I Worked Hard, I Played by the Rules, and This Is All I Get?

LET'S FACE IT, if you are reading this book, you are already in transition. You realize you aren't going to get what you want from what you are doing now. You need a Plan B because your Plan A job isn't working for you. You are starting to lean forward, interested to learn more about Plan B.

Let's define the terms Plan A and Plan B and the differences between them. Plan A is a job working for a company to earn a paycheck. It is the "working for the man" plan to make money. You pretty much know in advance how much you will earn based on your hourly rate or annual salary.

Plan B, as we use it, refers to the other ways you can make a living that do not involve working for someone else. For example, you may use your experience to start your own company, or you may decide to buy a business. Plan B puts you in charge of your time and the work you do. And you are writing your own paycheck.

During the past three decades the world has changed, and it's not going to change back any time soon. The rules most of us have grown up with have gone out the window. Jobs have been outsourced overseas and they are not coming back. You and many others have arrived at this new reality for any number of reasons. Some people planned all along to work for themselves, but for many others, there is no choice: a job was eliminated, a skill set was no longer needed, or declining health no longer made it possible to continue working at the same job.

Perhaps this all-too-true story will sound familiar because something similar has happened to you or someone you know. Let's use David's situation as an example.

David, a passionate sales engineer professional, was waiting his turn to find out if he was going to have a job after the latest round of layoffs. He had survived the last two rounds but was worried about this one. Sales were sliding, and management had announced they were going to reduce the number of employees to a fraction of the current staff.

David walked in the door on this particular morning and saw his manager, Jim, and the human resources manager, Stacy.

"This can't be good," he thought. Jim and Stacy stood up. He shook their hands and they all sat down.

Stacy looked straight at David and said gently, "This is going to be a difficult conversation, David. Your position has been eliminated."

David flinched as if he had just been punched in the gut.

"Do you need a minute or would you like us to continue?" asked Jim.

"No, go on," David said. It's not like he wasn't expecting it, but that didn't take away the shock.

Jim and Stacy explained the layoff package and talked about the severance pay, help with his job search, and on and on.

Suddenly, David's rage exploded. He stood, yanked up his right shirt sleeve, and pointed to the company's colorful logo tattooed on the inside of his forearm. "I bleed six colors for this company. I worked hard, I played by the rules, and this is all I get?"

As David learned, loyalty to one company no longer provides job security.

Why Is Plan A Not Working Anymore?

If you're living your Plan A, you may already feel vulnerable because you realize your job could end. That's good — at least you are paying attention. Those who feel safe are either oblivious to today's reality, or in denial. If you know people like that, please give them a copy of this book; they are the ones who need to sit up and take notice.

Plan B is about making plans before you need them. The captain of the Titanic probably thought his job was pretty secure ... that is, until he hit the iceberg and remembered there were not enough lifeboats for the number of passengers on board. If you don't want to go down with the ship, keep reading and get to work on your Plan B. You never know when your path may encounter icebergs.

With a job — your Plan A — you may be making a living but perhaps your lifestyle is not ideal. You are probably like most people — trading time for money, and perhaps both are running out. You may have come to realize that, although some of your bosses have been brilliant, caring, and competent, leaders in too many organizations are small-minded, self-centered individuals who may say the right things but don't really give a hoot about what happens to you. They are too busy with their own high-pressure, iceberg-filled reality.

All you've really wanted was to enjoy the company of smart, hard-working peers, be mentored by considerate and knowledgeable bosses, and ease into a comfortable retirement lifestyle at an early age. You did what they told you to do: get a good education, get a good job, and work hard. That was your Plan A.

How is that working out for you? I understand any anger. I have been there ...

But don't throw this book at the nearest wall! It can be your best friend from this point on. You are about to create your own economic stimulus package by learning how to create your Plan B.

But first, let's see exactly where Plan A went astray. Consider the wisdom of the Greek historian Plutarch:

"To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future."

The Mythical Promise of Plan A (Whatever happened to the gold watch?)

The traditional Plan A has been to work for a company for twenty, thirty, or forty years and get a lifelong pension and health care benefits. Traditionally, Plan A had a contingency for job loss; you simply go on a job search for a replacement job. Some of you may find a replacement job and be able to continue with your Plan A. Or you may find the replacement job's pay is a fraction of what you were making. And, for many, there simply are no replacement jobs. An associate's, bachelor's, or master's degree might get you a job, but there are no guarantees.

In fact, it is estimated the average person today will have changed jobs seven to ten times in their lifetime. An interesting statistic I heard recently is that the average twenty-two-year-old will change jobs twelve times by the time they are thirty-eight years old. The driving force behind this churn is the rapid advance of technology coupled with the culture shift involving the human dynamics of technology dependence.

Those in their twenties and thirties will likely never know job or career security. Even if there is a chance for job security, many younger workers simply aren't interested in staying with one company...