Pity the babies of 1987 and 1990, then, who left school or university around the time that Lehman Brothers collapsed in 2008. Sending around a CV in the middle of the greatest financial crisis since their grandparents were born cannot have been a whole lot of fun.
That’s Tim Harford writing in the FT. As one of those babies of 1987, I can assure you it was indeed hell to send out resumes in the middle of the greatest financial crisis since my grandparents were born.
There are a lot of good articles out there about how your lived experience in markets and the world shapes your behavior. Here’s an especially good one from Morgan Housel.
So how did the financial crisis shape me?
Mainly, it made me paranoid.
It taught me talk is cheap.
It taught me no one’s entitled to a happy ending.
It taught me that money talks and bullshit walks.
It taught me you can do business with people who wield power and influence, you can respect people who wield power and influence, but you should never trust people who wield power and influence.
Most of all it taught me that at the end of the day, the only things you should count on are your skills and your character.
Don’t get me wrong. People can be wonderful. I’ve benefited from the support of many individuals who took an interest in my career development over the years. I will always and ever be grateful for the opportunities they offered me. Particularly in the early days, when I was a poorly-credentialed career changer with the wrong resume.
But here’s the thing about people. You can’t control their behavior any more than you can control the macroeconomy.