The News: A Dose of Perspective
We read items like this and our knee-jerk reaction is to be cynical: Sure, now that you've lost your job, money doesn't matter. But writing on The Wall Street Journal's "Laid Off and Looking" blog, Spencer Cutter, formerly a senior vice president in Lehman Brothers' leveraged finance group, paints a compelling portrait of perspective.
I'm focusing a lot less on the paycheck and am placing a much higher premium on a career that will not only be challenging and rewarding, but that will also provide a sense of longevity, stability, and balance. Money is still important, but I'm no longer obsessed about trying to get as much as possible as quickly as possible.
Many are the career coaches who preach this kind of view. It's a much more compelling theme when it comes from someone who's been pushed from a solid-gold career into the job market. Not everyone is going to come to the same conclusion Cutter does, but right now - when so many of the numbers we see are bad - it's a different kind of data point for us to consider.
I'd be interested to hear what you think. Post your thoughts with a comment below.
Reflecting on Life Post-Lehman: Money Doesn't Matter [WSJ]
And...
Top Blackstone Executives Get Big Pay Cuts [Dealbook]
Judge clears two ex-Smith Barney brokers [InvestmentNews]
Vanguard bucks trend with no layoffs, so far [The Deal]
At Merrill, Thinning Herd of Brokers Carries On [WSJ]
Stanford's Employees Feel a Pinch [WSJ]
Bruised AmEx Returns to Roots [WSJ]
People
Cantor Fitzgerald Announces Promotion of Shawn Matthews [Cantor]
Veteran Banker, Civic Leader Phyllis Campbell Named Chairman of the Pacific Northwest for JPMorgan Chase [JPMorgan]
Amherst Holdings, LLC Hires Joseph Walsh as President, Ramon de Castro as Chief Risk Officer [Amherst via BW]
GMP hires electronic traders [Globe & Mail]
