May 2008

Alfred Mariani

          Many baby boomers were raised during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. This was an era where we witness our parents acquiring and retaining lifetime job security. We entered the workforce with this unwritten contract, only to have it stripped away in the middle of our careers. The global marketplace has resulted in a mobile workforce, one that must explore new job opportunities every 3 to 4 years. This is disconcerting to baby boomers who tenaciously hold on to the hope that this will change and return to the way it once was. The best advice to baby boomers is to give them a dose of reality. “Things will never return to the good old days”.

What baby boomers must do is to consider the following options:

1. Maintain current/state-of-the-art skills, even if this means ongoing training.

2. Be flexible and willing to change careers and occupations.

3. Consider starting your own business to regain control of your life.

4. Look at jobs from a different paradigm. Why can’t you be a mortgage broker, head hunter, and computer technician all at the same time? Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Match multiple opportunities to your skills sets and do what ever it takes to secure a steady income stream.