by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

This past week, 30 Rock’s ultimate company man Jack Donaghy rebelled against his banishment to the 12th floor by quitting his corporate job at NBC/GE/The Sheinhardt Wig Company/The Ahp Chanagi Party Meats Corporation of Pyongyang, North Korea. 

Jack’s new gig is for the Department of Homeland Security. I’m sure that will end well.

At least he’ll always have that cool goodbye collage that his assistant made for him.

The Sheinhardt Wig Company: "Not Poisoning Rivers Since 1997."

Popularity: 8%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

I am very excited to report that Publishers Weekly has reviewed Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams (which will be published on May 13).

If you click through, you’ll see that my write-up comes right after reviews for two other very interesting-sounding May titles — Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever by Joel Derfner and Sex: How to Do Everything by Em & Lo.  It’s hard to compete for attention with titles like those, but here’s what PW had to say about Escape from Corporate America:

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Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams

Pamela Skillings. Ballantine

Journalist Skillings aims to rescue Americans from corporate tedium in this entertaining and informative guide to walking away from an established—albeit stultifying—job and forging a more rewarding career. With insight and humor, Skillings enumerates the stages of “Corporate Disillusionment” and the features of the “toxic workplace”—the bullying bosses, moronic co-workers, “terminal boredom” and rampant racism and sexism. A multitude of questionnaires, exercises and worksheets helps readers determine their dream job, assess expenses and assets, and plot an escape plan to break free of corporate life without going bankrupt. Skillings also provides pointers to those readers who simply want to be happier in their current jobs—including negotiating for more flexible hours, telecommuting and taking sabbaticals. Vignettes of successful fugitives from the corporate world populate the book and an extremely useful “Escape Tool Kit” supplies information on where and how to find career coaches, health insurance, job listings and a wealth of other much needed resources when embarking on career change. Comprehensive, informative and witty, this book will be indispensable to those looking to start new careers with concrete plans and well-defined goals. (May)

Popularity: 24%

Escape from Corporate America

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

The latest brief from the "Escape from Corporate America" movement comes by way of a great article by Liza Porteus Viana in Condé Nast Portfolio. The piece focuses on the growing number of Millenial generation workers who are quitting their well-paid and prestigious corporate jobs to pursue careers with meaning.

The story cites research that has shown that workers born after 1980 (approximately 80 million of them) care much more about how they spend their time on the job than about how much money they make. For the Millenials profiled in Viana’s article, it’s all about passion — passion so strong they were willing to give up six-figure salaries to start new companies from scratch.

In my own research, I have found that members of the Millenial generation are much more confident and vocal about their desire for meaningful work, but they’re not the only ones seeking career fulfillment. I interviewed professionals from all age groups who walked away from job security to pursue their dreams.

I think it just takes a little bit longer for Gen Xers and Baby Boomers to feel ready to make such a dramatic career change — most have been trained to climb the corporate ladder and many have been taught that job fulfillment is a selfish idea. Meanwhile, the Millenials have been raised to believe they can be whatever they want to be — CEOs, entrepreneurs,  or rock stars.

While some mock the Millenial sense of entitlement, there may be lessons that the rest of us can learn from them. I think it’s inspiring to see people willing to give up fat paychecks to try to change the world or at least find work that they love. Check out the links below to the web sites of the corporate escapees profiled in Viana’s article (you’ll find links to other great corporate escapees in my "Escape Artists" blogroll over there –> ):

• OldCampus.com — An online political hub started by former investment banker Manish Vora
• Change.org — A social networking site that connects people who are passionate about the same issues, founded by former management consultant Ben Rattray.
• GiveWell.net — An online hub for researching charities, launched by former hedge fund players Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld.

Popularity: 22%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

I just had to post a link to this inspiring story featured on Yahoo! today. Jonathan Coulton was a software engineer who quit his job to become a rock star. Today, he’s earning more than his old salary by selling his music online, including tracks inspired by his office life like the irresistable "Code Monkey." 

I really like his quote about what prompted him to leave his code monkey career to to pursue his music: "I have known some bitter people in my life who never did what they wanted to do, and I didn’t wanna be that person."

I sure wish I had known about Jonathan while I was still working on the book. I’d love to interview him and learn more about how he made his career change work. After all, rock star is a pretty ballsy goal to dream about from a cubicle and he made it happen.
 

Check out Jonathan’s story on Yahoo!

Visit Jonathan’s site to hear his music.

Popularity: 19%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Ever fantasize about quitting your corporate day job to make movies and hang out with celebrities? Tony Moody and Rob Malkani did just that. And this weekend, their film Day Zero, which stars Elijah Wood and Chris Klein and made a splash at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, will open in New York City.

If you’re in New York, support two fellow corporate escape artists by checking out Day Zero at the Anjelika this weekend. The film imagines New York City after the draft has been reinstated (a premise that is frighteningly not terribly far-fetched) and follows the reactions of three NYC draftees — a corporate lawyer played by Chris Klein, a neurotic writer played by Elijah Wood, and a cab driver played by Jon Bernthal.

I met Tony and Rob when I was sent to review Day Zero at the Tribeca Film Festival. When I read their press kit bios, I noticed that both were corporate escapees and knew I had to meet them. I was even more impressed when I saw that the movie was actually good.

I ended up interviewing both Tony and Rob for my upcoming book, Escape from Corporate America, and found their stories to be pretty inspiring. Both walked away from prestigious corporate jobs to follow their dreams. Tony was a senior trader at one of the country’s top brokerages before becoming a film producer. Rob was a corporate lawyer and then a highly-paid investment banker before quitting to focus on a career as a screenwriter and producer.

Both saved up their money when they were earning big corporate paychecks to create escape funds that paid their bills when they were getting started in the film business. Although their finances are still a lot less predictable than during their corporate days, both Tony and Rob say they are much happier because they are doing work they love.

If you’re looking for an engaging and thought-provoking film this weekend, I highly recommend Day Zero. After all, all of the advance reviews say Cloverfield is a monstrous disappointment and 27 Dresses is mostly warmed-over chick-flick cliches.

When I saw Day Zero at Tribeca, everyone left the theater buzzing and debating. Get tickets for Day Zero at the Angelika. Catch the 7:45 Friday show and stick around for a Q&A session with Tony and actor Jon Bernthal (if you don’t know his name yet, you will).

Popularity: 18%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

Forget about all of the pilgrim crap. The best way to think about Thanksgiving is as a time to express gratitude for all of the great things in your life — your friends, your family, your health, your access to massive quantities of poultry and pumpkin pie.

And don’t forget to say a little thanks to the universe or your deity of choice for your job. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now if you’re stuck in a corporate job that doesn’t make you happy. Or if you’ve been recently downsized or restructured or otherwise unceremoniously shown the door by your corporate overlords.

But trust me, there are plenty of things to be grateful for if you really think about it:

Give Thanks for Your Paycheck — If you’re collecting regular paychecks or severance payments, you’re doing better than a lot of people. That’s not to say that you should settle for a job that’s only about the paycheck or avoid taking risks to find more fulfilling work. You can have both a paycheck and a meaningful career. And you will.

Give Thanks for All That You’ve Learned — Your experience in Corporate America has made you wiser. You have learned valuable business skills, developed a network of helpful contacts, and built a resume.  You’ve also learned a lot about what you DON’T want to do for a living. All of these things will come in handy in your dream career — whether it’s starting your own business, becoming a third-grade teacher, or writing the Great American Novel.

Give Thanks for the Fire Under Your Ass — Sometimes, people need to be miserable in order to find the motivation to change. If you know anything about Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey or have seen a few Hollywood films, you know that the hero must go through crisis in order to achieve victory. A wise woman in one of my writing workshops put it this way — "a character doesn’t change unless you light a fire under his ass." What this means for you is that you will probably never take a leap until you feel flames on the seat of your pants. That fire could be the burning passion for your new career or it could be the slow, smoldering misery and/or frustration of a job that doesn’t inspire you. Whatever your inspiration, if you find yourself giving thanks for a brilliant new career by next Thanksgiving, you have that fire under your ass to thank.

Give Thanks for a Day Off — Most good corporate citizens in the U.S. get a paid day off for Thanksgiving. Many even get two (say thanks twice in this case). And if you’ve been laid off, look at it this way: You can do whatever you want for Thanksgiving and you don’t have to clear your plans with any boss this year. Take a break from the job search and do what so many terminated executives say they’re going to do — spend more time with your family. Or ditch your family if they’re a pain in the butt and spend time with people who are more supportive. Eat well and wear loose-fitting clothing.

Popularity: 18%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882. The holiday was established by the American labor movement as a yearly tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Today, many of us see Labor Day primarily as a much-anticipated three-day weekend, a last hurrah of summer. We American workers certainly deserve it after a year of hard work and long hours.

But Labor Day is also a good time to reflect on work and your career path in general. Are you happy about how and where you’re putting in all those hours? Does your current job allow you to use your talents and contribute to the well-being of our country (and yourself) the way you’d like to? Does the idea of spending another year laboring in your job inspire feelings of excitement or dread?

Take some inspiration from all of those schoolkids going back to class with fresh notebooks and pencils and big dreams for the future. Make a fresh start this fall.

Hiring managers are also coming back from summer vacation and getting serious about filling vacant positions. If you’ve been contemplating the idea of making a career change, or looking for the best career for future entrepreneurs, then pick up one of those notebooks at a Back to School sale near you and start jotting down ideas for the next phase of your brilliant career.

Popularity: 5%

by Pamela Skillings      Send to a friend

A majority of small business workers love their jobs, according to a recent survey. iContact, a company that provides email and survey services for small businesses, reached out to 1,124 men and women employed by small companies and found that 75% said they would rate their jobs an 8, 9, or 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Less than 3% rated their job a 3 or below.

Compare those numbers to general job satisfaction survey results, which say that upwards of 50% of workers are actively dissatisfied at work.

What’s so great about working for a small business? While researching my book, I talked to several people who left the corporate ladder to take on roles at small companies and start-ups. Most were attracted by the opportunity to play a more active role in building a business they believed in. Many also cited fringe benefits like greater work/life balance, freedom from bureaucracy, and better relationships with managers and co-workers.

Most importantly, all of the people that I spoke with were having a blast. They were passionate about their work. Of course, it didn’t hurt that many of them worked at cool companies like Kidrobot and Word World.

Working for a small company certainly isn’t for everyone. Salaries tend to be lower than those offered in Corporate America, though small companies often try to compensate with ownership stakes and other benefits. Small companies also offer less structure and support. There aren’t a lot of extra budget dollars for administrative support, company cars, and team-building retreats.

And there are plenty of mismanaged and misconceived small companies out there, so it’s important to do your due diligence. During the dot com bust, many of us learned firsthand what can happen when incompetent and/or clinically insane CEOs get millions in venture capital to throw around.

What do you think? Would you rather work for a start-up or a big corporation? Why do more small business employees love their jobs?

Popularity: 7%