As much as I think the author means well, and is really passionate about all of this, this article reads a bit like the speech of a motivational life coach. The tone seems to trade some level-headed rationality for sensationalist handwaving. Then again, maybe I'm not who he is targeting here; some of this is just reinforcing things I already try to do.
I'm especially annoyed by this point: "In this type of economy getting a job is tough if not often impossible." This flies in the face of the rest of his thesis of point 2, which is to go try many different jobs until you find the one that is right for you. I don't see how these two behaviors can coexist unless you are becoming the waiter at your own restaurant, launderer at your own cleaning storefront, freelance door to door vacuum cleaner sales man, and a night janitor for each of these, all in a nine-to-twelve month period.
And then the usual nod to "this kind of economy," which has some amount of truth as a compounding risk factor, but has become the universal justification for refusing to change anything.
But, within the platitudes, there are some good ideas.
If you are after flexibility, then, as much as you can, live like a student. He's not the only one to say this, but it is true. Doing that will increase the rate you are saving money; enough of doing that, pretty much anything, including going income-less for a while, doesn't seem that irresponsible anymore.
"If you love what you do so much that you are willing to continue to live like a student in order to be able to stay in the job, you have found your calling." Maybe, but don't undersell yourself, either. What you provide has value which you should get some benefit from, regardless of how good you might be at rationalizing.
Finally, I disagree that everyone is a poor judge of their own abilities, and especially that everyone will overestimate. Plenty of people are, granted, but not so many I think a blanket generalization is warranted.
I'm especially annoyed by this point: "In this type of economy getting a job is tough if not often impossible." This flies in the face of the rest of his thesis of point 2, which is to go try many different jobs until you find the one that is right for you. I don't see how these two behaviors can coexist unless you are becoming the waiter at your own restaurant, launderer at your own cleaning storefront, freelance door to door vacuum cleaner sales man, and a night janitor for each of these, all in a nine-to-twelve month period.
And then the usual nod to "this kind of economy," which has some amount of truth as a compounding risk factor, but has become the universal justification for refusing to change anything.
But, within the platitudes, there are some good ideas.
If you are after flexibility, then, as much as you can, live like a student. He's not the only one to say this, but it is true. Doing that will increase the rate you are saving money; enough of doing that, pretty much anything, including going income-less for a while, doesn't seem that irresponsible anymore.
"If you love what you do so much that you are willing to continue to live like a student in order to be able to stay in the job, you have found your calling." Maybe, but don't undersell yourself, either. What you provide has value which you should get some benefit from, regardless of how good you might be at rationalizing.
Finally, I disagree that everyone is a poor judge of their own abilities, and especially that everyone will overestimate. Plenty of people are, granted, but not so many I think a blanket generalization is warranted.