> Lemme try to put it another way, because I am suggesting a different way to think about the idea of work, which /also/ was not the dominant way of thinking ab

> Lemme try to put it another way, because I am suggesting a different way to think about the idea of work, which /also/ was not the dominant way of thinking about things when I was a student. You don't need to restate your point. I understood and it's what's trite and insulting to new grads. > Alternatively, you can think of yourself as a problem-solver for hire. This isn't the alternative and hasn't been for a decade. It's absolutely mainstream thinking among students and new grads that the traditional career is dead and that they need to take alternative routes, one of the most common being to present themselves as "problem-solvers for hire", with personal brands, turning friends into networks, etc. It's so common it's a trope, and of course the market of businesses who need problem-solvers for hire is absolutely saturated. It's a segment exploited by employers for cheap labour and terrible opportunities for progression as you're competing against so many people, many in LCOL areas. So after their entire youth being told the same thing you're saying by podcasters, influencers, slightly older peers, etc and then arriving into a labour market which is absolutely barren, your advice is trite and it is insulting. It's even worse than when challenged, you assume I must not get your profound advice and choose to reiterate it, instead of reflection on the possibility that the world and opportunities you enjoyed 20 years ago simply don't exist any more. Not that there aren't other opportunities. > But, as I mentioned above, the beaten path is saturated, and you will find yourself in what is essentially a lottery system. The irony of this comment. > By plugging into some area you're interested in and solving people's concrete problems. Yes, you and literally everyone else. It's almost ridiculous how out-of-touch this is. > perhaps fine, for the trades. As an aside, this is an absurdly arrogant comment.