Comments on: The funeral industry can teach you how to specialize in your career http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:27:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Andros http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-112521 Andros Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:06:51 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-112521 Interesting... Interesting…

]]> By: Nancy Dotel http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-110572 Nancy Dotel Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:37:27 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-110572 Well I'am 53 yrs old i just got a high school diploma and yes I did not listen to my parents when they urge me to study, my children are grown and I don't know which path to choose. I have given some thought to Billing and coding, but at this age I donot want to be tied down all day to a computer so I have always liked the funeral business. Please gime some insights on the different fields in this career. would really appreciated. thank you Well I’am 53 yrs old i just got a high school diploma and yes I did not listen to my parents when they urge me to study, my children are grown and I don’t know which path to choose. I have given some thought to Billing and coding, but at this age I donot want to be tied down all day to a computer so I have always liked the funeral business. Please gime some insights on the different fields in this career. would really appreciated. thank you

]]> By: Sarah Dillon http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-3964 Sarah Dillon Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:56:04 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-3964 Well said Penelope. Specialising definitely offers people a way of (affording to) hold down an intellectually interesting job, while also having a personal life. People are realising this as ever increasing numbers of highly educated and experienced professionals make the conscious decision to opt out of the corporate world. I guess we're realising that being at the top of corporate America's "T" isn't necessarily worth aspiring to. As a result of this shift, generalists will indeed become more and more in demand over the coming years! Well said Penelope. Specialising definitely offers people a way of (affording to) hold down an intellectually interesting job, while also having a personal life. People are realising this as ever increasing numbers of highly educated and experienced professionals make the conscious decision to opt out of the corporate world. I guess we’re realising that being at the top of corporate America’s “T” isn’t necessarily worth aspiring to.

As a result of this shift, generalists will indeed become more and more in demand over the coming years!

]]> By: Penelope Trunk http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1011 Penelope Trunk Thu, 14 Sep 2006 06:54:18 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1011 I agree with your T idea, Ben. I like that way of describing it. At the very top, you're right, you have to be a generalist. I am not sure how many people would really want to be there, though. I mean, right now you have to give up so much of your personal life to be at the very top. Hopefully that will change. I'm not sure about this, but maybe it is true that for people who want intellectually interesting jobs today, the more you want to hold on to your personal life, the more you have to specialize. I agree with your T idea, Ben. I like that way of describing it.

At the very top, you’re right, you have to be a generalist. I am not sure how many people would really want to be there, though. I mean, right now you have to give up so much of your personal life to be at the very top. Hopefully that will change.

I’m not sure about this, but maybe it is true that for people who want intellectually interesting jobs today, the more you want to hold on to your personal life, the more you have to specialize.

]]> By: Ben Casnocha http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1010 Ben Casnocha Thu, 14 Sep 2006 05:59:25 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1010 Penelope, I actually would disagree with a little. I think generalists are going to be more in demand in the coming years because so much of business and life is about seeing the intersection of ideas, or "thinking at the border" as I've put on my blog. Moreover, working with people from different industries and countries is going to be critical. Specialization is important in the same way that vocational schools are important. They work for some people, but usually not people at the top of corporate America. I think of the letter "T". People need to be deep in one thing, and broad and "wide" in other fields. Penelope,

I actually would disagree with a little. I think generalists are going to be more in demand in the coming years because so much of business and life is about seeing the intersection of ideas, or “thinking at the border” as I’ve put on my blog. Moreover, working with people from different industries and countries is going to be critical.

Specialization is important in the same way that vocational schools are important. They work for some people, but usually not people at the top of corporate America.

I think of the letter “T”. People need to be deep in one thing, and broad and “wide” in other fields.

]]> By: Adam Gordon http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1009 Adam Gordon Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:34:37 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/09/13/the-funeral-industry-can-teach-you-how-to-specialize-in-your-career/#comment-1009 I know this wasn't the gist or point of your article at all, but I felt I should point it out anyway - not like you didn't know anyway...most funeral homes (at least the ones in major cities) are now owned and operated by large corprations and are no longer family-owned. When my mom died 2 years ago, we used the same funeral home we had used for her parents - and wow had they changed. I remember sitting in the conference room with my uncle, my mom's sister, and going over the pricing options with the rep from the funeral home and all I can say is OUCH. My mom wanted to be cremated, so buying a casket wasn't necessary, however we could rent one for a nominal fee of $2000 (the pine box was $900). Then there's all these other fees, room rental, cremation, mortician, official copies of the death certificate... I mean we paid for it out of her estate, but the final damage was around $5500. The funeral home business might be changing/adapting, but it's still a business and they are still [very] profit-motivated. -adam I know this wasn’t the gist or point of your article at all, but I felt I should point it out anyway - not like you didn’t know anyway…most funeral homes (at least the ones in major cities) are now owned and operated by large corprations and are no longer family-owned. When my mom died 2 years ago, we used the same funeral home we had used for her parents - and wow had they changed. I remember sitting in the conference room with my uncle, my mom’s sister, and going over the pricing options with the rep from the funeral home and all I can say is OUCH.

My mom wanted to be cremated, so buying a casket wasn’t necessary, however we could rent one for a nominal fee of $2000 (the pine box was $900). Then there’s all these other fees, room rental, cremation, mortician, official copies of the death certificate… I mean we paid for it out of her estate, but the final damage was around $5500.

The funeral home business might be changing/adapting, but it’s still a business and they are still [very] profit-motivated.

-adam

]]>