According to the founder of Squidoo.com and author or 13 books, the current "recession is a forever recession" because it's the end of the industrial age, which also means the end of the average worker.

"For 80 years, you got a job, you did what you were told and you retired," says the former vice president of direct marketing at Yahoo! People are raised on this idea that if they pay their taxes and do what they're told, there's some kind of safety net, or pension plan that's waiting for them. But the days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.

If you're the average person out there doing average work, there's going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it's assigned to you, or "never mind the race to the top, you'll be racing to the bottom."

However, if you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more, Godin says.

Instead of waiting around for someone to tell you that you matter, take your career into your own hands. In other words, don't wait for someone else to pick you and pick yourself! If you have a book, you don't need a publisher to approve you, you can publish it yourself. It's no longer about waiting for some big corporation to choose you. We've arrived at an age where you choose yourself.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youre-...z1jwt8NhCZ

The 20-20% of Americans whom are unemployed may actually never find legitimate work again. It's a scary thought.

I love the message here, but I'd say its even worse then Seth is saying. Even if you work hard and perform above average you still will end up at the bottom. You cant just work anymore, this is what I've realized in the last 6 months. I've busted my ass, I work damn hard and out perform everyone, but at the end of the day I just work and it isn't paying off. In fact its doing the opposite.

I've been reading his book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Excellent book. I agree with his books premise, you have to see your work as your art and touch the people you communicate with. Offer far more value than people pay for and through the Commandment of Scale you'll be paid more than you offer.

I'm very glad I am in the track I am. I feel that with the new economy of the internet the people who go and grab the opportunities available will end up living great lifestyles and making a good amount of cash. There's never been a better time to be a young guy, provided you are exposed to game and business concepts early.

The Tim Ferris lifestyle seems very achievable with the advantages I have had through sheer luck and knowing the right people who have given me great life changing advice. I feel like anything's possible. I am eternally grateful for this advantage while my classmates are heading towards a life of student debt and shitty jobs.

Bottom line: Work fucking hard.

Very very good. Another great book in line with this is "Education of Millionaires". Very much about the practical skills common to successful people needed to actually make it today, as opposed to what you get taught in school and university.

Quote: (01-20-2012 03:15 AM)mofo Wrote:  

Bottom line: Work fucking hard.

And work smart.

These Canadians talking... it's almost like they're trying to have a conversation and not just yell at each other. Wtf?

Better yet: let other monkeys work hard. This is the age of scammers. Those who manipulate, lie, and cheat will do the best.


Obviously this will end in tears. Exploit while you can.

the overcompetitive nature and high unemployment of the US system is not sustainable. 20% of the population out of work? The severe decline of male workers? That's gonna lead to violence and crime, not to mention a breakdown of the social structure. When you have lots of bitter unemployed men, you get violence and drug dealers.
If you've ever read Marx, you know that the unemployment crisis is beneficial to the rich, as the unemployed compete over jobs and drive down wages to record lows; and if you've ever looked into a history book, you know that high unemployment is not sustainable. This situation violates the second bill of rights to a before-unseen degree, and perpetual adversity breeds radicalism (why we have NDAA2012 lol).

It's going to end either with a gradual shift, or we're gonna see a LOT more OWS-like movements, followed by violent protest. Seth Godin's implication that this is "the new way" is simple crap. If this is the new way, it won't last long. If anything people will leave the country.

Quote: (01-21-2012 10:03 AM)Samseau Wrote:  

Better yet: let other monkeys work hard. This is the age of scammers. Those who manipulate, lie, and cheat will do the best.


Obviously this will end in tears. Exploit while you can.

This. So much.


All of you saying "work hard" haven't done so and been completely unrewarded for it. I've worked my ass off since I Got my first job, which was the only job that actually gave me something for my effort.

Every other job I've held I've been easily the best employee, but I was one of the few HONEST employees. I didn't bend the rules, slight the system, and kiss ass in place of hard work and I got nothing.

I've watched as people who do less then half the work I do get promotions and raises while I continue to toil because I was a "good" worker who did the right thing.

Dont be a hard worker, be a crafty worker. Do your job but always look for the loopholes and exploitable areas that you can take advantage of to further yourself. Fuck everyone else. The more you try to be a good guy and help the majority the more you'll end out in the cold when everyone else gets what they want.

They wont come back for you.

Whatever business your in, slit throats. As long as it'll move you up, do it. You have no friends at work. As soon as they become your friend they'll take advantage of that fact and use you as a stone to step up.

I've just realized this in the last couple months as I personally increased my employers profits by 30% over the previous year and four other people who aren't me got promotions and raises because rather then do the work like I did they pandered to the management, kissed ass, and snaked their way in.

Godin just elaborated the hunch I've had for a year or so. Working for a company(not yours) is like a Western modern marriage: You can get comfortable by the semblance of security while the other party can sever the arrangement (at-will employ or divorce) at any time, financially fucking you over.

I feel that every man in this 20's should have 1 or more talents or trades(optimally not physical in nature) that he can leverage into at least a part-time side job.

And I never like working with female bosses. They're either 110% incompetent(EEO) or the cunt with penis-envy.

In a way, I just recently went through this at work. The government agency that I am a contractor for decided to move away from certain vendor/technology combination. I was an expert with that same vendor/technology combination to the point where my day-to-day job was EASY...and able to bill the government agency a nice hourly rate.

Of course, being always ready to adapt, I went I acquired knowledge in the NEW technology that the agency wants to use.

Yeah, I found a new job very quickly and yeah I get paid the same nice amount but I now work for and employer who is fast-paced and aggressive. Basically, MY ASS NOW HAS TO WORK!

I just hope I can keep up at my older age **gulp**

Pretty sure Anthony Bourdain once said, "It's almost never a good career move to have a conscience."

Think on that for a while.

For anyone who is looking for an excellent, albeit dated, web design book, The Big Red Fez by Seth Godin is fantastic.

Quote: (01-21-2012 10:03 AM)Samseau Wrote:  

Better yet: let other monkeys work hard. This is the age of scammers. Those who manipulate, lie, and cheat will do the best.


Obviously this will end in tears. Exploit while you can.

Didn't the CON artist always thrive even in ancient times until today?

He is absolutely, 100% correct.

Deep down inside, you always knew that idiot baby boomer manager with the McMansion wasn't earning his keep.

There's this whole class of coattail riders in suburbia who are in for a really big letdown.

The "average" worker is also saddled in debt and has mouths to feed, thus doesn't have much wiggle room to take risks or venture outside of the routine. Staying light and nimble (debt-free and single) is going to be a huge competitive advantage in coming years.

Quote: (01-24-2012 12:08 PM)PDX Wrote:  

The "average" worker is also saddled in debt and has mouths to feed, thus doesn't have much wiggle room to take risks or venture outside of the routine. Staying light and nimble (debt-free and single) is going to be a huge competitive advantage in coming years.

Debt free is cool, but I've heard that not procreating can leave you feeling emotionally isolated in old age.

Basically, capitalism in america doesn't look like it's working that great. We're going to have to have higher taxes most likely. Pretty much socialism. We have a ton of abundance, but human capital is no longer as necessary or as easy to allocate properly as it was for the last 50 years in industrialized nations. if intellectual property keeps getting stolen left and right, then the information economy has some serious holes.

Quote: (01-28-2012 06:09 AM)Rurik Wrote:  

Basically, capitalism in america doesn't look like it's working that great. We're going to have to have higher taxes most likely. Pretty much socialism. We have a ton of abundance, but human capital is no longer as necessary or as easy to allocate properly as it was for the last 50 years in industrialized nations. if intellectual property keeps getting stolen left and right, then the information economy has some serious holes.

stealing intellectual property is painfully simple with the internet. My cat could do it.

The problem is also the distribution of wealth--any time you demand a return to the living standards & taxes we had in the past, some fatcat circlejerks over Fox news about how it's class warfare. I'm sure the Rothchilds need their tax cuts more than I do.

We'll either see a return to the way things were, with some minor changes (obviously, some more labor-wringing, but not as much as Godin says), or we'll see socialism through necessity. The natural destructive tendencies of capitalism are simply excessive when not reigned in, and since there are no longer unions to provide the benefits, yep, we're gonna see the government forced to pick up the slack. If either of those two options aren't exercised, it's gonna look like Escape from New York.

The problem is, we are still all interconnected because we(Americans) are a consumer economy and that's what drives the market. Even if you do start a business or become an author or whatever, your business is still going to be contingent on providing some services to average people. Sure there are exceptions like being the attorney who only works for high profile celebrities. But for most business owners, they are too tied into the wider economy to not be hurt by having so many people out of work. During the OWS protests someone had a sign that said that even if you're gainfully employed you should be worried because your workplace probably depends on selling or providing service to the 99%.

The problem is that there's just not enough room for everyone at the top. Not everyone is going to be able to be a high value person, offering high value products or services that people will pay top dollar for. Most people just don't have that level of ingenuity. So while Seth may be totally right and his advice is spot on the for the very smart and talented. It won't be of much consolation to a 48 year old auto worker having his plant shut down.

I've seen the race to the bottom first hand. My dad is a retired GM worker. He was totally doing hands on robotic work his whole life. He was making like $60-80,000 a year for doing mindless robotic work. He only had a high school diploma. He told me that new hires in plants are only getting like $12 an hour. The union has been gutted. If the union starts grumbling about more pay and benefits, they just threaten to shut the plant down and move to Mexico. That's exactly what happened with the Nissan plant in Smryna, Tennessee. They are not even allowed to unionize and if compelled to they said they'll shut down and move abroad. The new hires make a fraction of what my dad made. I've witness this change within about a decade.

Quote: (01-28-2012 01:57 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

The problem is that there's just not enough room for everyone at the top. Not everyone is going to be able to be a high value person, offering high value products or services that people will pay top dollar for. Most people just don't have that level of ingenuity. So while Seth may be totally right and his advice is spot on the for the very smart and talented. It won't be of much consolation to a 48 year old auto worker having his plant shut down.

excellent point. Daniel Pink, author of "a whole new mind" is also guilty of this. They both are aware of this as well, though I don't know whether gody or Daniel "one in the stink" Pink would admit it. They are both propagandists. They want to lure in the smart fuckers. The problem is, it doesn't matter how smart you are now. There are so many disenfranchised, overeducated, intelligent people that feel like they have no options in this current, collapsing capitalist system. This is largely want Occupy Wall Street is made up of, or at least many people who sympathize with it. A large group of disenfranchised, pissed off intellectuals could potentially be revolutionary.

Quote: (02-06-2012 12:52 PM)Rurik Wrote:  

A large group of disenfranchised, pissed off intellectuals could potentially be revolutionary.

This is why the Occupy movements have been put down so harshly. No capitalist fat-cat is going to allow his good living at the top to be threatened, so send in the Gestapo to quell any disturbances.

Quote: (02-06-2012 01:00 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  

Quote: (02-06-2012 12:52 PM)Rurik Wrote:  

A large group of disenfranchised, pissed off intellectuals could potentially be revolutionary.

This is why the Occupy movements have been put down so harshly. No capitalist fat-cat is going to allow his good living at the top to be threatened, so send in the Gestapo to quell any disturbances.

The problem is this is coercion, not persuasion, or brainwashing. Coercion as a political strategy is not ideal, and tends to lead to a decrease in compliance among the citizenry. If the economic situation gets worse, the tactics of the revolutionaries will get more extreme. Right now, no one is truly hungry. Basically, shit may go down if shit gets worse, which it very likely will in the next decade.

The media IS fucking centralized, and if the internet becomes highly censored and restricted, it could pose massive problems for OWS, or any group to counter the globalist elite. Essentially, every TV station, radio channel, newspaper, and major magazine is tightly controlled, but even within this structure there are many people who hate those in power.