Access to a Livelihood

I believe strongly in empowerment for career readiness and access. I have focused in blogging on five ways in which we can give everyone greater access to the careers of their choice:

• Better and earlier coaching and counseling on how to prepare for a career, including the skills required for them to perform on standardized tests.  My nephew Nathan Green has started a business providing mobile phone apps for examination preparation, one of which is called “Prep4SATs.”  I want everyone to be on as a close to a level playing field as possible relative to accumulating job credentials;
• More free online courses and a much lower cost of college education and training courses for jobs.  The reason college educations are so expensive is that the combination of government regulations, antiquated accreditation standards and high overhead expenses makes them expensive.  There are much lower-cost ways of securing an education;
• Eliminating government licensing and certifications for many jobs, or, at a minimum, reducing the burdens of those licenses and certifications.  Today, many states have licensing requirements for service jobs that, in other states, have no licensing requirements and make no difference in the quality of the services offered;
• Resisting the government’s temptation to pass onerous minimum wage laws that reduce the number of entry-level jobs or make them far more attractive and competitive to more-advantaged individuals; and
• Eliminating the overly restrictive specifications of jobs that, in many instances, cause recruiters to reject perfectly qualified candidates.

I will periodically write blogs or, in other ways, provide financial support for organizations that address these issues.  Generally, if given a choice, I will refuse to contribute to a candidate who strongly advocates much higher minimum wages, because promoting higher minimum wages is philosophically so at odds with what I believe that I have to wonder about the candidate’s values.

Books and Resources
"Learning by Doing: The Real Connection between Innovation, Wages and Wealth"

My Partners & Resources

Blogs related to livelihood

Occupational licensing limits access to middle class jobs
Occupational licensing is out of control, This has to change.

The More Optimistic, but Different, Future of Mail
I am more optimistic about the future of the Postal Service than either of these authors, but the Postal Service has to adapt in certain ways to take advantage of future opportunities

Adaptability is the #1 Success Factor Today
Adaptability is far more important in talent evaluation than it was when I was promoted to be Pitney Bowes Chairman and CEO in 1996, because the Board prioritized adaptability to both known and unknown challenges over more traditional “qualifications".

What is the role of luck in success?
Is success a result of luck or individual tenacity and skill?

Who Stocks the Beverage Cooler?
Recently, I went to Nashville to help a close friend, who is managing a convenience store. The two days I spent there were incredibly revealing.

What The American Dream Is All About
January 11th, 2015

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• Higher Minimum Wages
• Rapid increases in minimum wages a bad idea
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