people made because I think these people are on the right track. Here are some of the things we’re looking for.
- We want to be valued. Not just for our pretty face. We want to be valued for our skills, experience, education and abilities. We’re not interested in filling up space and breathing. When we are valued in the work place, it is a sign of recognition that you have something to contribute. There is a reason for you to be there.
- We want to feel passionate about our work. When the lines of work and play blur, we are in complete bliss. It can happen and it’s great to see people out there recognize that it is possible to feel passionate about our work. You should settle for nothing less. I read that someone had studied a group where some millionaires emerged. The one most defining characteristic of those millionaires was the fact that they were deeply passionate about their work. Money follows passion. Good for us. Turns out we also feel good about ourselves when the work we do is a passion.
- We want growth or the ability to grow. An interesting thing about this is the fact that when we stop learning, we get bored and depressed. We are in constant motion of learning even though we may not realize it – and not just on the job. We’re looking for opportunities where we aren’t going to be doing the same thing year after year. Even if we’re doing the same job, we want to learn new process or new tools to do that job. Growth is not just defined as a promotion. Growth is learning.
- We’re looking for stability and good company hygiene. I don’t know else to call it. Our economic downturn has caused us to think more about how a company is run that we used to. Our experience with the downturn has taught us that at the drop of a hat, we can be out on the street. We’re looking for companies that are well managed, financially conservative and less prone to economic impact. Nice thought. I’m not sure any business, including the government, is bullet proof. I do think employees are raising the bar on flaky business practices. The day of the dot-com’s, dynamic growth is gone, at least for a while. While it was fun, the crash has been painful. Also, for those working, they are paying much more attention to the finances of their companies. We’re looking for any sign the ship is sinking.
- We want something bigger than we are. I was surprised by this one. Usually I see this sort of perspective out of boomers or people who have been working for a number of years and are ready for a change. It would seem there is a slice of the job seeker population that is looking at their contributions to be for a cause. They want to think that when they go to work that the work they do will somehow have a positive impact on other people, community or environment.
Certainly, there were a few comments about pay and benefits but it was heartwarming that those comments are much rarer that the ones above. These people were really thinking about the important aspects to a job. Growth, passion and contribution are the nourishment we need from our work, it’s what feeds us. If you are a job seeker or even in your job right now I suggest you think seriously about this list. You will be happier, less stressed and feeling like your life is going well.
Are you in love with your job? Learn how. Free Instant Access to the Career Makeover Newsletter AND eWorkbook “Should I Stay or Should I Go” – both dedicated to Your career success, when you visit http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/ From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – Your Career Change Agent from http://www.nextchapternewlife.com
Is Medicare Safe? Just Ask the Actuaries
Article by Richard Kuehn
Is Medicare Safe? Just Ask the Actuaries
The Monterey Herald ran a story 8/6 covering an annual report by the trustees who oversee Medicare and Social Security which shows that health care reforms could stave off a looming disaster in government funded benefits for a dozen more years. That is, if the report’s economic assumptions hold true, although this may be wishful thinking. The report projects the Medicare Hospital Trust Fund won’t be exhausted until 2029, 12 years longer than the estimate put out last year. However, some analysts are skeptical of the findings and even Kathleen Sebelius, one of the trustees as well as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, admitted that they were required by law to assume current laws stay in effect in making their projections. This includes cutting Medicare payments to Doctors, which she doubts will ever happen. “Which is why we continue to provide cautionary notes,” in the report, Sebelius told a reporter.
The report projects that Social Security, which will pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes for the first time in decades in both 2010 and 2011, will be out of money in 2037, the same year as forecasted in last year’s report. It predicts there will be no cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients next year, the second year in a row. Government actuaries have said that Medicare costs will consume 8% of the economy in the U.S. (compared with 3.6% now) by 2050, while the trustees assume it will only be 6%, a difference of hundreds of billions of dollars. The latter assume that Doctors will absorb a 30% cut in Medicare payments over the next three years. This seems unlikely. Any senior knows that it’s currently very difficult to find Doctors willing to accept Medicare patients because the payout is so low. If the government tries to implement these types of draconian cuts, it will only cause more Doctors to refuse to serve Medicare patients. This, in turn, will cause more stress on Doctors that do take Medicare patients, and will likely result in more emergency room visits as seniors won’t be able to get into the packed Doctors offices that do accept Medicare as payment.
Hospitals will take a huge hit, as they are big recipients of Medicare funds. Both Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula have already had to cut back staff significantly to cope with the bleak economic environment. More cuts in Medicare payments will just result in more job losses for residents here, which already has a high unemployment rate. As I have written many times on my blog, seniors are living longer and many have not planned ahead financially for the very expensive twilight years, which include increasing costs for prescriptions, medical care, physical therapy and in-home caregiving services. I urge you to get Long Term Care (LTC) insurance if you can afford it. It’s expensive, but it can help you stay in your home and comfortable in your senior years, something the government is unlikely to be able to afford to help you with.
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_15693396?IADID=Search-http://www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com&nclick_check=1http://familyinhomecaregiving.com/americans-living-longer-theyll-be-working-longer-too/http://familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member Richard Kuehn was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. He became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula.