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Loved, LOVED, the story done yesterday called “9 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Jumping the Broom”! Loved it so much in fact that it made me think…what are other big leaps in life do I wish someone would have warned me about before I jumped? Then I thought about college. Such a sheltering place, yet and still, your first big foray into something of a “real world.” If you are paying for yourself to attend school, taking out major loans or hustling from internship to internship, then you’re already getting a taste of the struggles of adulthood. But for those who didn’t, things are going to be a lot scarier than what you’re used to. If someone would have warned me about these things, it “sho’ll” would have helped in my introduction into adulthood. For starters…

Unemployment has threatened significant portions of the American population, including teenagers. With this issue in mind, the White House announced their plan to create 180,000 for young adults (16-24) with a goal of reaching 250,000.

Summer Jobs+ essentially partners with businesses, non profit organizations and other forms of government to provide employment for low income young adults. This program comes immediately after the president proposed a $1.5 billion plan to implement summer and year round jobs for this same age group but Congress did not act on it. Afterward the Federal Government and the private sector came together to create an alternative initiative. The Summer Jobs+ program is the result of those efforts.

Companies like Bank of America, Starbucks Coffee Co.  AT&T Inc. have committed to providing 26,850 jobs to the program.  Wells Fargo, CVS, Deloitte and Gap Inc., have also signed on to take part in this program.

You can get the rest of the story from the White House Press Release here.

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A few months ago, an estimated 5,000 unemployed souls braved the unrelenting, Dirty-South to attend a job fair in Atlanta where ninety companies were reportedly present. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate is 8.6 percent.

The black unemployment rate is nearly double at 15.5 percent, down from 16 percent in October – this includes 17 percent for black men, 13.8 percent for black women, and (gulp)… 39.9 percent for black teens.

Remember the unemployment rate doesn’t take into account those individuals who are either underemployed or have conceded rejection. So, in reality, black joblessness is somewhere along the lines of 30 percent. Why are so many African-Americans being shunned from full-time employment?

What do employers see or not see in us?

What’s our motivation for trying to embark upon a new career when every statistical number says blacks are being ignored in the job market?

“You got children, you got kids, you got bills,” said Derric Clayton, a former security guard with three children whose been seeking work since May. “You’ve got to stay somewhere. You don’t want to be homeless.”

In giving reasons for non-hire, a Chicago-based employer let the cat out the bag recently by citing a plethora of racial stereotypes in describing blacks as “uneducated,” “unskilled,” “unstable,” “illiterate,” “dishonest,” “lack initiative,” “unmotivated,” “involved with gangs and drugs,” “don’t understand work,” “lack charm,” “have no family values,” and are “poor role models.”

Now, those of us with common sense understand such racial stereotypes are completely untrue.

After all, the job market is saturated with legions of intelligent African-Americans equipped with college degrees and ample work experience. Still, perception is typically construed as reality. To bring about positive economic change, it’s imperative we take the steps necessary to invert our professional reputation.

We can start the correction process by condemning commercial forces that advocate and profit from the perilous sale of gangsta rap, misogyny, excess tattoos and all other filth counterproductive to landing gainful employment.

In addition to the aforementioned stereotypes, we can’t underestimate the rising economic power associated with globalization and outsourcing. With so many jobs being shipped overseas, labor intensive positions that once paid $20 per hour are now offering only $10. Without a college education, it’s very difficult to secure above average wages.

Compounding matters is the disturbing fact black dropout rates have skyrocketed in recent years while college enrollment has subsequently descended; specifically in the case of black men.

If morale isn’t low enough, studies have shown African-Americans equipped with college degrees are hired at a far lower rate than their white counterparts; regardless of GPA and/or experience.

Then there’s the theory claiming some employers simply refuse to interview candidates with black-sounding names. Imagine that? The Tyrones, Chiquitas and Alfonsos of the world don’t stand a chance.

High prison rates among people of color have played an even bigger role in the decimation of Black America as ex-convicts receive no love from employers.

By Charlotte Young

For entrepreneurs in the US today, both men and women have an equal shot at creating startups when and how they please. But in the tech world, investors are still giving the money to men, and women don’t seem to mind. According to writer and founder of Brazen Careerist Penelope Trunk, women know what they want, and it’s not a business start-up.

When it comes to offering financial support, venture capitalists not only market to women, they go out of their way to do so. But women aren’t making sales pitches. It’s all about personal choice and women know exactly how to make them. Around the nation you will find that women outnumber men at many schools, and academically they’re also outperforming men. After graduation, women are more likely to earn more than men in their 20s.

Billionaire and venture capitalist Peter Thiel advices women that the best age for them to start a company is from 20-25, but it seems that most women don’t care to take this advice. The academic and professional gender ratio starts to shift as women reach their 30s. But why? It seems that as women start their families, they make the choice to take care of their children instead of create a startup business, especially in the lucrative tech business.

In choosing family over careers and business ventures, Trunk finds that the decision isn’t weighing heavily on a woman’s contentment. According to her, women are happiest around age 28. This leads one to believe that most women aren’t  regretting the fact that they didn’t take that business opportunity. She finds that in contrast, men are most unhappy at 28, perhaps it’s because they’re so worried about their new business startup.

While Facebook Executive, Sheryl Sanberg recommends that women “lean into their careers, ” Trunk doubts that many women would want the busy, stressful life that Sandberg has in addition to two young kids and a husband.

Women have spoken. And what they want is not funding or start up opportunities. Pew Research finds that most women with children want part time jobs as opposed to stay at home full time or working full time. They also want jobs with flexible hours. For the women that do want to start their own business, Trunk relays that women are starting business at high rates without the help of venture capitalists.

So for women wondering pondering whether or not they made the right decision to delay that business start up, you were probably right. As they say, a woman knows best.

In this uncertain economy, being “let go” can be devastating. Losing your job can take a toll on you both financially and emotionally, however, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. With the right tools, you can overcome this setback and maybe even come out stronger. Here are some suggestions on how to cope with a job loss.

Read the rest of this entry »

When someone says, “We need to talk,” one thing is for sure–you’re probably about to hear something that you don’t really want to deal with. You might not even have the luxury of the person saying “We need to talk.” They might catch you off guard and show you who they really are through their actions Oftentimes, when a person shows us who they are, we’re sorry we asked. So how do you deal with information you don’t want to know? Do you blow up or do you block it out? Do you ignore it altogether or do you become so engulfed that everything else in your life stops?

Here are a few tips in re-shaping your mindset to deal with information you felt you could have done without:

(New York Times) — Dan Tolleson, a researcher and writer with a Ph.D. in politics, has been out of work since 2009, except for brief stints as a driver. Still, he opposes President Obama’s call for Congress to renew extensions on unemployment benefits.  “They’re going to end up spending more money on unemployment benefits, while less money is coming in on tax returns,” he said, suggesting that the government should focus on measures that might encourage businesses to hire. “Far better to relax some of these outrageous regulations.”  Make no mistake — Mr. Tolleson, 54, has collected unemployment checks, saying he had little choice. But his objection to a policy that would probably benefit him shows just how divisive the question has become of providing a bigger safety net to the long-term jobless, a common strategy in recessions.  President Obama wants to continue offering benefits for an extended period of time, a maximum of 99 weeks, as is now the case. The measure is part of his jobs bill, which he once again called on Congress to pass in a press conference on Thursday.

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(TheLoop21) — By now, you’ve heard the mantra from President Obama “pass this jobs bill,“ which he’s echoed no less than a thousand times throughout September to numerous voting constituencies, in the front and back yards of his political opponents and across every social media platform worth mentioning. Much of the money in the American Jobs Act bill is slated for infrastructure “shovel ready” jobs but can the bill really get those proverbial shovels in the dirt?  The dirty truth is that many jobs deemed “shovel ready” are anything but. In a recent Politico article, a Berekley professor said, “Unfortunately, there aren’t many jobs ready to go at the snap of a finger.” And earlier this week, when Obama visited GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry’s state of Texas, he was welcomed with an ad that reminded the administration of when Obama admitted himself that jobs weren’t as shovel-ready as he thought. So why so much focus on the shovel-ready if there’s little certainty that they will dig us out of unemployment?

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