I found this gem a couple of days ago and its message is hitting home for me.
I have friends that were just starting their careers right before the crisis hit. It was hard enough for me to find a job in a STEM field back when the economy was rolling along. But now, for people just graduating the coming of COVID-19, the future financial and debt crises just made the outlook on the job market and financial security that much grimmer. Add to that the current protests happening in the U.S. as well as in Montreal last night following the death of George Floyd and it might seem like civilization is truly, slowly but surely coming to an end.
It seems that as millennials and gen Zers we often have to deal with the shorter end of the stick when compared to the previous generation. With lower wages, higher costs of living, unaffordable housing markets, unaffordable financial markets and higher debts being just some of the examples that come to mind right now. I can clearly see how the “Ok Boomer” divide was really becoming inevitable at this point.
At the same time, we are also benefiting from the longest period of stability, prosperity and the biggest technological revolution ever seen in human history. We are so privileged that right now the government in Canada can afford (“afford” here is debatable) paying everyone without a job 2000$ stimulus cheques every month to sit at home. Or go out, violate social distancing rules and protest the law enforcement agencies of that same government (Down a couple levels of the public servant food chain). The irony is not lost on me.
If you are stuck home on the CERB you can use this time wisely. With a couple of youtube videos and some practice you can master almost any skill. Certification and Career boosting skills have never been so affordable on platforms like EdX or Udemy. There’s e-books, articles and podcasts on almost
any subject imaginable. And if you weren’t overwhelmed yet by the amount of information you are then also constantly bombarded by ads from people trying to make you a millionaire. A few of these, by the way, are pretty legit.
So now what? Destitution vs privilege, anger vs gratitude, dead-end jobs vs unlimited opportunity; The dualities and paradox
es of the year 2020 are endless. Whichever side of the coin you choose to embrace, I am sure that there is one thing that we can agree on: Everything that is happening has brought people into closer communities and will continue to do so in the near future.
And thus, I wanted to share with you what I will take away from all this. Now, more than ever is the time to reach out and help those communities grow. COVID-19 is the perfect example of this: People making masks and visors, donating food and sharing useful information they find. That’s before mentioning the selfless sacrifice health workers all around the world are making right now.
When you read this, what does it inspire you? Who can you help? Who can you call today to make him/her feel better? To what use can you put your skills that might benefit the community? Share below, I would love to hear your ideas and inspirations.
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