Bennett's Five Links #077

Robot soldiers performing haircuts; Unicorns on a plane

Bennett Green

Aug 25, 2023

Unicorns and other mythical careers ..

There were many parts of this career advice article by Alex Su that stuck out to me.

For one, the lesson that it’s not always the best performer or best ideas that win, but in big organisations office politics play a big part in progress. And those that can swim in that pool have a huge advantage of others (like me) that suck at it —

I’m agnostic about corporate politics as a concept. I mean, personally I hate it, but at the same time, I understand why it exists. Politics is just a reality of working in an established organization. And you know what? Some of you will actually thrive in that game. If that’s you—stop reading! Keep following your Career Formula and keep working for Establishment Firms because you have an unfair advantage in that world.

and the idea that sometimes the people that really seem to be excelling in their role didn’t find that position merely by chance, or by applying to a public advertisement, but that it was specifically crafted for them and for their set of skills and experience, either specifically as part of the recruitment process or indirectly over many years —

Unfortunately, that perfect job opening doesn’t exist. Because the best jobs out there are designed for specific individuals. They are designed *for* you. Employers recruit these “Unicorns” and then structure the organization around them. These jobs are more than just jobs—they’re a set of responsibilities that are tailored to your unique strengths and weaknesses.

Have a read.

Off The Record

The Unicorn's Guide To Career Pivots

“This Biglaw job is terrible,” I once complained to a friend. “The work actually really sucks and I have zero autonomy. Maybe I made a mistake going into law.” My friend, who was a few years ahead of me in another demanding industry, gave me some perspective…

a month ago · 7 likes · 1 comment · Alex Su

What a Mann ..

What an incredible story, about a historian and watch buff that just happens to find - on GumTree of all places - a genuine watch worn by a decorated Australian WWII Soldier.

Some snips —

Having since become a history major at university, Oliver took his passion for vintage watches and melded it with his love of history. “I love history, and that is reflected in my love of watches,” he said. A great opportunity for Oliver to fuse his passions emerged this year when he came across a random Gumtree advertisement. “Rolex watch not working,” the ad simply stated. So Oliver clicked on it. “I saw an ad with two hazy and bad-quality photos on Gumtree for a Rolex watch that apparently belonged to one of the ‘Rats of Tobruk.’ I thought I might take a risk and get it posted to me,” he said.

and

All that Oliver had to work with was an inscription on the back of the watch that read, “Sgt. E.N. Prince” followed by a date, “21.10.40.” When it arrived, Oliver began treating the watch as a historical object and began his research. “I went through the Australian archives once I had bought the watch. I started looking into it. It turned out this watch saw action in battles against the famed German general Erwin Rommel. I was amazed,” he explained.

and

Sergeant Prince, according to the research, was the recipient of nine medals. “He received the Long Service Medal, the Efficiency Medal, the Defence Medal, the 1941 Tobruk Siege Medal, the War Medal 1939–1945, the Service Medal 1939–1945, the 1939-1945 Star, the Africa Star, and the Pacific Star,” Oliver explained. “I obtained these records of service through the war memorial. It is amazing that there is a photo showing him in combat with this exact watch. I have the original leather cover strap seen in that image as well.”

This World War II Rolex Fought With the Rats of Tobruk Against Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps

Taxes on a plane ..

I wonder if it’s time I put a NSFW warning on this newsletter.

"I pay an enormous amount of taxes, and it's fine because I know I should. But why can't we get billionaires to pay their fucking taxes?" the actor said. "If those motherfuckers paid their taxes we'd solve a whole bunch of shit. And they would still be richer than every motherfucker walking around them."

Samuel Jackson asks in profanity-laced rant why the US can’t get billionaires to pay their taxes

Knows all the shortcuts ..

Very deep ..

Kisha and I have been pondering some renovations and I was very happy to stumble upon this Reddit Post as I’m firmly anti-pool.

Are you pro-pool? Because, if so, so sorry, but you’re wrong.

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Bennett

bennettgreen.com