Your Job Is A Race Against Time |  

Employer: we're looking for someone 20-25 with 20 years experience. Also employer: oh, you're 40 with 20 years experience? Sorry, you're too old.

Bottom line, don't take work personally. Don't be afraid to take what you can from the company (legally), and leave if you get something better. After 25 years in engineering, as a naive young college grad, I thought I'd be absorbed into a company and adored and they'd groom me to move up the ladder. Nope. I got walked all over, made false promises, and every excuse in the book why I can't get a raise, yet they still ask you to be a "team player" and be positive about the company... FFFFFFF UUUUUU.

Dang this guy talks like he's been dragged through the trenches. His wisdom is beyond his years.

Pure facts! As someone who’s been in the industry for 10yrs. This is crucial information. If you choose the corporate route... I’ve always said, the absolute best companies to work for are mid-sized, privately owned companies. Roughly 50-200 employees. Small start up companies are too fragile and can let you go at anytime. Large corporations are annoying and there are too many rules in their rule books.

Yes, I am 48 and was just thrown out of job with kind words "we like how you work, we like you , but we must cut our costs" At the same time, they hired a younger person ( my former apprentice ) bet, but even tried to hide it from me. Listen to the warning, and never ever believe that hard work , loyalty, skills and knowledge will be even considered when layoffs will happen.

Interviewer: So, how are your kids? Candidate: Uh, great? Interviewer: You have kids? Nice! Anyways, we're deciding on other candidates. You're qualifications don't match this position.

Well this definitely didn't give me more anxiety

Usually the best route is to work for a company in your 20's to gain professional experience, then start your own business in your 30's so you're in good shape by your 40's. Another reason to do this is people take you more seriously in your 30's as a mature adult. Careers are for suckers. Better to use jobs to build capital and professional skills, then get out of the rat race before it chews you up and spits you out.

This advice is gold. Unfortunately it usually takes one like 3-5 years of soul killing jobs to figure these things out. 3-5 years of no skill/business/escape plan building.

Josh is right. Biggest salary jumps are always through switching jobs/companies. My current company pays me $48k. After one year at this company, I'm in the interview process for two jobs that leave me around $60k annually. Never settle for less than you deserve. My next jump will be $65k-$70k. I'm 25, no college.

Another big reason small companies get bought-out is to kill off an up-and-coming competitor.

You will want to change careers; it's a natural urge, so don't feel too conflicted when it happens. It doesn't mean you made a mistake (it doesn't mean you didn't), it just means you're a rational human being.

Corporate boomer here - Josh is spot on with this. For those taking the employment route, strongly consider pursuing a government job versus the private sector. Just have to read countless "early retirement" testimonials from government workers to see the benefits. The government is about the only entity that offers pension and healthcare at earlier ages. Its hard for young folks to think that far out in age but the effort pays off.

In the eternal words of my old bakery team leader: "There's always another job." Dude was 40 years old working in a supermarket bakery and was worth over a quarter of a million in investments alone. He was planning on retiring by the age of 50. Just keep your mind on your money, plan to retire early, and if shit hits the fan you're covered.

"You either decide to be self-employed or you decide to be a corporate ladder guy" those words contain so much truth. I chose option 1 3 months ago and currently using my employer to fund my dreams.

Passion + Rationality = Happiness Passion - Rationality = Sadness

Also, invest money when you are young. Instead of buying a fancy car/other stuff which isn't an asset that you don't really need, invest your money. Don't wait until 10 years before retirement to start planning for it, if you do that you're going to be stuck working until you're in your 80's (with a condescending insecure immature manager who is 60 years younger than you)

Everyone just needs to grasp the idea that after a certain financial point ($70k/y average) it's not about how much you make but how you make It.

I have been at my same place for almost 6 years and have only gotten the typical 3-5% raises every year. I did get certified and now I'm having interviews at other places paying $+12k-25k more. Make sure to get certifications if your profession requires it, especially while you are young.

This is so true. At my job this week I've met an art director that worked at Ubisoft for 10,years. He worked on Assassin's Creed Origins. And all of sudden, after the game released they fired him and hired new graduates ... Crazy.

When I was young, I went self employed. It was an internet cafe. As time progressed, it became irrelevant so I got a job corporate. It was a call center. As time progressed, my body couldn't take it anymore so I took the third choice. I did a civil service exam and applied for a government job and I've never been happier. When people think government jobs, people think working long hours in an office. It isn't. I repair and maintain computers used by government offices. Sometimes I install new equipment to modernize branches that have documents originally typed on type writers. I'm treated as an asset. Its a lone wolf job. I manage my own time. It pays better than any job I ever got. We get holidays off ffs. Benefits are paid for by the government and so will my pension when I retire. I'm 40 now. I wish I knew about this job like 10 to 15 years ago.

I don't know much about the US market, I was born and raised in Argentina and now live in Belgium. I am 42 years of age. What I hear a lot is that people from younger generations are very pretentious in their expectations. While I have been cut from my previous job due to age reasons, afterwards I landed four job interviews out of nine job applications (I rejected one job due to personal reasons, I have to check how things go in 2 of these 4 interviews). And I am doing a career switch from a technician position to regulatory affairs. I think that this trend noted by Josh in the first three minutes may not subsist in the long run, if younger generations aren't interested in working, companies will have little choice when hiring personnel. Yes, there are garbage and meat grinding jobs that are being avoided by everybody and maybe those jobs are the ones being left for the fortifivers and beyond. But if you are a minimalist and someone who wants to work for a living, you are a rare species, and that can give you advantage. Remember, good companies/employers are in short supply. So are honorable trustworthy and decent employees who do not use drugs, do not have alcohol problems, are mentally stable, and have a well-formed moral conscience. A final remark. You say younger people will compete against fortifivers. I say: 1) go to duckduckgo 2) search: "demographic winter" AND "united states" This also applies to Europe and nearly every western-culture nation. One-night stands, abortion, free sex, moneyz, and living la vida loca have caused birth rates to plummet all over the world. Meaning: you will not have younger people to compete against, because there will be no younger people; and you will work til you die because there will be no pensions. Don't believe me? Check the demographic pyramid of the Netherlands or Spain. Feel free to do that with any random country in the northern hemisphere. TL; DR = there are people over forty getting job interviews and shifting careers. And the plummeting of the birthrates will allow you to work until you die because there are no younger people and there will be no sustainable pension schemes.

I think long-term, self-employed is a better route if you consider that you're building brand equity for yourself, choosing to build products to sell to customers you value, rather than who the company is selling to (you may find that you don't like that company's customers), and you can focus on your strengths more, versus try to dilute it due to "company bureaucracy".

I am 36 and I feel trapped as fuck. Just trying to take a leap of faith and quit and start something new but its damn difficult when you have a family and bills. But I hope I will be able to ride this out.

A very big flaw in this analysis is that it speaks about the future based on today's facts. But these facts will be different 20 years from now. The reason employees are thrown out after 45 is that we have surplus of young graduates. But ask yourself, will we have this surplus in 20 years from now. No, because we are not producing even half the children our parents produced.

Work hard, save money, and live way below your mean. You will be happy.

Gosh so true, I lost my job at 44 and feeling this sooooo much.

This is probably your best video. This is very important advice. In the business world, there are CEOs and workers. If you're a worker, you're an expendable commodity. You're just a cog in the machine. Humanity is on the decline as more and more companies see automation as the key to their success.

A topic you might cover sometime - apologizing. To coworkers. Customers. Bosses. Etc. Be VERY selective when apologizing. A lot of people overly apologize to be polite. The problem is when you apologize in work - even if they KNOW you just being polite - you paint a target on yourself. You are now the guy that handles it. You are the sole responsibility holder. YOU are the name dropped for every issue associated with your company/division/line of business. Do not apologize unless it’s absolutely necessary and you yourself are clearly to blame.

Josh is really bright in a lot of ways. Not only do you need connection but a unique skill too yes. This is really brilliant. We need even more people to keep pushing public opinion to recognize the workforce that makes these CEO’s so wealthy. Bigger companies and public sector of you want to stay at same place

"Inflation Negation" - I got a 1% raise last year ... that didn't even cover my rent and utility increases I've been looking for a new job for months

This guy Josh is giving great career advice. I remember years ago, I had a part timeless job at a big national home improvement retailer. There was a guy there who was a dept manager (an hourly position) who was really pushing to become an asst store manager. He was a former high school star football player, he pushed his guys really hard. He really believed in the company. He wanted to get promoted so badly.Some of the guys complained to the store management about him. Several weeks later they took him aside and fired him. He had to clean out his locker and leave. As he left the store, he was crying. It was pathetic. Guys, these companies will fire you at any time for any reason.

I want my expired birthday cake and $2 card from the dollar mart. Happy 45 years.

Joshua, thank you for all the great content, you have done a lot to expose a world that seems almost to be hidden. I enjoy your videos and they have real utility outside of the computer screen. please cheer up!

I’m the type to be very skeptical of what youtubers say. And I can honestly say, this video is ALL truth right here.

The other relevant point (in addition to those in the video) is that your race against time is also your race towards retirement. Can you bankroll enough money to retire at 65? 75? Do you want to work until you die as a convenience store greeter? Your job isn't about corporate picnics and bean bag chairs, it's about being able to sustain yourself and, hopefully, family/loved ones. Think critically; the current job market is not favorable to your true necessities...

#yanggang and for the record I've been self-employed the majority of my life, and those years I was working inside of companies rather than as a contractor, entrepreneur, or freelancer, were the worst years of my life. I would 100% prefer to do something like cutting yards and maintenance from a self-built clientele than to go back to any corporation. (I'm a full-stack web dev with a degree in graphic design and have been solo for the last 4 years, working remote :D )

I worked 4 years in a corporate job. The worst 4 years of my life.

Companies don't treat you like a family member or friend in any but the most superficial way. You may be good friends with your boss, but if your boss's higher up decides you need to go to make way for a low paid, hungry college grad, you're done, no matter how long you've been there and how "valued" they've made you feel.

At my previous job they actually had an older guy (in his 50's, I think) who was formerly a welder and had retrained to work in networking/cybersecurity. Also, one of our interns was older (I'm guessing 40-ish but it was hard to tell). He was a manager at a fastener company but he had gone back to school to do a degree in cybersecurity. They were both great to work with - no complaints. Companies shouldn't be afraid to hire older workers.

Thank you! Made a career change from the fitness industry to IT. I’m 30 and you’re right. As you mature, you have a certain lifestyle you’ve built over time. As I’m starting my IT career, what I’m realizing. They’ll take anyone who’s willing to do the job for less.

this is why i'm dropping out of school to be a mountaineering guide

I am 63 y/o and this is good advice folks. Yes I am a boomer. Every company I worked for was bought out or failed since the late 80"s. The crazy feel good stuff started in the 90"s. Luckily I jumped ship on those companies before they were bought out. One company got me all when they flat out failed and everybody shown the door in about 2001. The friends still at the companies after they changed owners told me how much worse it had become. After awhile of this, I was a quiet quitter within the first month on the new job. Luckily I made it to retirement. There is no way this disgruntled boomer would put up with all that BS now. I would never make it past an interview.

Man you're so right, every time I watch your videos I get angry at myself for not having figured that out myself. I should do what I really want, no matter what, and at the pay level that will guarantee myself a good life, no matter what, because these CEOs and CFOs and what not, they already figured it out, years ahead of me.

I don’t know how old he is but, if he’s pretty young, he can see into the future because I’ve experienced a lot of this and I’m in my fifties. As an older employee, I’ve seen Millenials who look like they wanted for me to retire - when I was in my 40s. Retire or die, just so I wouldn’t be in their way. Gone are the years of experience meaning value. I also worked for a company that was sold just before the recession. This almost caused me to lose my life in the 8 year battle of trying to stay employed. Younger employees aren’t more attractive merely because they may be capable of working longer hours for less, but merely because they think they’re cute and hiring managers agree with them. In some ways, hiring companies should actually be more attracted to higher ing older employees. The sad reality with many older employees is that you will never hire a more obedient, more terrified, more buying into the system, more scared shitless of losing their house, healthcare and retirement, than an employee who knows everyday that, if they lost their job, they’re probably never going to recover. They’re so terrified, they’re NOT EVEN THINKING of applying somewhere else. I look young for my age but, I’m terrified of when I start to look like some of my more obviously aging coworkers, a couple of which use a cane. No one has empathy for you in the current world. In my fifties now, finally having found a well-paying job, Im simply wondering when the large company I work for is going to ditch our previously-acquired division. Whenever that would happen or anything that would cause me a job loss, it would be a bad time for me, so I drive a Hoopdie there everyday. The corporate environment is a stewpot for shapeshifters anyway so, anyone who isn’t scared everyday, has no idea WTF is going on.

This along with other videos have completely changed my perspective, gonna do more digging but it was a serious eye opener.

I started a new career in my 30s. I try not to let my choices in my 20s get me down - no way but forward, after all. I’m liking my life

This is a vital info for all young graduates. I STRONGLY recommend all to watch this video!

As an Italian and an European my impression is that the life standards of the us citizens are falling down. I mean we study for free and have free Medicare. Well more than that in Italy after 64 yrs old we also receive a very small social retirement. Also in Italy 80% of families are the owners of their house. So what can I say , I am so sorry for the guys of 20/30 living in the us. For sure here in Italy we have less job opportunities but we don't have to face this kind of unbelievable problems and fears. I admire USA for so many reasons but you don't have anymore any kind of social state. It's just like the people are left alone , but for real . And that's not ok.

Love this video bro. The lessons you shared can only be experienced but rarely taught. Thank you for the honesty

Dude we're the same age and I'm working on an associate's degree. This video scared the hell out of me 😱😱😱

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Very helpful perspective, as always!

Having a side business beside a full-time job has less risk. But that also needs some sacrifice to do that. And if a full-time job takes over time than usual, it is tougher to create any form of side business.

* early-mid-life anxiety intensifies *

Is this an information channel or a depression channel? XD

This is 100% true. I’ve ran disparate impact analyses for workforce reductions to check for discrimination and the most consistently reduced groups are the older employees (statistically speaking)

The claim that "as time goes by more young people that are willing to work harder than you and for less money are entring the market" can be said both to self emplyed people and corprate people. Being self emplyed does not help you with that

Freshman year of college and just got my first job offer from a newly founded software company. I'm being wary and keeping tabs on everything, but I'm pretty excited too! Thanks for keeping everyone aware of company shenanigans.

How am I only seeing this video now. I did exactly what you said Josh. I was employed at Huawei for a couple of years and after realising that I was making more money before joining the company( through freelance work). I pushed management for a raise, they kept pushing the carrot forward 😤 Until I wanted to resign, that’s when they decided that I will get a raise but it was too late. I was already at the point of no return

Technical people face a challenge when you try to go into the executive level. I have 20 years experience as a data scientist and getting a director role really seems like a wall

Great to the point video. Just one detail: companies usually get bought for their users (or clients), not their technology. I love your dogs.

I'm still doing it. I'll get my foot in the door get the experience I need and build my future in tech. Because the alternative is a perpetual excercise in bitter futility.

Try paying your bills with all those useless corporate certificates of appreciation and all of the other virtue-signalling appreciative awards you have received. Loyalty is a one way street: towards the corporate gang. They use you and then they sacrifice you.

NO-ONE is indispensable NO-ONE! You may think you are but you'll never be , the only person you're indispensable to is yourself. "Twenty year's in a job that you hate?" Then YOU are RESPONSIBLE for that for choosing that career no-one else forced you to be there, "Where ever we are in life we must love it because otherwise we would change it because WE ALONE are responsible for where we are and why." I think Confucius said " Pick a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." You should above all things be happy because that's the whole point of life , nothing else really matters. I changed career at fifty one because I hated absolutely HATED the career I was in , it wasn't for money I actually did really well it was totally because it was driving me insane. It was easy to do because I WANTED IT badly enough and that was all the motivation that I needed and I never looked back. It was the best thing I ever did and I hate myself for not doing it earlier, so forget about being ' indispensable' or the ' corporate ladder ' ratrace because they don't matter, the ONLY thing that matters is you.

This is one of the most useful videos I’ve ever watched!

well if I subtract the years I've lost to chronic depression, i'm fresh out of college!

Very real video topic. It’s just a matter of putting as much value into each day as possible, whether you’re working for yourself or someone else.

I've chose the route of being a civil servant. It may not be exciting but it pays well, benefits and such and I know I can work those kind of jobs at an old age because retirement is not guaranteed nowadays

I got screwed in my early years as I graduated in 2008. McDonald's at that time wanted a bachelor's degree with 5 years of fast food experience and recruiters told me I was unemployable because I didn't have 5 years of experience in a niche because I went to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. So, yeah, I was screwed.

The most off putting thing about the career I went into was when one of my new coworkers said "welcome to working the rest of your life" in the most depressing tone ever, a bit after that point I realized I do not like Civil Engineering. So now I am just wondering what to do.

Why is this young bloke talking as if he is 50 yrs old middle aged man? At least he is talking about the truth. It’s true that they tend to let go of guys from the company they acquired it’s just the way corporates work.

This is exactly what I've been thinking about lately. I really needed this video, thank you.

there's a third path, its the same as a company man but the trick is, the work is why you keep doing it (because you enjoy it), with the end goal of setting yourself up for early retirement and doing whatever the F you want to do (such as going freelance and doing what you love still). I am transitioning to that right now, finally, after 25 years in IT :) All the dominos have fallen in place, its quite a great feeling. All the while loving the work.

Very nice point about agism. In my mid-forties, I took a position with a pay cut - but with union protections -specifically because I was concerned about agism going forward. :)

The exponential growth is laid out right here. Pay employees less for more production; everything is replaceable for a bigger profit. However, if you're not dumb, you can see it already. Pay less then replace and pay less and replace ad infinitum, until everyone is fighting over meager scraps or crumbs, if that. It's been shown time and time again, profits over people.

THANK YOU! What a relief it is to hear someone else who shares the same thought process as mine. Great video 👍

I think the point of the vid is make sure you do what you want, not to just never get a job.

Man this is so true! and depressing at the same time :(

Competing for higher corporate ladder, is what makes people sad, depressed and out of reality. I never understand why people start to backstab each other to get higher position? Yea, money are great. But what people want is power and to best their ego. They want to boss around, control people, look them like they are below them. Get some work experience and start own business.

wish i woulda seen this 13 years ago when i got outta college. especially in oil and gas where people who have forgotten more knowledge than I'll ever have are tossed out like last weeks garbage....

There is also the FIRE route. And of course the heroine/meth route, if thats your thing.

Be me: - 35 years old - Making 20/h part time job as supply chain clerk - Attending non-ranked MBA program - Living at home - Mom died in October - No skillsets, no certifications What's the point of living again? Man, I have literally been unconsciously suicidal for close to two decades. I know kids who are 22 and make way more than. I have never made more than 30k a year. I literally don't think its worth living anymore if you haven't made it by a certain age, as it gets harder to learn new things or harder to get into certain industries with no experience at such an old age in comparison to your peers. Code? Not everyone can code. A part of me thinks everyday about just saying fuck it and roping it. The only thing that is kind of keeping me here my dad and my dogs. I was born hard of hearing and have worn hearing aids all my life, which means I have had only heard maybe 50% of what people have said in my lifetime. All those classrooms, interviews, dates, etc add up when you can't hear well and suffer from anxiety of ever fitting in. Shit, its hard. I stumbled upon your channel Josh and you are wise in your years. I could be cut tomorrow as a contractor. I'm expendable. I was cut into a new contract gig in within 3 weeks into 2020 and then was unemployed all of that year and then my mom died in October. Makes you really question things. I used to do bodybuilding in my 20s and did a few shows. I bring that up because in bodybuilding, you notice that there is a trait among those who compete at a high level and are muscular. It seems they all suffered from a traumatic childhood, being scarred, and jumping into lifting iron to wash away the pain and chase the pump in the weight room. Most who do that will stumble into gear and eventually competition. So I did bodybuilding my mid to late 20s and didn't really focus on growing individually or having a career. I wasted my 20s and didn't even graduate college until 33. So far, this story, seen from afar from anybody, may question this persons life choices. Yeah, I would do the same if someone told me this story I guess. I don't think you're a race against time after you graduate college. You're in a race against time as soon as you're born but only appears to turn faster and faster as you age. Unfortunately, I will probably be a part of that class of citizens in the near future that won't have a job, no matter how hard my low IQ brain works, due to automation and a lackadaisical skillset. I think one of the last great rights that Americans will ever argue with, if the government doesn't absolve before then, is the right to ones life aka suicide. Remember that suicide booth scene from Futurama? That scene alone was way of ahead of its time, probably by 50 to 70 years. We already have a suicide booth machine, called Sarco (made in Europe). That shit is the future right there fam. Do you want to live in a world where nobody finds value in you? Where minimal wage hasn't kept up with CPI? I swear, republicans by 2050 will hope minimum wage is still $7.50 lmao. Well I guess my post was long and winding, so I'll exit out and let you be Josh. Also, I saw that vid of that ex-gf of yours cheating on you. WTF was wrong with her lmao.

Companies are not loyal. WATCH how many developers, QA, and IT folks get laid off during the next "recession" and find it impossible to find work (or have to take severe pay cuts at their next position). It's going to be NIGHTMARISH. The dot-com bubble was horrific and the banking / mortgage crisis crash was even worse. PS -- At 45 years old you should be in your prime earning years with relevant "senior level" experience, in your field. It's more like 55-65 you have to start worrying.

Was part of 3 buyouts in my career. Got let go each time despite being a key member of the main product development team. I did not know my value nor take the time to build professional relationships. For that, I take responsibility but I also put too much trust in my lying, cheating boomer overlords. Never again. Today I have my own business and I walk away when someone tries to undercut my worth. I would add that if you go the corporate route, live below your means and learn to be deceptive and be willing to so so when necessary.

Just retire at 45

I'm both corporate employed and self employed. This way if I get let go I can still make money and take that severance check.

i finally undrerstand why my old collegue never explained stuff to me as i part time entered the company during university. he was afraid to loose his job... it was quite an easy job and he made everythink extremely complicated. taking this into account i am not mad at him anymore for not propperly teaching me. during that time i could do whatever i wanted and i learned to code a little bit :)

I think you can have a middle ground here. You can get some experience in a tech company. With the goal to learn as much as you can. After let's say 5 to 10 years of experience you can switch to become a freelancer or build your own company in that field. I'm not saying that this is something everybody can do but it will make your life easier becoming a freelancer because your not that student that just finished college but the guy who at least on paper knows some stuff and knows how the industry works. Of course the older you get the harder the jump will be. Also in both cases, you have to educate yourself all the time because everything and by everything I mean everything changes around you.

Self employed in the software business is the same as contractor, as far as working for someone else & competing with the same lower cost labor. The mane difference is getting to pay corporate taxes instead of income tax.

I think, that we, the IT workers should start to unionise. The only way to beat capitalist bullshit is through getting together, and speaking as one.

The quote “sunny way right dad the working man is a sucka” in the movie A Bronx tale. Makes more and more sense to me as I get older

Excellent video that doesn't sugarcoat or tell the viewer what they want to hear. Harsh but true. Spot on advice. Subbed.

Avoided college like the plague because I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do and feared the burden of debt. Done a lot of things in my life. I recently managed to land an IT position with no prior industry experience because I knew the keyboard shortcuts and told them I built/maintained my own PC as a gamer. Life gives you anecdotal moments that are critical you can convey well during an interview. W-2 Income and a schedule are a hell of a thing to have.

So be a corporate guy or create your own startup even though 9 out of 10 startups fail? Hmmm... sounds like I'm fucked either way! LOL!

Thank you so much for the heads up. You’re like a career brother/father figure especially for an immigrant like myself who doesn’t have family guidance. 🙏🏻

I'm 40 and in a job I cannot tolerate any longer due to a range of reasons but mainly because of a change of management which has become corporate and toxic, I cannot do this. But at my age I have no idea what to move to. I don't have a vocational degree, as you said in this video, it's perhaps too late to start over, so what are my options 😮‍💨

This should be required viewing for all young people entering the workforce

Actually if you are going to worker route. All you have to do is get into the union if you are looking to work towards retirement you won't be at risk of being fired for things like ageism

Josh you just scared the shit out of me. I am aspiring to get a wed dev job in the U.S , but based on what you just said, theres gonna be risk involved.