I got some emails from people in the Old Normal this week.  I don’t live there anymore. I left it long ago.  I didn’t see much of a future there for me.

The incoming emails came like rockets almost one after another. I wanted to duck for cover.

They were from different folks but they all shared the same story from diverse places.

“The company has gone through three rounds of layoffs in the last 18 months. It has been a challenging time.”  I bet it has been more than that.  I bet it has been worrisome, stressful, political, and dismal. I bet you your family meals are less happy even with a Happy Meal and the nights aren’t always restful even if you have a Sealy Posturepedic.

“Can you help this guy out Hank?” another one read from a COO.   “His company just let a 1000 people go.  I would work with him again in a flash.”  Wow a 1000 people is a lot of people to rescue from the beach.

Even Mickey had a bad week.  I read in the newspaper online today and heard on the radio online today that Disney’s game and internet division is cutting one-fourth of its workforce.  Say it ain’t so Tinker Bell.  Even at the happiest place on earth. It’s just down the road from me.  Will they still take their kids to Disneyland?  A 2 Day Park Hopper Ticket for Ages 3 to 9 is still only $197. So much to see.

You see there is no job security in the New Normal.  None.  Many people still must believe in gold watches because their personal branding doesn’t even fog the mirror.  Their security is an illusion shattered minute by minute.

There is only job security if you work for yourself but that’s because you don’t have a job.  There are plenty of things to worry about if you are self-employed if you give them brain time. Best to keep that valuable piece of real estate to yourself.

Time is also very different in the New Normal. I have already written about that. Time is a weapon in the Old Normal.  The number of people in transition for longer than 6 months is on the rise. They are invisible to employers.  They want people engaged in the workforce.

Age doesn’t matter in the New Normal if you are relevant and reinvent.  Age matters in the Old Normal. Companies use your age against you.  You are often either too young or too old.  Both can lock doors.

Education is less relevant in the New Normal.  A Post Graduate Degree is now a MDA.  Master of Debt Administration. Most companies would be happy to hire Programmers as long as they can do the job even if they went to a community college or a college in Istanbul.

Life is increasing a Tale of Two Cities.  Google employee transportation is much better than public transportation.   The Old Normal workforce increasingly can’t afford to work in San Francisco.  Priced out of the housing game. No free lunches for them.

There is no country in the New Normal.  John Lennon got his wish. You can connect with likeminded people anywhere in the New Normal.  They will find you easily if you have a presence. Yet many people in the Old Normal live in the fear of their immigration status even if they have a PHD in Computer Science and are on a student visa or if they cut your lawn.

Yes the New Normal is truly a Magical Place.

Connect with Hank on Linkedin, Twitter, or Facebook:

Watch a video called How Why Young People Try to Find A Job.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdyeDv1Z7Rs]

You may also enjoy this article I Love My Job.  I Just Want to Keep It.