Episode 76 - Dune, Stirling Lanier & Career Risks

The Great Job Resignation is upon us! If you’re planning to take career risks, now might be the time. When everyone’s hiring, and gaps in employment history are par for the course.

In August alone 2.9% of the American workforce walked off the job. Major newspapers are calling this The Great Resignation. Half of all workers are considering career changes. Not just job changes - but full swerves into entirely new career lanes. The people have spoken. And what they’re saying is they don’t want the same old job, the same under-compensation, and the same lukewarm benefits. So if we’re quitting anyway, why not take risks?

On today's episode we talk about how and when to take career risks. We’ll differentiate between taking risks for financial gain (moving up the ladder) and taking risks for personal belief (hiring friends, championing pet projects). But perhaps the most helpful piece of guidance we can explore today is how to put being fired on your resume. Hopefully in a way that won’t make you look like the leper trying to get a fast food job. We’ll also talk about Joe’s favorite example of a man who risked his career (and got fired) publishing a novel he believed in. A novel every other publisher said was unpublishable. A little indy story called Dune.

History Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_E._Lanier

https://blog.gale.com/how-to-repair-your-ornithopter/

Science Links:

https://hbr.org/2015/04/not-taking-risks-is-the-riskiest-career-move-of-all

https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/fired-what-do-i-say-on-my-resume