Baby Boomer Talent And The American Dream

Sponsored by Kaplan University

Author Peter Weddle (left) led an interactive webinar hosted by RetirementJobs.com.  You may hear the session in its entirety by clicking the arrow above.  E-mail 'service@retirementjobs.com' for a copy of the slide presentation.

Event Overview: The national mood remains anxious, worried. We have millions of Americans out of work, many of them Baby Boomers who’ve seen what they worked for these past 30 years disappear: a predictable career, financial security, home equity, retirement savings. The foundation they’ve worked so hard to build seems to have collapsed before their very eyes.

“They feel lost. They see hedge-funders and investment bankers as having hijacked the American Dream from the middle class,” says national human resources expert Peter Weddle, and author of A Multitude of Hope: A Novel About Rediscovering the American Dream. “Boomers – and all working Americans, for that matter – feel as if all of the opportunity has been sucked out of the land of opportunity, and they don’t know how or even if they can succeed in this changed world.”

But they are also the people who see this time as a moment of liberation – a chance to reinvigorate their talent so they can perform at their peak on-the-job,” Weddle says. “And that self-reliance and individual determination is how our country will recapture its mojo.” People don’t necessarily have to reinvent themselves, although Weddle says going back to school can very often be a huge help. But they do need to IDENTIFY THEIR TALENT – their innate capacity for excellence – and take a proactive approach to integrating it into their career. “It may be a gift for getting things organized, for resolving conflicts, for explaining complex topics in simple terms,” he says. “Every single one of us has a talent and when we apply it at work, our job satisfaction – and our pay – goes up. Instead of work being a four-letter word, it becomes something to get excited about and to feel good about. We rekindle our self-confidence, self-respect and determination and we produce an economic revolution that restores democratic capitalism.”

About Peter Weddle
Peter Weddle is a national human resource expert, former columnist for the Wall Street Journal and author. He has written or edited more than two dozen non-fiction books regarding careers and employment; “A Multitude of Hope” is his first work of fiction.

About Our Sponsor, Kaplan University
Kaplan University recently became the first education provider to be recognized as a "Certified Age Friendly Service" by RetirementJobs.com. This certification distinguishes Kaplan University as "a trustworthy organization committed to serving the unique needs of individuals over age 50," and acknowledges that Kaplan University is dedicated to "researching and developing features and benefits particularly suited to the needs of older individuals."  Try Kaplan University With No Obligation.