When the Going Gets Tough...

As a teen, you might not always see eye-to-eye with your parents. Sometimes, they force you to do mundane chores and boss you around just because you live in *their* house. Sometimes they won't let you go on that secret rendezvous with you-know-who. It can get pretty tense in the household and at times can feel like a pressure cooker with no release valve.

So I've titled this blog after the saying "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going..." That's because many young people today tend to walk out when things get a little heated at home. That's their release valve. So when the going gets tough, they get going (y'know... run away).

Although it is a release valve for household pressures, it isn't a very good one. It's early signs of an easy quitter. People who walk out a lot in their youth tend to develop the bad habit of running away from tense situations with the ones they love - the ones who love them. Fast forward a couple of decades and it could mean walking out on their own children. It's not a good habit to start.

So, try to find a different release valve. Pray. Talk to a sibling. Call a friend. Let the boil simmer down before reacting. Learn how to resolve conflicts rather than run away from them. It's easier while you're young.

NB: This doesn't really apply for those who are getting abused at home though. I'm just talking about simple arguments that culminate to become a major source of tension.

Valuable Skills

There are some skills that you can acquire while you're young that will save you tonnes of money as you live out your middle-class lifestyle. What are they? They're trades: electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and mechanics. If you ever get a chance to learn some basics in any or all of these things, take that opportunity.

Further down the road, you will eventually have your own place to live. It requires maintenance. You will also likely have your own vehicle. That requires maintenance too. Every hour of these handy things you can do for yourself will be an hour you won't have to pay a trades person to do. How much can you save? Ask around... trades persons for hire are expensive.

Booze, Smokes, and Dope

There's one thing in common between booze, smokes and dope - rehabilitation services. It's obvious, these things are addictive, not to mention expensive and unhealthy. My recommendation for youth... just steer clear of using these things, if at all possible.

If you're already hooked... hmm... not sure what you can do. Anyone have any experience with this that they can offer?

Preparing for Job Interviews

If you're job-hunting right now and are not sure about what to expect on interview day, here are some tips on how you can prepare yourself. There are at least 3 things to prepare:

Objectives/Career Aspirations
Be prepared to say something about your short-term to mid-term goals and career aspirations. What kind of job are you looking for now? Why? What do you want to be in 3 to 5 years time? The short-term goals also intended to identify if the posting is a good fit for you. The mid-term to goals are intended to identify if you're stagnant in your career or still moving.

Strengths/Opportunities for Growth
Think of at least 3 strengths that you want to highlight that you think will be valuable for the job you're interviewing for. Think of how those strengths are an advantage in that particular job. Use every opportunity to stress on these strengths. Also think of 1 weakness (opportunity for growth), but do so strategically. Only pick a weakness that you're already working on to improve. Then stress about your improvement rather than the weakness. Ultimately, you want the interviewer to remember you as a candidate with a bunch of very pertinent strengths and no real weakness.

Execution
If you want to know how you look/sound as you present the above things you have prepared, stand in front of a mirror and talk about yourself. Interview yourself. Polish your execution as you deliver your messages.