While perusing the interwebs this evening, I came across an interesting blog post by (former) Yelp employee, Talia Jane. It was an open letter she wrote to the founder/CEO of Yelp, Jeremy Stoppelman. Prior to this, I had never heard of Stoppelman, but I am an avid user of Yelp. Through the years, the app has helped me research numerous single dollar sign eateries and has served to decrease my annual incidences of food poisoning. Dear Doctor C, I might not have IBS after all.
The letter by the 25 year old is well written and worth a read--especially if your other choice of internet prose while waiting for the hygienist is whether Katy Perry is actually a dude. I found the letter by Talia Jane to be an insightful read into the circumstances facing some millennials today.
If you're looking for the TL;DR version. Here's what she writes:
- Moved to San Francisco after getting her undergrad in English Literature
- Hired to a minimum wage job at Yelp with the expectation that it would be a foot in the door leading to a better job
- Has barely money each month to pay her rent
- Starving from the lack of money for groceries
- Suggests that Yelp adopt a living wage for their employees (read: her) and suggests ways of accomplishing this
Not surprisingly, the letter only received a single star by HR and Talia Jane was promptly fired from her job after publishing it on her blog.
Hopefully, Talia Jane has learned not to bite the hand that feeds her (even if it is just pistachios and chips). Reading the letter, I couldn't help but think that her present situation was in direct relation to a series of poor decisions on her part. Studying English literature and then moving to the most expensive region in the country without a job and minimal marketable skills; renting an expensive apartment alone because it made her feel 'grown up.'
Though it was probably meant to be a criticism of Yelp, the letter actually served to paint the author as a self-absorbed complainer, who lacks humility and exercises poor judgement.
From the pieces I've read on her blog, Talia Jane is a talented and loquacious writer. I don't know the circumstances in her life which might have informed her decision making. And yet, though a stranger, Talia Jane and myself are not completely different.
Like Talia Jane, I am a young adult entering the third decade of life. Unlike my friends, I wasn't a particularly gifted student in grade school but I did have an aptitude for writing and an interest in current affairs; I attribute the latter to watching the nightly news with my Dad each night. My interest in current affairs--or more likely my complete inability to do algebra--led me to complete an undergrad in social sciences. And I do agree that an undergrad in social sciences (in my case, a major in Political Science) does not automatically lend to job opportunities. Yet, I have been employed for the last five years in a (somewhat) sought after civil servant job for the federal government.
Over the last decade, I've learned the value of a few key components to getting a proper job in spite of the job market for liberal arts degrees.
Like Talia Jane, I am a young adult entering the third decade of life. Unlike my friends, I wasn't a particularly gifted student in grade school but I did have an aptitude for writing and an interest in current affairs; I attribute the latter to watching the nightly news with my Dad each night. My interest in current affairs--or more likely my complete inability to do algebra--led me to complete an undergrad in social sciences. And I do agree that an undergrad in social sciences (in my case, a major in Political Science) does not automatically lend to job opportunities. Yet, I have been employed for the last five years in a (somewhat) sought after civil servant job for the federal government.
Over the last decade, I've learned the value of a few key components to getting a proper job in spite of the job market for liberal arts degrees.
1. Goal setting:
Although I was generally a mediocre student studying the liberal arts, I did come upon the realization early in university that the natural employment for a person with my degree would be as a barista or a push buggy collector at the grocery store. Unfortunately, I neither liked coffee nor had enough arm strength to do either job well. So early in my sophomore year, I took hours thinking/procrastinating while writing term papers to ponder what I wanted to do once I completed my degree. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would find fulfilling as a career in light of my interest and abilities.
To that end, I came to the realization that a career as a civil servant would be an interesting job that I could see doing for life. In my mind, becoming a federal civil servant became my career goal. The position was sought after and highly competitive--the job in mind had about a 5-10% acceptance rate--but I figured it was an attainable goal. Maybe.
Although I was generally a mediocre student studying the liberal arts, I did come upon the realization early in university that the natural employment for a person with my degree would be as a barista or a push buggy collector at the grocery store. Unfortunately, I neither liked coffee nor had enough arm strength to do either job well. So early in my sophomore year, I took hours thinking/procrastinating while writing term papers to ponder what I wanted to do once I completed my degree. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would find fulfilling as a career in light of my interest and abilities.
To that end, I came to the realization that a career as a civil servant would be an interesting job that I could see doing for life. In my mind, becoming a federal civil servant became my career goal. The position was sought after and highly competitive--the job in mind had about a 5-10% acceptance rate--but I figured it was an attainable goal. Maybe.
2. Strategic Mindset
With the objective in mind, I faced the problem of making myself a competitive applicant. I realized that the position involved a lot of civic engagement, public speaking, problem solving, technical competence and a degree of physical fitness. To that end, I did a self assessment what I had as marketable skills at that time and realized that I needed to build up my competencies in almost all those areas. While in school, I had a few part time jobs in disparate fields but which all served to build up my skills sets in the above areas. Looking back, my paid jobs while in school and the summers included:
With the objective in mind, I faced the problem of making myself a competitive applicant. I realized that the position involved a lot of civic engagement, public speaking, problem solving, technical competence and a degree of physical fitness. To that end, I did a self assessment what I had as marketable skills at that time and realized that I needed to build up my competencies in almost all those areas. While in school, I had a few part time jobs in disparate fields but which all served to build up my skills sets in the above areas. Looking back, my paid jobs while in school and the summers included:
- Selling carpet cleaning services,
- Being a tour guild on campus,
- Replenishing bank machines at night
- School bus driver
- Reserve soldier in the National Guard
Each of the jobs were completely unrelated, but I took each job with the intention that each role would equip me with skills--both technical and soft--which would make me a competent member of the public service.
Furthermore, as civic engagement is a big piece of my job, I made sure I volunteered continuously in the community. Even while I spent a year abroad for school, I made sure I got involved with the community that was my temporary home. Although unpaid, my volunteer roles were all personally rewarding and allowed me meet interesting individuals I would not have typically encountered within my usual circle of friends/colleagues.
Around the time of my graduation from my undergrad, I did confront the prospect that the goal I decided upon might not materialize--it was very competitive and the process to get into the civil service was very rigorous. In light of that, I made took steps to broaden my experiences and education to allow me the flexibility of an alternate job if the civil service did not pan out. Despite this, I remained focused on my goal to obtain full time position within the public service.
3. Work Ethic:
Hard work is an ingredient that goes without saying. And honestly, I've always been a mediocre example amongst my cohort, but I was fortunate enough to have a circle of friends and family--all smarter than me--who demonstrated the merits of hard work. After undergrad, I moved back home with a degree in hand but career prospects about as thin as the sheet presented at convocation. I no longer had term papers to write and lectures to fill my day; this was potentially a curse but it also served as an opportunity to further develop my competencies towards my near-decade long goal.
With contingency in mind, I enrolled in a distance learning graduate program (also in the social sciences) while continuing to execute my strategy to make myself a competitive applicant. For nearly two years, my days consisted of this:
6:00 AM: Wake up
6:30 AM - 7:45 AM: School bus job, drive children to school
8:30-10:00 AM: Training at the gym (including commute time)
10:00 -10:45 AM: Reading the news or a book while eating
11:00 - 2:30 PM: Course work for school
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM School bus job, pick up kids from school
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Short run around the block or sprints (since my cardio was really poor and I wanted to improve my run times)
As an aside, I was informally voted the coolest school bus driver by the 12 year olds on my bus. Thankfully, I can report that no children or small animals died as passengers aboard my school bus.
My evenings were spent doing additional research and writing for school, part time training with the military and prepping for the following day.
I recall waking up each day at 6AM to be a struggle, but that regimented schedule helped me to focus on all the areas that I needed to develop to becoming a competitive applicant. It also taught me the value of time management and working efficiently on multiple projects concurrently.
Thus, in the spring of 2010--7 years, 2 degrees, three continents and many memorable experiences after I had embarked towards my goal--I was accepted as a trainee into the public service. Preparing for work each day is exciting, the job is fulfilling and my work days are made even better working alongside a solid cadre of brilliant colleagues.
And when I look around the office at work, I see millennials around my age--some of whom hold degrees in English and the liberal arts--who set goals, came up with a strategy to attain that goal, and worked their butts off to make it a reality. I know many people from Generation Y who have achieved a great deal of success--not necessarily because of what they studied--but because of their strategic mindset and their incredible work ethic.
In conclusion, I appreciated the open letter written by Talia Jane because it highlights the predicament that some millennials face in the job market. Her letter also prompted me to think of the positive influences in my life which were pivotal in my journey to 30, for which I'm grateful. Talia Jane has an obvious talent for writing, and I think that given some self reflection and an adjustment of her attitude towards work-she will be eating at many 5-star-on-Yelp establishments in the future.
Or maybe she's moved onto Zomato now.
With contingency in mind, I enrolled in a distance learning graduate program (also in the social sciences) while continuing to execute my strategy to make myself a competitive applicant. For nearly two years, my days consisted of this:
6:00 AM: Wake up
6:30 AM - 7:45 AM: School bus job, drive children to school
8:30-10:00 AM: Training at the gym (including commute time)
10:00 -10:45 AM: Reading the news or a book while eating
11:00 - 2:30 PM: Course work for school
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM School bus job, pick up kids from school
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM Short run around the block or sprints (since my cardio was really poor and I wanted to improve my run times)
As an aside, I was informally voted the coolest school bus driver by the 12 year olds on my bus. Thankfully, I can report that no children or small animals died as passengers aboard my school bus.
My evenings were spent doing additional research and writing for school, part time training with the military and prepping for the following day.
I recall waking up each day at 6AM to be a struggle, but that regimented schedule helped me to focus on all the areas that I needed to develop to becoming a competitive applicant. It also taught me the value of time management and working efficiently on multiple projects concurrently.
Thus, in the spring of 2010--7 years, 2 degrees, three continents and many memorable experiences after I had embarked towards my goal--I was accepted as a trainee into the public service. Preparing for work each day is exciting, the job is fulfilling and my work days are made even better working alongside a solid cadre of brilliant colleagues.
And when I look around the office at work, I see millennials around my age--some of whom hold degrees in English and the liberal arts--who set goals, came up with a strategy to attain that goal, and worked their butts off to make it a reality. I know many people from Generation Y who have achieved a great deal of success--not necessarily because of what they studied--but because of their strategic mindset and their incredible work ethic.
In conclusion, I appreciated the open letter written by Talia Jane because it highlights the predicament that some millennials face in the job market. Her letter also prompted me to think of the positive influences in my life which were pivotal in my journey to 30, for which I'm grateful. Talia Jane has an obvious talent for writing, and I think that given some self reflection and an adjustment of her attitude towards work-she will be eating at many 5-star-on-Yelp establishments in the future.
Or maybe she's moved onto Zomato now.
