Success

Blog Shift – From Life Underwriting Expert to Professional Writer (gasp)

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As I typed the title I heard a collective gasp from the Force.  You can’t be serious?  Professional writer?  Do you know how hard it will be to make a living?

Yes, as a matter of fact I do.

I have this to say to my legions of followers:  do not panic.  Here are the service offering changes to expect this year:

  • I will continue to offer my consulting services on a limited basis to select clients.
  • Life underwriting expert witness litigation support services will continue to be provided.
  • Technical underwriting services are fully committed at this time.
  • Professional corporate writing services for life insurance companies and their respective distribution channels.

There are a lot of very smart people in business today; there are not a lot of good writers. Couple this with the fact that companies need to produce more words, via a greater number of channels, than ever before, and you quickly come to realize that the corporate landscape is rife with opportunity for those who know how to communicate, you know, good.  I.J. Schecter

Here is what to expect from this blog:

  • More natural writing posts.  As I transition to more writing for hire I need to write more.  This blog will the primary landing area for my brain droppings.
  • Less links to what I consider to be essential reading for professional life underwriters.  The links to relevant articles will continue, just not in the frequency and quantity of the past five years.
  • More painfully blatant examples of shameless self-promotion.  Got to eat.  And yes, I still have a mortgage, one child in medical school, one child still an undergraduate, three cars and and a nasty writing habit to support.

I look forward to helping you succeed in your business.

Thanks for reading and your continued support.

Trapped in a Cycle of Internships With Little Pay and No Job Offers – NYTimes.com

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While the idea of slaving away in two, three or four quasi jobs without a clear path for advancement may seem unimaginable to an older generation, those in their 20s seem to respond to their jobless fate with a collective shrug. To them, internships are the new normal. “For some people, being an accountant, taking a safe route, is perfectly fine, but that’s not where my values lie,” Ms. Thomas said.

via Millennials Feel Trapped in a Cycle of Internships With Little Pay and No Job Offers – NYTimes.com.

Passion is overrated.  The real question is how long are you willing to chase your dream before you understand all you are doing is letting other people totally screw you over?

CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST- Administrators and Part-Timers: Changes in U.S. Higher Education Workforce

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I’ll only add that institutions are defined by their people. As the full-time and tenured faculty become a smaller share of the employees of the institution and the professional administrators become a larger share, the nature and character of the institution inevitably changes. In this case, colleges and universities have become less about faculty, teaching, and research, and more about the provision of professional services to students and faculty. As far as I know, this shift was not planned or chosen, and the costs and benefits of such a shift were not analyzed in advance. It just happened.

via CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: Administrators and Part-Timers: Changes in U.S. Higher Education Workforce.

$700 or $915 per credit hour, depending on degree.

The numbers above are pulled directly from a university website.  The campus sits just a mile from my house.  The work is part time and I don’t qualify for either pay level.  To work part time teaching at a university you need a minimum of a Masters degree.  So someone who busts their butt to earn a Doctorate can make $915.00 per credit hour.

I’m speechless.

 

Google Hummingbird: Are You Still Playing Russian Roulette with Google? – Copyblogger

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However, the funny bit about our endless quest to know how Google ranks pages is that the truth has always been right in front of us: do the hard work of knowing your customer inside and out, establish your authority, and deliver the high-quality content they need.

via Google Hummingbird: Are You Still Playing Russian Roulette with Google? | Copyblogger.

This is a seriously good article.  I recommend it highly if you are trying to establish an online brand.

The Science Behind What Naps Do For Your Brain–And Why You Should Have One Today | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

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Studies of napping have shown improvement in cognitive function, creative thinking, and memory performance

via The Science Behind What Naps Do For Your Brain–And Why You Should Have One Today | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

I work from home.  This article link is for all the times I’ve been accused of napping in lieu of working.

Gotcha.

Change This – Art Is Freedom

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Change This – Art Is Freedom.

I believe Art represents the extraordinary form of genetic talent each of us are born with, as well as the ongoing fuel to declare this distinct expression every day. The nature of this primitive desire is so strong that when we use our artistic capacity we feel a strange empowering sense of completeness, of being at home within ourselves. You start to crave more of it, realizing this task is the single thing that makes you feel truly alive.

Entrepreneurs Get Better with Age – HBR

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Entrepreneurs Get Better with Age – Whitney Johnson – Harvard Business Review.

Independent Work May Be Inevitable – Whitney Johnson – Harvard Business Review.

Just as larger businesses provide economic stability to society in the form of higher pay, better medical care, and retirement, experienced workers provide intellectual and emotional ballast in the workplace including innovation expertise. Think about it — disruptive innovation is about playing where no one wants to play (low-end), or has thought of playing (new market).

Disruptive innovation.  The more I think about this term the more I begin to realize it is time to change once again.  As a life underwriting expert witness I’ve played in an area where few underwriters get to play.  As I look back on the recent past expert witness work was never the main focus.  The more I think about this the more I come to realize it is time to refocus.

So where do you want to play?

Discover Your Personal Narrative – HBR

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Sure, your personal brand and your message can be focus-grouped and wordsmithed by others. But the best place to look, at least initially, is at the stories you tell, to yourself and about yourself. You’ll start to see patterns and themes — if most of your most meaningful experiences are centered on global leadership, or if the “moral” of most of your stories is about the need for better executive communication, then you’re on your way to finding the essence of your brand.

via Discover Your Personal Narrative – Dorie Clark – Harvard Business Review.

For a short piece this post is one of the more thought provoking blog articles you’ll ever read.  What is your personal narrative?  What stories do you find yourself telling over and over?  What is your true voice?  What defines you?  What is your essence?

Take your time.  This project will take some time.