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Starting out: Welcome to Sunday's Making it Work, a look at how the coronavirus is changing careers, business, leadership, management and our lives while on the clock. Today's focus: The strange world college graduates and those starting their careers are launching into. Feel free to forward this edition to those just starting out. New to this newsletter? Sign up here. |
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I started my career about the time the tech bubble burst and the 9/11 terror attacks took place. I became a manager just as the economy was recovering from the financial crisis. Both events shaped the workplace. Covid-19 has completely disrupted it. The hottest labor market in half a century evaporated with the worldwide spread of a deadly virus. A booming economy ground to a halt. This weekend's Journal features a field guide to navigate the strange new world graduates, entrepreneurs and those launching careers currently face. The Class of 2020 takes flight as virtual commencements cap a weird senior year. The key now for college graduates is to stay flexible as they chart a new path forward. Navigating the new landscape is difficult because challenges are so diverse. How do you navigate the suspension of student loan payments? How bad is this downturn compared to previous recessions? What's on the mind of recruiters and HR professionals? To be sure, graduating in a recession can have some silver linings. Some who set up their own businesses after the ’08 crash say crisis is a good teacher. "I had to grow up a little bit faster," Jake Schwartz says. "There was no train track I was on." In 2010, he founded General Assembly, an education company and sold it in 2018 for $413 million. — John D. Stoll, Business Columnist, WSJ Are you graduating college or starting a new career during the pandemic? Let me know what you think or pass along your story ideas by replying to this email. Or reach me at john.stoll@wsj.com or on Twitter @johndstoll. |
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| Lockdown 2020: A Defining Era |
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Mr. Johnson is one of eight graduates we talked to about their plans coming out of college. A Hillsdale, Mich., grad is off to the Marine Corps; an actor from Tennessee put her Broadway dreams on hold; two aspiring lawyers are waiting to find out when they can take the bar exam. The vignettes offer a diverse look at how the coronavirus has upended years of planning. Mr. Johnson, for example, was supposed to go to work this month at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Graduating with a degree in supply-chain management, the 22-year-old was eager to jump into his new job. When the start date was postponed, he moved in with his father in Chicago. |
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Checklist: College is ending, the rest of your life is beginning. Things are about to get more complicated, starting with your money. Here are answers to questions about everything from student loans to saving for retirement. |
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Remote control: Got a new job? You’re one of the lucky ones. But you also face a stiff challenge. Take some advice on how to ace your first job when workplace norms are changing and the staff is now clocking in from a home office. |
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| No prom. No graduation. Now, no school: After a long attempt at remote schooling, Bibb County Superintendent Curtis Jones Jr. decided to end the school year early for his district of 21,000 students. Dr. Jones talked to The Journal podcast about what he thinks the next school year will look like. |
| Graduates wanted: LaSalle Network's Tom Gimbel explains to WSJ's Your Money Briefing podcast how college seniors' expectations for the job market have changed amid the pandemic, and which businesses are hiring new workers. Leverage has gone from an employees to employers overnight. |
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'It’s true that you are entering this new phase of your life at a daunting time. For many of you, the path you’d envisioned after graduation may suddenly be much steeper." | — Bill and Melinda Gates, writing to the Class of 2020 in a WSJ essay |
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Appreciation: For many launching off into the next step in life, there is a mother behind their success. Someone who helped shape who they are today. Instead of typical Mother's Day brunch, my family hosted an hour-long Zoom call with family members across the U.S. Between the technical difficulties and bad WiFi connections, the conversation skewed toward the poor state of the economy and the difficulty that almost every industry faces as businesses start to reopen. Jobs have been lost at an historic rate, with corporate America last week unveiling another wave of job cuts and warning of additional reductions. Adding to the complexity: Coronavirus lockdowns have closed thousands of day-care facilities temporarily or permanently, leaving parents searching for solutions. There is no sugar coating it. These are tough times that aren't expected to get easier anytime soon. At least we have each other was a common refrain on the Zoom call, even if it is only virtually at the moment. Yes, the best present for mom right now would be a dose of normalcy. That aside, here are some cozy offerings—all practical yet luxurious—for the last-minute or late shopper that speak to our current climate while not scrimping on style. — Steven Russolillo, Strategy Editor, WSJ We'd love to hear from you: What was different about your Mother's Day 2020? You can reply to this email with your Mother's Day memories. Or reach me at steven.russolillo@wsj.com or on Twitter @srussolillo. |
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