Law And More

Hedge Funds in 2019 - Not a Good Year, But Steve Cohen Is Back (sort of)

During 2019, investing in the stock market generally had been a better bet than participating in a hedge fund. 

According to Hedge Fund Research, reports the New York Post, the average return was about 8.5% versus 30% for the S&P 500.  More than 500 hedge funds liquidated. And less than 500 new ones were launched - a long-time low. 

But there had been some bright spots.

One-time major player when he headed SAC Steve Cohen has had a comeback - sort of. That was with his Point 72. The gain during 2019 was at about 13%. But that is significantly lower than the gain of SAC in 2013. That was 20.1%.

Cohen launched 72 when he was allowed back into the game of having outside investors. Legal powerhouse David Boies negotiated that with the SEC.

That was at the time when former employees of SAC had been sentenced to prison for insider trading. Cohen never got nailed personally, although then-U.S. Attorney Preet Baharara sure did try. The financial and business media ran with that Moby Dick kind of saga. 

But, Cohen's 2019 performance is, well, peanuts compared to that of other comeback Bill Ackman. His Pershing Square had a gain of about 50%. Until those numbers came out, Akman had been considered "done." 

Reflection: Don't write off any player as "finished." If they had the smarts to make it big they frequently have the smarts to make it back.

Smart global ghostwriting, with niche social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

JD Class of 2020 - Exactly the Right Tone for Job Search (and career)

Tone is everything.

Trial lawyers and transactional negotiators have that down cold.

Especially effective are all the communications, in all formats and in all mediums, by law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp. On LinkedIn, for example, those lawyers are always there but never off-key. 

Those in the JD Class of 2020 need that same intuitive grasp of the exactly the right tone in a job search - and then making the transition to practicing law. 

Obviously, the Pelton holiday commercial "The Gift That Gives Back" failed to have the right tone. So far, there have been 15,000 dislikes on YouTube. BusinessInsider reports that its stock lost $1.5 billion in a handful of days.

How can you prevent the wrong tone? Being tone-deaf can put the kibosh on everything from a cover letter for a job to how the lunch interview goes.

Here are 3 tips:

•  Grab hold of the mindset of Eminem's iconic song "Lose Yourself." It's all about being in the moment, totally tuned into the people, the context, and the mood. As Eminem hammers, you just have one shot. Depending on who the expert is, it's documented that judgments get made about what you're all out in anywhere from 60 seconds to the upper limit of four minutes. Usually there is no coming back from a bad impression. In a job search, it's all about the needs of the employer. No, it's not about you. 
• Mirror. The most successful salespeople observe everything about the prospect, ranging from where their building is located in Manhattan to the organizational culture. Then they custom-make their everything, ranging from what they wear to how they pace their pitch, to those key points of identity. The best don't overdo it. That is, they continue to maintain their unique sense of self.
•  Be open. Everything changes. The wildly optimistic tone of the WeWork and Uber used to attract investors. Now, given their failure to make a profit, the tone of that rhetoric scares investors. A major part of high social intelligence is never entering a context with a set "script." Instead there is a rapid scanning of what is before putting anything out there. BTW, intimate relationships often go kaput when the parties stop scanning.

What about general role models for tone?

Among the most useful currently is psychiatrist on "Chicago Med" Dr. Daniel Charles, played by Oliver Platt. His effectiveness during crisis is his mission of custom-making a solution for every whatever. There are no formulaic approaches. In short, he is "there" for the human beings who have lost their ways.

Earlier it had been the late Steve Jobs. His theatrical MO essentially was, yes, "Lose Yourself." That covered all aspects of marketing, be it designing products for real people or winning over wary security analysts. 

The takeaway: In a job search and later becoming an employee, make the mantra "This is not about me."

Smart global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Displaced Older Lawyers, Legal Staff - 4 Ways to Stop Shooting Yourself in the Foot

"I look younger than I am."

"On my resume I lopped all work but the last seven years. Same thing on the cover letters."

"My LinkedIn Profile receives lots of visitors."

That's what those over-45 whom I coach tell me. But they are seeking career counseling sessions from me because they can't get comparable jobs after being laid off, can only land low-paid jobs, or have had no offers for even gig hustles.

They have plenty of company in their unawareness how age bias happens in 2019. And, yes, it can kick in as young as 40-something. 

That blind spot usually is associated with the internet. They have no idea how the internet has put the kibosh on their ability to remain employed in a way that they can make ends meet. The reality, of course, is that more than half those over-50 will be forced out and only one of 10 of them will be hired at jobs which are in the same compensation ballpark.

Here are the four ways the internet has become an obstacle in the search for work for older professionals:

•  Plastered all over the internet is one's age. All employers have to do is key in the name of the applicant. Up will pop various items, some of which contain the exact age. Those age items are up-to-date. 
•  Lack of participation in social networks can make the applicant seem not only part of the has-been gens. It can create the perception of being out of touch. More applications require a listing of social networks.
•  Wrong tone and content on social networks. The applicant can come across as ancient. 
•  Small number of followers, likes, shares, and comments on social networks and social media. If the position involves the ability to engage, then that kind of data can send a red flag the applicant is clueless about getting, holding, and scaling attention. 

The good news is that there are also four ways to transcend these obstacles:

• Be open. Employers are searching for not the perfect fit to the posted job description. Instead they need a hire who can get done what has to get done. Pick up what that is. Then show how you can accomplish that better than other applicants. Here, free to download, is my book on exiting comfort zones. 
•  Embrace the career truism that nothing gets you a job like a job. Here, free to click open, is my guide on how to start over in the search for work Download Outwitting ageism. One unemployed former in-house lawyer restarted his career with a loss-prevention gig in retail. Eventually he wound up in the corporate office overseeing that function. 
•  Develop tenacity. The most successful sales professionals truly believe that every "no" brings them closer to a "yes." That's because they analyze every aspect of what they did or didn't do on that sales call. Based on their findings, they do course correction on their MO.
•  Don't tell your "sad story." We are our stories. One former administrative assistant I coached kept ranting how she was terminated, probably because of age. I told her to stop that. Her new narrative was that she was excited about pursuing a career shift. Within three weeks she accepted an offer as the dispatcher for a large trucking company. 

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on aging.

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Grammar Nazi Takes on Law.com Article "Hear Ye, Hear Ye!"

Posted on Law.com is the article whose headline begins "Hear Ye, Hear Ye!" 

Fine.

But, as you will see here (if a correction has not already taken place) is a grammatical error in the subhead.

The subject is plural, so the verb should also be plural. Instead the verb is single, that is, "is."

The correct verb would be the plural "are."

At 11:07 P.M., New York Time, the subhead appears this way:

"An influx of outside funding and a growing focus on hands-on learning is fueling the increase."

With the grammatical error corrected, it would read:

"An influx of outside funding and a growing focus on hand-on learning are fueling the increase."

Petty? Maybe. 

Am I being a Grammar Nazi? Yes. It's a thankless mission but someone has to do it.

Think about it: An error such as that on a resume and/or a cover letter could get the job application tossed. With the current glut of talent, employers look for simple ways to rule out applicants.

Unique global ghostwriting, with social networking know-know. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Experience Caps, Price Point, The Dilenschneider Group's Championing Deep Expertise

In the age-discrimination lawsuit "Kleber v. Carefusion Corp" the plaintiff contended age bias in hiring came via an experience cap.

The Carefusion help-wanted was structured to require 3 to 7 years of work experience as a lawyer. No more than that.

Here is a copy of the complaint.

Dale Kleber, age 58 at the time, had plenty more experience than that. However, he still applied for the position. Eventually, Carefusion hired a 29 year old applicant.

The question arose: Was an experience cap leveraged as a stealth tool to discourage the aging from applying for certain jobs?

Well, Kleber's specific challenge didn't pan out.

As Bloomberg Law reports, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiff.

Here is a copy of that decision.

The Seventh Circuit, 8 to 4, stated that experience caps didn't constitute a type of disparate impact theory. That is, it wasn't a form of seemingly neutral policy that operated as a type of bias against a protected class.

However, some experts warned employers there could be more Kleber-like experience cap lawsuits. Likely, there will be.

Meanwhile, more and more help-wanted specify experience caps and those Google Forms applicants fill out as part of the job search process explicitly ask the number of years working in X or Y niche. That could be managing Price Per Click (PPC) advertising.

Pragmatism rules that applicants would size up what the "right" number of years is and then play in that very specific sandbox. Yes, redo the past to fit with the present.

Otherwise, there may be no access to the toys in that sandbox, ranging from a weekly pay check to benefits. 

But, the present is not so much about raw age bias, is it. 

Instead it's more about price point. Unless a business has a clear and powerful point of differentiation, it can be caught in competing via price. The best briefing on that is "Blue Ocean Strategy" by W. Chan Kim. Here it can be ordered from Amazon.

To keep the price-to-the-consumer/B-to-B market low, employers seek out workers with just enough experience to do the task well so that they can be paid as low compensation as possible.

The new college graduate who had an internship at a marketing firm specializing with PPC would look a lot more attractive to the budget of the employer than an applicant with 6 years experience. Sure, the newbie will probably fly the coop after 2 years but those 2 years could be very profitable for the business.

More and more help-wanted ads indicate that new college graduates are preferred. Since the 90-yar-old could just be graduating college, that phrasing gets employers off the hook on age bias.

In addition, there has emerged a new human resources model - Burn & Earn. It is described in "Disrupted" by Dan Lyons. Here that hilarious book can be ordered from Amazon. Essentially the game is about bringing in a bunch of enthusiastic newbies, training them to do A but not B, make a bundle, and expect them to keep exiting. Repeat. 

Interesting, though, there is a business, based in Manhattan and Chicago, which seems to champion deep expertise. That's the public affairs firm The Dilenschneider Group. On its website it has a section listing its major players and their years of experience. Here you can click it open.

Listed, for example, are:

•  Fred Bona - 40 years
•  Bob Dilenschneider - 30 years
•  Art Gormley - 30 years.

In the fast-moving world of communications, that's counter-trend.

After all, the sandbox, more and more in a digital universe, is custom-made for digital natives. Clients and prospects know the importance of everything from online influencers to local search engine optimization (SEO). So the new toys in the sandbox include everything from help paying off student loans to free food. 

The question is if businesses such as The Dilenschneider Group which position and package long years of experience as a plus have created the unique edge? Or, are they at a new kind of disadvantage? More importantly, does that give the business leverage with price point? 

As those issues are being duked out in the court of law, the hunt for work, and business branding, as early as the age 40 those needing income are finding doors slammed shut because of bias. Here is the article I published on that. If there is a severe economic downturn, that could worsen, of course. Because of their relatively high compensation, the aging usually have a target on their backs. 

Here is my book, free to click open, on how to navigate around all that Download Outwitting ageism. And here, also free, is one on being able to change. Addiction to any comfort zone can mean professional death. 

Full Disclosure: In my early 40s, Corporate America purged itself of middle-aged middle managers. I had to reimage myself as an entrepreneur. Having gotten the hang of how to change, I plan to stay working 60 hours a week until I am 80. Then, I will re-evaluate.

Readers are invited to submit thoughtful commentaries on this issue. Please include content, identity of author, photo, and contact information. Appropriate articles, up to 700 words, will be posted on Law and More. Please send to janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Whistle-Blowers - Doing the Supposed Right Thing at Great Peril

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange might not be likable. 

Many are jittery enough about national security to be wary of the Edward Snowden types.

And lawsuits such as "Andowah Newton v. LVHM" may us wonder about the downside of movements such as #MeToo.

But, we know from history, such as WaterGate, that whistleblowers are necessary for democracy and the sustainability of the legal system. 

So, it's scary that Edward Wasserman is flagging us in The New York Times about the precarious situation whistleblowers faces. He is the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California. The title of his opinion-editorial is: "Julian Assange and the Woeful State of Whistle-Blowers." Here you can read it. 

Both New York Magazine and Vanity Fair document this: A large number of the women who sued for alleged sexual misconduct or have been on the front lines of the #MeToo movement have suffered retaliation. Here is my coverage of that development.

Sure, doing the supposed right thing can be noble.

It can also be a heady experience.

But it is a form of whistle-blowing. The power structure is bound to push back. Speaking up, standing up - all that is risky business, literally. Careers can be temporarily or permanently derailed.

Yes, in the U.S. there are rewards for whistle-blowers. Those include, as The Wall Street Journal notes,  a nice payout from the IRS for disclosing information about tax cheats. On "Good Girls," FBI Jim promises Ruby much if she goes the distance in blowing the whistle on crime head Beth. 

Yes, society is also supposed to out bullies. Glassdoor is a mechanism for that in the workplace. The employee evaluations are anonymous. Here is how the help at The Dilenschneider Group perceives management.

Also yes, I outed on my syndicated blogs what I perceived to be an excessive vetting process by Your Edge for Success (YES).

It was for a contract assignment that wasn't even guaranteed to be for 15 hours a week. And the compensation was a project rate of $55 for editing each set of resume/cover letter. Suppose that had been job materials for a federal employee. The $55 compensation might not turn out to be much. 

Here is my push-back on Medium. 

But, hell, I have a successful communications boutique that deals in diverse lines of business. The resume/cover letter part has been and will be, well, small potatoes.

The risk? Practically zero. And taking on  YES and its head Katherine Metres served me well in terms of mental health.

Otherwise, I am cautious about outing wrongs associated with how I make my living. I am a single head of household. (Members are four-leggers.)

As Wasserman hammers, whistle-blowing is in a "woeful state."

Actually, I didn't need much of reminder of that. I grew up in the notorious Frank Hague political machine in Jersey City, New Jersey.

That was pre-gentrification.

There was no way to bypass the power of that machine except to leave the area.

From the get-go that was my goal. The exit ramp was, I strategically planned, a scholarship to an out-of-state college. That would provide the platform for putting together a more free life. 

Okay, I did get out. However, the residue of fear of the power structure has a long half life. Anyone from the Hague days probably can't entirely escape that force field.

Meanwhile, before those who need to make a living and want to do the supposed right thing have to consider the real possibility of never working in their field again. What on a macro level might be assessed as "right," could on the level of the individual trigger careeer interrupted.  

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

So, Who Had Worst Week Inside the Beltway

"The Trump campaign has hired its own in-house attorney [Nathan Groth] for its 2020 reelection bid - shifting future business away from Jones Day, the law firm, that has represented Trump since his first run for president."  - Nancy Cook, "Trump campaign punishes Don McGahn's law firm," in Politico, April 19, 2019. Here is the article. 

Previously, that campaign work had brought in $5.5 million to Jones Day (Source: Data from Federal Election Commission).

The billing kicked off from the beginning of Donald Trump's 2016 run for U.S. president.

Some recall how shocked the legal community had been when The Washington Post broke the story that Jones Day law partner Don McGahn was representing the election legalities for Make America Great Again campaign. 

But then that resulted in McGahn's being brought in as top White House lawyer. He parachuted in with him about a dozen other Jones Day lawyers. After leaving the White House, McGahn has returned to Jones Day as a partner. 

During those heady times for both McGahn and Jones Day, that elite law firm began to be known as the go-to for many of the Trump Administration's legal matters. According to Politico, the White House is allowing Jones Day to complete the legal work already under way. But when all that ends so could the ties to the Trump Administration. 

Fortunately for Jones Day it has plenty other sources of business. It won't starve.

But, obviously, it has lost power and influence. According to Joe Patrice at Abovethelaw, it had crassly touted its reach into the Trump Administration. In itself, that probably brought in new business. 

There is much speculation why Jones Day fell from favor.  And, with such a thud.

The most simple and least credible is that the Trump reelection folks are focusing on increased cost efficiency. However, it is well known that already the campaign has raised a ton of money.

The stock market is booming and if Trump is not reelected that could shock it into a crash. Yes, the smart money seems to be betting on Trump. Economic Man has trumped Man the Political Animal, pun intended.

Those on my networks are fixated on their portfolios, not policy issues. Also, they see utility in Trump's alleged craziness: That can pressure other nations into conforming with U.S. dictates. 

The more likely reason for the souring is that McGahn wasn't the right fit for how Trump liked to operate. For example, McGahn took copious notes. That wasn't Trump's style.

In addition, McGahn was blamed for the leak to The New York Times that the White House was seeking a security clearance for Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Also, as Cook notes:

"The Mueller report ... seems only to have fueled Trump's anger. It portrayed McGhan as one of the key officials who stopped Trump from taking actions that might be deemed to have obstructed justice."

This isn't the only recent setback for Jones Day, a law firm which had been in the catbird seat.

There was the high profile loss for client Sherwin-Williams in the California lead paint class action public nuisance bench trial.

When Jones Day requested that the U.S. Supreme Court review the conviction, it was turned down.

That was even though annually Jones Day hires a large number of SCOTUS former clerks, which supposedly gives it insider insight on how the high court operates. Those former clerks receive up to a $300,000 sign-on bonus. Was Jones Day getting a lousy ROI on those hirings? 

That litigation loss has helped trigger copy cat lead paint public nuisance lawsuits. Here is Forbes' on that.

It's not a stretch to predict that lead paint litigation could evolve into "Another Tobacco." The Sherwin-Williams' brand and the value of the stock could be put in wild play.

More recently, there has been the "Animal House" gender bias class action lawsuit "Tolton v. Jones Day." Here is a copy of the 107-page complaint.

This lawsuit could develop a legacy for being a "frat boy" bit of litigation. Jones Day would be committing brand suicide to allow it to move on to trial.

Meanwhile, though, it seems to be stumbling in how it is handling the public relations associated with "Tolton v. Jones Day." Here is my analysis of those messaging pratfalls in crisis communications.

It's not hyperbolic to posit that shade has been thrown on just about every aspect of how Jones Day had been positioned and packaged.

Meanwhile, McGahn might not have the power he once did at the firm. Will he choose to stay? Will he be forced out? The scenarios for drama are almost infinite.

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.

Lawyers Considering Side Hustles in Creating Resumes/Cover Letters

Resumes and cover letters?

Some employers are still using those in the hiring process.

But, they could soon enough be history - ancient history.

Grandma, what was a "resume?" 

Large corporations such as Unilever are experimenting with blowing up job search.

Out are resumes and cover letters.

In are Artificial Intelligence, gamification, and video interviews for solving hypothetical problems.

Playing the Job Search Game - Literally

Here is the Fox coverage on that disruption, already underway. So, yes, parents, encourage not discourage your offspring about mastering video games. 

And, yes, activists, this revolution can create a level playing field. It prevents bias at the front end. At least if the AI isn't coded to discriminate on the basis of sex, race, gender, or age. 

Gamification can uncover unique skills.

And what you can do for employers will factor in more in a hiring decision than a paper credential. Apple, Oracle, Airbnb et al. are hiring for well-paying jobs without imposing the college degree requirement. Here is the coverage on that from MarketWatch.

Resume/Cover Letter Creation Oppprtunity at Your Edge for Success (YES)

Meanwhile Your Edge for Success, based in Alexandria, Virginia, has posted on Mediabistro.com a help-wanted. This morning I received an alert about that on my gmail. Some content-providers  may have felt euphoric about the development of such an opportunity. 

Lawyers might be considering this as side hustle. Full-time lawyer Kevin Ha has 13 side hustles. Of course, his student loans are all paid off. Here are the details.

That Resume/Cover Letter creation enterprise - YES - needs three part-time remote writers or editors. The owner is Katherine Metres Akbar. Here is the post. Yes, this could be your future.

For developing a resume/cover letter the compensation ranges from $75 to $150.

For editing each set $55.

The ad requests at least 15 hours a week. 

My Interview with YES and The Hiring Process

Last week I interviewed with Akbar for this very part-time editing opportunity. Yet, the ad is being posted again so quickly.

Why did I apply? As long as the resume/cover letter earning category still exists, I figured: Why not take a peek?

Experience in the broader field of career transition is highly marketable. Learn more and earn more, I decided. 

The owner Akbar conducted the phone interview which lasted about half an hour.

From the get-go, she indicated that neither 15 hours a week or any hours a week were guaranteed. The full-time staff gets first shot at work since they are on salary. No, assignments aren't always available.

The reality: I may or may not get work. And I would be paid for a resume/cover letter editing assignment 55 bucks. Not a king's ransom.

But to move on to the next step in the hiring process I would have to:

•  Take what I perceived as a complex, time-consuming test. Unpaid.
•  Submit to a personality test. Why? I would not be selling or dealing directly with clients. Come to think of it, I didn't need to take a personality test to be admitted to Harvard Law School.
•  Provide references. Haha. One reason the hiring process is going digital is that references, by their nature, are not objective. If they were, those doing the dishing could be sued for defamation. And, come on, why would I give a list of references which would entail any risk to my ability to be hired?

If allowed to move along in the process, I would be watching training videos. Unpaid.

Sure, the knowledge could be priceless. But, as Ben Franklin observed: Time is money. 

Reflections of a Current Side Hustler

After consulting with my network of professional advisors, I decided to withdraw from the screening process.

Too much seemed to be invested at the front end. At least that was our take. Your assessment of this opportunity may be quite different.

One wonders what the American brand of capitalism, at least in some circles, has come to.

When I was hired for my first good part-time job in high school by New Jersey Bell, the process was conducted on an intuitive basis. Training was paid. I stayed with that job, which funded my college education, until I left for a doctoral program at the University of Michigan. 

When I was hired for my first professional job in a corporation ghostwriting/speechwriting for executives at Chevron, no, I didn't have to do a sample article - unpaid.

When I was hired as a contract marcom provider at a global career transition firm last year, there were no hoops to jump through. From the get-go, all work was paid. All work is still paid - well-paid and steady.

Takeaway

How much should side hustlers be willing to invest in the front end of a search for gigs, at least for now?

Soon enough the process could all be a fun game that we don't experience as "work" per se.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I shared this experience on the Interview section of GlassDoor. In error I also shared it in the section for actual employees, mistakeningly clicking on the box that I had actually worked for YES. Mea culpa. 

UPDATE: - Your Edge for Success through The Glassdoor

Glassdoor removed my posting on its site regarding my interview with Edge for Success.

It had been contended that I was classified as a competitor. I informed Glassdoor that I was not a competitor. I requested that it return the feedback to the site. 

I had not done a paid assignment for resumes for years and years. Moreover I have gone on record that the resume is an anachronism in job search. Here is one of those kinds of posts. 

In short, I am not in the resume business and hadn't been so for a long time. 

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Lawyers - Maybe the Kid Should Go to Trade School

Research documents that the average cost of one year at a state university is $20,770.

At a nonprofit private college or university it's $46,950.

That covers tuition, room/board, and fees.

Add-ons are the traveling expenses back home for the holidays, digital gadgets, and recreation. 

So much for the financial nut for the so-called "college experience."

Traditionally, the "college experience" has been defined as residence for four-years at a college or university.

The learning is supposed to be holistic. That is, the human being will not only grow cognitively and pick up enough whatever to get a job.

There is also to be a formation of values. At least that was the mission of the Puritans when they started Harvard in 1636.

But the extreme financial investment entailed is not the only reason for re-thinking the college experience.

And, believe me, many are doing that re-thinking. Boston Magazine reports on the growing number of colleges shutting down in New England. Parents have questioned the assumption that college is necessary for their children to be able to earn a living.

The high tuition has often been the tipping point. An alternate to college has been the trade school. Welding, long-distance truck driving, cosmetology, plumbing, and coding currently are all ways of making a living made possible by training in an institution or through an apprentice program outside the college box. 

However, according to the 2018 book "The Class Ceiling," offspring of lawyers are 17 times more likely to become lawyers than those from other kinds of backgrounds. Here are more details from Abovethelaw.com. So, lawyers, maybe from the get-go, you will be saddled with not only college but also law school tuitions. 

However, there might be hope, lawyers. Another challenge to the college experience cuts right to its core. In this fast-mutating globalized economy driven by digital, can human beings "afford" to be put in an environment separated from "real life" for four years? Sure, there are internships. Sure, some student launch enterprises in the dorm. Sure, there are even paid jobs on and off campus.

But instead of being out there entirely focused on mastering the games associated with economic survival (and building wealth) the human being frequently is put on hold. Their understanding of how the work world really works is way off. For example, they hustle for top grades. Those might be necessary to be admitted to medical school or a top law school. But, come on, research and experience demonstrate that the "C" students become the bosses of the "A" students. 

Another reason to push back against inflicting the college experience on anyone is that nutty bit of nostalgia: College friendships are forever and the networks created will be a long-term professional asset.

Actually, executive coach Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings" has been a sustained best-seller because he warns against that kind of bonding. The world changes. Human beings change. The world of work keeps changing. 

In 2014, thrown off my usually successful game by so much change in my line of work and aging, I did a Hail Hail, The Gang's All Here. I reached back to acquaintances from the Class of 1967 at Seton Hill University. Incidentally, back then,the total nut for the annual package was about $1,500, including travel home for the holidays. 

Negative learning is more powerful than the positive kind.

The attempt to restore something, anything with The Gang of Four (Kathleen Huebner, et al.) triggered a full-blown case of PTSD. Here is a chronicle of that horror.

This month I celebrate the 5th anniversary of the extreme pain of getting it that, as Cloud hammers, movement must be forward, never backward.

And, BTW, my college experience wasn't so hot, either. Here is that story, which I have a hunch isn't atypical. 

Overall, research, the high cost of college, the continuous difficulties in earning a good living over a lifetime, and the existence of the dark side of human nature all will push America to declare this: The college experience, as we had known it, is counterproductive for achieving most goals. 

Think about this: For April 2019, ZipRecruiter indicates that the annual median compensation for a long-haul truck driver is $71,817.

About 10 months ago, my Baby Boomer white collar colleague, laid off from a healthcare position, enrolled in a truck driving school here in northeastern Ohio. The cost was about $7,000, for which loans were available. He could have gotten free training if he committed two years to working for the company associated with a training program.

For about eight weeks, he had to study very hard and manage the stress of hands-on road experience. Then, he was on his way, again along a successful career path. Now that he is heading into a year of experience, he is in the position to negotiate compensation and what route he will do.

When my two businesses were slow, he encouraged me to also look into long-distance driving. More females, of all ages, are opting for that solid middle class wage. And, we can bring along our dogs for the ride. I took some preliminary steps about enrolling in program. Then, as often happens in self-employment, my businesses took off again. 

Had I to do it all over again, I would have continued living at home, working part time at New Jersey Bell as a long-distance operator, and hustling for freelance writing assignments with the local town crier The Jersey Journal.

Instead, I went the academic route, including doctoral studies in literature and linguistics at the University of Michigan.

It wasn't until age 31 that I was on my way to developing a marketable skill: professional writing. And I figured out how to do that w/o enrolling in one damn course or going for a certificate at the local university.

In 2004, I got it that I had to learn social media. I hired a coach for a few months. No, I didn't take an extension course at the university. 

More and more big name companies, ranging from Google to Apple, no longer require college degrees to apply for jobs. Here are those real-world facts. 

Reflection: Employers such as Unilever are piloting recruiting programs bypassing resumes, cover letters, references, and visits to college campuses.

Instead they are leveraging approaches such as gamification and AI-monitored video interviews to determine what job applicants can get the job done the best, the fastest, the lowest-cost, and w/o social tensions. It's what we can do for employers in real time. Not a resume of academic credentials. 

Question: Is higher education an addiction? And the elite brand a version of high grade heroin or cocaine?

I did also wind up a 1L at Harvard Law School when I was in my 40s. After I had been accepted, I felt compelled to go. That was even though by that time in the process of applying to law schools, I sensed I was too successful in communications to do that kind of career change. Also, given the complexity of law, I was too old. During the 1L year I high-tailed it back to the communications career path. 

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Strange Legality: Ghostwriting College Term Papers Okay Because Process Classified as "Transaction"

Morally wrong. That's about all.

So, the FBI probably will not organize stings for ghostwriters who research and put together those growing number of college and graduate/professional school term papers for students who pay up the big bucks. That's because that process is classified as a paid transaction. So, it is perfectly legal. Wealthy insiders always knew that.

Now, the world finds that out through the Daily Mail article on former ghostwriter Jaimie Leigh. In addition to doing term papers she positioned and packaged the kinds of content which helped her clients not only get into college but on boards of directors. 

The reality of the ghostwriting world is much larger than enhancing academic and career credentials. But most of it is totally legit, that is, in the legal sense.

Essentially the game is: Pay some talent to look good. Instead of makeup and hairstyling, ghostwriters use research skills, analysis, strategic planning of content, and word mastery.

That's the source of myriad best-selling books, those opinion-editorials in The Wall Street Journal, erudite white papers produced by brandname management consulting firms, speeches, scripting for videos, blogs, social media, podcast talking points, and even fiction. 

Will the morality ever matter? Likely, not in America. That is, not until its current brand of capitalism grafts on other values.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com.