the title of this post is from an old column that used to run in The Readers Digest magazine.  It used to tell about how someone had a really tough life problem and how they got the problem, then how they solved it – or how things got better.  there were other columns that ran, and I used to read these sitting in the laundromat, waiting for my clothes to dry, especially.  must have been that people dumped off their old magazines at the laundromat, and that was a good thing for those of us who sat for hours and did the laundry once a week – not being able to afford a washer and dryer where they lived – students, young workers, and who knows who else.  it’s where we were and how we did things like this.

yeah, my college and young career life was like that.  day by day, work my way up – had to earn every bit of it, no question in my mind – it was how it was done, back then.  still is, truth be told.

we talked to some students about careers today.  I think that what is most interesting at the end of the talks these days is the noticeable lack of questions.  here is the opportunity to be proactive, and few take advantage.  about three to be exact.  some just listened and watched, and I wondered what they were thinking.  I tried to make eye contact with everyone of the students who attended.

it is an interesting thing as you get older in your career, how you think about your early career and how differently people approach careers these days compared to that. we did not have “mobile devices” and we did not have “instant everything”, but, regardless of changes, today is much the same —  it is still a world of work, where you must figure out where the little door is to get on the train, and begin that career journey – kind of like Harry Potter at the train station… I love that part of the movie – the first one – where they are looking for their train stop.

likely some of the people were “sheerly” terrified today, listening about the “insights” that we were trying to give them, probably thinking “yikes, I screwed up – it is the eleventh hour and I haven’t done what they said.”  well, it’s never too late.

thinking of starting miz magic’s mentoring site for people who really want to get a job, want to work once they get there, don’t mind working, and don’t feel like the job and all that comes with should be “handed to them on a silver platter. voila, where’s the orange sauce?”  more it might be “get that damned thing out of your hand, stop staring at it, stop texting, and pay attention!”  or, “you want a manager job and you’ve only been here two years?  fuggeduboudit – you will need to work your ass off, just like I did and my boss did and yes, you might have to do some boring shit, but guess what?  we all have had to do boring stuff, sometimes for years, but that is how we learned about real work.  sorry, movies are fiction.  and no, you can’t bring rover to work with you and no, there is not a keg in the break room fridge…”  “get over it, get a cup of coffee and get to it!”

career development advice.  never stop learning, get used to learning from failure, and do the hard boring stuff, it builds character.  ’nuff said.