Thursday, May 17, 2007

Sound Advice: The Semantics of "Work"

Here's the author's lead:
Workforce Crisis had just been published; my coauthors and I had dedicated the book to our five teenage children.

“Hey, Mom! Do you want to hear something funny?” my then-16-year-old daughter asked. “You guys have just dedicated a book on the workforce to people who never plan to be in it!”

Now, despite what it sounds like, I’m (reasonably) confident that she is not planning a life of leisure. She’s an energetic and ambitious young woman. But whatever the word “workforce” triggers in her mind, it does not describe a club she wants to join.

The ways young people respond to the language of work give us some interesting clues on the preferences of our newest adults.
Read more here. Hint: The most enlightening part is the comment area. What's your reaction?

No comments: