This thoughtful commentary puts a nice philosophical spin on the rough time college grads are having finding good work.  It’s a bummer, I know:  Unemployment was around 10% when I graduated in 1983.  But now as then, life goes on.  And while few of us got career starts ASAP, we all survived and, frankly, may have had more fun.  And Zen. 

Writer Brian Till points out that less than 20% are finding jobs now, down from 51% in 2007.  The flip side?  Applications for Teach for America and the Peace Corps are way up.  And young people can consider options (and careers) for criteria other than fast-tracked financial success…

As Till sums it up,

It has given them the unapologetic opportunity to take on anything available without shame or the imperative that it be part of a broader, meticulously mapped future. For many, I contend, it might be a blessing in disguise, even a liberation.”

That’s BreakAway thinking.  Go for a life- (and world-) changing experience while you can.  The cube farm will wait. 

CultureRx is a consultancy that helps employers create a better ROWE—Results Oriented Work Environment.  Folks stuck in stodgy cube farms might lobby their firm to loosen up and give them a call.

Basically, Jody Thompson and Cali Ressler advise companies on how to improve employee results (and morale) by punting fixed schedules and mandatory meetings—and replacing them with an uber-flexible approach.  As in,

free to do whatever they want whenever they want as long as the work gets done.” 

According to this article, it seems to be working.  CultureRx is enjoying impressive growth, and landing some big-fish corporations.  The idea may not be revolutionary in these times, but making 90-degree turns in some companies may be. 

The only risk, perhaps, may be that employees become Crackberries—people who “work” on and off, all the time—and neglect free time, leisure pursuits, and personal space.  That said, let’s hope CultureRx gets a chance to give lots of stodgy workplaces to take some new medicine.  

Carleton College resides in bucolic Northfield, Minnesota—where some of us went to St. Olaf, the college on the OTHER side of the river.  Back “in the day,” we didn’t have to worry about unplugging (unless someone unplugged the fridge—horrors!).  Recently, though, three students tried life without computers.  Give them an A for effort! 

Believe it or not, they survived.  Their challenge became a one-hour documentary.  And probably an experience they’ll never forget—or repeat.  Here’s the blurb from their website…

Three college students take on the challenge of giving up their computers to see how their academic, social, and work lives are affected. No Facebook. No YouTube. No e-mail. How will they get their work done? Will they cheat? Who will survive the longest? This one-hour documentary follows Carleton College students Andrew, Caitlin, and Chel as they go through “digital detox” and learn to interact with themselves and with others in ways we have largely forgotten.” 

Do you dare to unplug? How would you fare through digital detox? Might it be time to take a tiny little tech BreakAway and find out?

Trends pop up like wildflowers in the spring.  One of the latest to blossom during this downturn is camps, cafes, and parties at which unemployed people gather to sow seeds for the future.  Some of them even host a happy hour + cash bar!  (Hey, drinking is one activity that also booms during bust times…)

Churches, community centers, and even restaurants provide the space for folks to network and mingle.  And often, a speaker or career counselor offers advice and consolation.  The cost?  Usually free.  Nice! 

Good stuff, these gatherings.  After all, when you’re jobless and anxious, you need ideas and support.  And the most likely candidates for sincerely supplying those essentials are people stuck in the same swamp.  Compassion loves company. 

How much do people cling to their jobs (that they often say they don’t like)?  So much so that three out of four will go there when they feel sick.  Call me crazy; call me foolish:  But that’s just wrong.  Have we no respect for the health of our friends and colleagues? 

That finding pales in comparison to what execs believe:  Only 17% think their workers show up ill.  Gross. 

A guy could rant on and on about this dizzying info.  But for better or worse, I’m suddenly feeling too nauseous! 

75  Percent of professionals who say they very frequently or somewhat frequently go to work when they feel sick.

17  When executives were asked how often they think empoloyees come to work when they feel sick, percentage who said very frequently.   

Think everyone who’s anyone is blogging, tweeting, and FBing for the whole world to see?  Think again.  Fast Company follows their “100 Most Creative People in Business” list, and finds that only roughly a quarter embrace social networking stuff. 

Hey now! 

Privacy?  Unplugging?  Got better things to do?  How about:  All the above.  If you’re not yet obsessed with online “living,” you may be more creative than you think.  

“Staycations” are huge this year, and there’s nothing wrong with a little home cookin’.  But if you long to BreakAway, it need not bust your budget.  This pithy article suggests going by car, packing a cooler (yes!), trying off-season, and more ways to save bucks while seeing a slice of the world. 

Give it a read if you’re on the edge of sanity AND solvency.  There’s also 5 good websites to help plan your getaway. 

• RoadsideAmerica.com
• Hotels.com
• Homeaway.com
• Roadfood.com
• Priceline.com

This brilliant, short commentary by Jim Shea suggests that Unplugging (one of this blog’s favorite recommendations) is not alive and well.  Rather, work trends continue to move toward the 24/7 model, thanks to technology.  We now have a culture of “Crackberries”—worker bees who never let the work buzz stop. 

Hence, “weisure time.”  That’s when your work and leisure time merge into a sort of purgatory. Symptoms include…

• People with BlueTeeth.  
• Dinner dates who text while they talk to you.  
• Laptops on the beach. 

“They” say this is the future.  And it’s already here. 

Hey, if this is what it takes to succeed at your job, do what you gotta do.  But if you can possibly take temporary retirement—and I’m talking, like, going to a baseball game and spending an evening with your kids—then dare yourself to Unplug now and then.

You may work better.  And you’ll feel better too.  

Survey sez: 

77%.  When asked what they found difficult about taking time off from work for vacation, percentage of full-time employed adults who said it was their first day back after vacation. 

44%.  Percentage who found the last day in the office before vacation to be difficult.   Source:  Randstad-USA

The stats and stories about unused vacation time in the USA are sad and startling.  But these numbers provide a glimpse into the working lives of the poor stiffs who find taking time off to be “difficult.” 

Of course, that day before and after breaking away can be a challenge.  But don’t most worthwhile pursuits in life come with a cost?  Heck, even vedging in front of the TV requires some electronics, cable or satellite, cold beer and fresh chips! 

Since enjoying hard-earned vacation time can be so challenging, BreakAways make even more sense.  After all, the workday before and after escaping for a month or six probably isn’t any more “difficult” than when you take a week off. 

And for sure the payoff is much, much bigger!  

A recent survey published in TIME reveals that more than half of Americans are losing faith in the future of the American Dream.  No surprise there, and perhaps it’s even a contrarian indicator?  After all, people get overly giddy when times are good, and then go too gloomy when cyclical downturns happen—which can suggest a bottom. 

Percentage of people who believe the American Dream will be easier or harder to achieve in 10 years.

13% Easier

57% Harder

This time may be be different, though.  We’ve given ourselves far too much credit for far too long.  If the American dream is pay-as-you-go for a while, these numbers could be spot-on.  Oh well, the best things in life are still free. Right?  This site is all about taking TIME (not the magazine, duh)—not spending money on stuff!