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At times, we tend to over-glorify the tendency to blur lines between professional and personal life. However, people today are realising the importance of <keyword id="19901232" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="work-life-balance" source="keywords">work-life balance</keyword> and there have been ample studies that show how important it is to balance work and professional life for your overall wellbeing. But for some people, the concept of work-life balance doesn't exist and they are ardent followers of the '<keyword id="21227403" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hustle-culture" source="keywords">hustle culture</keyword>'. A recent <keyword id="20313396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="LinkedIn-post" source="keywords">LinkedIn post</keyword> featuring <keyword id="23468345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Casey-Mackrell" source="keywords">Casey Mackrell</keyword>, co-founder of the <keyword id="20129288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-startup" source="keywords">AI startup</keyword> Thoughtly, has once again sparked the debate about work-life balance after it showed him working on his laptop during his own wedding. The post, shared by his fellow co-founder Torrey Leonard, aimed to highlight Mackrell’s dedication to his work. Leonard explained that the company had just landed a new client with a two-week deadline for a project, coinciding with Mackrell’s wedding day. “So, here he is wrapping up a pull request. At his own wedding. Congrats Casey—now please, go take some time off,” Leonard wrote, seemingly applauding Mackrell’s commitment. However, the reaction from internet users has been far from celebratory. Many found the scenario both shocking and concerning, suggesting it reflects a troubling trend in modern work culture. One commenter quipped, “Divorce papers being sent to his LinkedIn inbox so he actually sees them,” while another remarked, “If this isn’t satire, this work ethic should neither be publicised nor applauded. It doesn’t say much about the company either if he was the only person that could deal with this that day.” People were quick to label the situation as a glaring example of poor work-life balance. “This is actually sad and not a flex to be applauded,” one user noted and added, “To me, it shows very poor work-life balance and wrong priorities.” Another user commented on the post, “Utterly bizarre to post this. This is nothing to brag about. This guy is at his wedding working on his laptop, and you’re congratulating him?” The mixed reactions have sparked discussions on social media about the pressures many professionals face in high-stakes environments. As deadlines loom and expectations rise, some feel compelled to prioritise work over personal moments that matter. As more people share their thoughts, one thing is clear: work should never come at the cost of life’s most significant moments.

‘Wrong priorities, nothing to brag about’: Internet reacts to LinkedIn post showing startup founder working on a laptop at his wedding

London: Universities and student groups on Tuesday urgently lobbied British Prime Minister <keyword id="19906889" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rishi-Sunak" source="keywords">Rishi Sunak</keyword> to safeguard the country's <keyword id="21659184" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="post-study-visa" source="keywords">post-study visa</keyword> offer, which has been dominated by Indians to gain work experience for around two years at the end of their university degree. Amid reports that Sunak is considering either restricting or ending the <keyword id="20616105" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Graduate-Route" source="keywords">Graduate Route</keyword> to curtail soaring migration statistics ahead of a general election, a group of nearly 30 university vice-chancellors and the <keyword id="21760521" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-indian-students-and-alumni-association" source="keywords">National Indian Students and Alumni Association</keyword> (NISAU) UK have issued detailed letters of appeal to 10 Downing Street. They list a series of factors in favour of keeping the Graduate visa scheme unchanged, including the benefits that international students bring to the UK economy in a competitive global higher education marketplace. "Modelling by consultancy London Economics shows that a single cohort has a net economic benefit of GBP 37 billion to the UK economy; as well as through the soft power that Britain's international graduates generate for the country over time, including through furthering ties of trade and diplomacy," reads the NISAU UK letter addressed to Sunak. "Indeed, 70 per cent of <keyword id="19971660" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-students" source="keywords">Indian students</keyword> have told us that the ability to gain meaningful work experience is a critical element in their decision to choose between competing international destinations, of which the UK is one... the Graduate Route allows the opportunity to gain this work experience for a temporary period. It is non-extendable and does not count towards permanent settlement. This means that neither students nor Graduate visa holders should be considered 'immigrants' in the context of the long-term picture of migration," it notes. Their appeal comes a week after the influential <keyword id="20609895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Migration-Advisory-Committee" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Migration Advisory Committee" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Migration Advisory Committee">Migration Advisory Committee</keyword> (MAC) advised the government to let the scheme continue as it found no abuse of this post-study work offer. It also confirmed that Indians topped its tally, accounting for 89,200 visas between 2021 and 2023, or 42 per cent of the overall grants, and were likely to be "most affected by any restriction on the Graduate Route". In their letter to Sunak, universities in the north of England — from Sunderland to Sheffield, Leeds to Lancaster, Liverpool to Teesside, Bradford to Huddersfield, and York to Newcastle — said they will all be harmed by the removal or reduction of this visa as it is an "intrinsic part of the educational offer that has made the UK so attractive to brilliant students from all around the world". "The Graduate Visa Route is regarded by students in key markets like India as an integral part of their educational experience. The MAC review made clear that the removal of this route would make the UK less attractive and thus would cause considerable financial detriment to universities around the country," reads their joint letter. "International student tuition fee income has long cross-subsidised underfunded research and has increasingly become critical to cross-subsidise the teaching of UK undergraduate students because of the frozen tuition fee. Universities cannot continue to absorb the costs of teaching UK undergraduates without some form of alternative funding source," they caution. On top of their visa fees, international students who find work and start businesses contribute billions of pounds in income tax, national insurance and VAT annually. The university chiefs point out that they are also usually net contributors to the National Health Service (NHS) through the NHS surcharge. The Russell Group of the UK's leading universities issued its appeal over the weekend, with CEO Tim Bradshaw warning that there has already been a 10 per cent decline in international applications for post-graduate courses starting this September in the wake of the clampdown on students being able to bring dependant family members. "A further restriction on international students would not only be unnecessary — as numbers are already falling — but also damaging, resulting in less spending in local communities, fewer opportunities for domestic students and less UK research," he noted in a letter to Sunak. Members of his own Cabinet are believed to be opposed to any changes to the Graduate scheme, but the British Prime Minister is having to balance pressures from the right of the governing Conservatives who are single-minded in their demands to curb all forms of legal as well as illegal migration levels ahead of an election later this year.

Universities, student groups lobby PM Sunak to keep UK's post-study visa scheme unchanged

If you are a millennial or belong to GenZ, you might already be familiar with the term <keyword id="20786644" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ghosting" source="keywords">ghosting</keyword>. In simple words, it is the act of abruptly cutting off all communication with someone without any explanation. This can happen in various contexts, but is most commonly associated with dating, when one party disappears after a few conversations or dates. It’s generally considered a disrespectful or hurtful behaviour, as it leaves the “ghosted” person with no closure. However, the tradition of ghosting seems to be apparent not just in the dating world, but workplaces as well. Recent studies have revealed a significant rise in <keyword id="23640118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="workplace-ghosting" source="keywords">workplace ghosting</keyword>, highlighting a growing issue in the professional landscape. Hence, if you are a job-seeker in 2024, the process of hunting for a job might have a very common modern dating element - ghosting. <h2>Ghosting goes corporate: Possible scenarios </h2> In a professional setting, ghosting can occur when a job candidate or employer suddenly stops communicating without notice. Here are a few ways ghosting can play out in the workplace: 1. Job candidates ghosting employers: After an interview or receiving a job offer, some candidates may vanish without providing any reason, either not showing up for further interviews or never responding to the offer. 2. Employees ghosting their employers: In some cases, employees may simply stop showing up to work, resigning without formal notice, and ceasing all communication. This can happen if they’ve found another job or are dissatisfied with their current position but don’t want to go through the formal resignation process. 3. Employers ghosting candidates: Companies sometimes ghost <keyword id="21995124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-applicants" source="keywords">job applicants</keyword> by not following up after interviews, leaving the candidate in limbo without a rejection or feedback. <h2>Employers ghosting candidates on the rise </h2> A recent study by <keyword id="23640120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="JobLeads" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="JobLeads" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="JobLeads">JobLeads</keyword> revealed that 45% of job applicants report being ghosted, which is a 30% increase in such incidents. This phenomenon is not just an occasional oversight; it is becoming alarmingly common, affecting countless jobseekers trying to navigate the job market. Another survey conducted by FlexJobs and MyPerfectResume revealed that nearly half of those surveyed had experienced ghosting by a potential employer, with 33% stating it had occurred multiple times. Apart from ghosting, candidates are also getting frustrated from “ghost job postings” — fake listings that companies have no intention of filling. These postings may serve various purposes, such as boosting employee morale, projecting an image of growth, or assessing the talent pool for future openings. Regardless of the intention, such practices can lead to further disenchantment among <keyword id="20019820" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="job-seekers" source="keywords">job seekers</keyword>. <h2>How to not get ghosted </h2> JobLeads also listed out ways that job-seekers can save themselves from getting ghosted. Here is a look at some of them. 1. Ask for a timeline: After an interview, candidates can request a timeline for the hiring process. This not only sets clear expectations but also indicates seriousness about the role. Knowing when to follow up can clarify whether the lack of communication is due to delays or if they have been ghosted altogether. 2. Follow up: If candidates haven’t heard back by the agreed-upon timeline, they should consider following up. A polite email expressing continued interest can help re-establish communication and prompt a response. 3. Reach out to other contacts: If candidates interviewed with multiple individuals at a company, reaching out to another contact can provide additional insights into the status of their application. There may be internal delays unrelated to the candidate’s performance or fit. Jan Hendrik von Ahlen, Co-Founder and Managing Director at JobLeads, said that delays in communication can arise from various factors, such as changes within the team or the company’s communication culture. However, if candidates have followed up twice without receiving a response, it is advisable to maintain professionalism and move on. <h2>A two-way street </h2> While employers ghosting employees cases are rising, the opposite is also happening. GenZ workers, as per another survey, are ghosting their employers and aren’t showing up on their first day at work. In February this year, a Fortune report attributed to a research by job-search platform Indeed revealed that 93% of <keyword id="19919711" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gen-Z" source="keywords">Gen Z</keyword> workers in the UK admitted to applying for jobs but failing to attend interviews, while 87% didn’t even show up on their first day. This behaviour, as per the report, is often driven by a desire to feel in control of their career paths. Gen Z workers, in particular, have expressed a willingness to disengage from positions that do not meet their expectations. The report added that even though older generations also admit to ghosting, it is usually with feelings of regret. However, for Gen Z, it seems to be part of a larger movement that seeks greater control over their careers, aligning with the #ActYourWage mindset. Many young adults today feel empowered to prioritise their personal goals, only committing to roles they believe meet their financial and personal needs. Danny Stacy, head of talent intelligence at Indeed UK, said that a lack of transparency from employers, particularly about salary and benefits, is contributing to this rise in ghosting. As companies struggle to adjust to the increasing cost of living, employees feel justified in rejecting jobs that don’t align with their financial expectations. “It’s clear that the financial offer is the biggest carrot for employers trying to attract talent, with pay, benefits and other factors that support the rise in cost-of-living likely to prevent a job seeker from ghosting,” Stacy told Fortune.

Job-hunting in 2024 has a modern dating element — ghosting!

Discussions around <keyword id="19901232" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-life-balance" source="keywords">work-life balance</keyword> have been around since forever and when <keyword id="20231207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-from-home" source="keywords">work from home</keyword> became a norm in 2020, these talks intensified. Soon, people across the globe realised how work from home could save a lot of time and money for them. As a result, they get to spend more time focusing on things apart from work. In India too, work-life balance has been a hot topic for a long time. Earlier this year, a study by the UKG Workforce Institute revealed that nearly 78% of employees in India suffer from job burnout, which often results in both physical and emotional fatigue. Around 64% of these workers were willing to reduce their workload even if it meant a corresponding pay cut. This highlighted a growing awareness among employees about the value of maintaining a <keyword id="22783879" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthy-work-life-balance" source="keywords">healthy work-life balance</keyword>, with many choosing to prioritize well-being over monetary benefits. <h2><keyword id="20830500" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bengaluru-man" source="keywords">Bengaluru man</keyword>'s photo goes viral</h2> Despite this, India was recently reported to rank 48th in the 2024 Global Life-Work Balance Index, reflecting the challenges faced by employees in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. And a Bengaluru man’s recent <keyword id="20384549" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viral-photo" source="keywords">viral photo</keyword> has once again stirred work-life balance discussions in the country. A photograph of a man working on his laptop while standing outside a popular momo stall in Bengaluru took the internet by storm on Tuesday. The photo, shared by X user Kritika Kumari, quickly went viral, capturing the attention of many who found humour in the situation but also sparked deeper conversations about the pressures faced by <keyword id="21460912" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="corporate-employees" source="keywords">corporate employees</keyword>. Kumari captioned the photo, “His priorities are sorted.” The photo shows the techie engrossed in his laptop, seemingly unfazed by his surroundings. The post resonated with many, leading to a flood of comments that ranged from witty remarks to relatable anecdotes. <div type="image" title="Bengaluru man&amp;#39;s photo goes viral" msid="112516540" hostid="261" sizebytes="2145538" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bengaluru man&amp;#39;s photo goes viral&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <h2 style="margin-bottom: 0.7em; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 24px; background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Work-life balance in India a myth, says internet</h2>X users reacted to the photo and talked about the man's plight. One user humorously summed up the scene as, “Corporate employee,” while another quipped, “Pyaar se jyada, kaam pyara,” highlighting the often-overwhelming work demands that many in the <keyword id="19955787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tech-industry" source="keywords">tech industry</keyword> face. "The so-called "work-life" balance is a myth! It should really be called "hand-laptop" balance," another user wrote. <div type="twitter" handle="manojrmenon" handlename="manojrmenon" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1823207147599184281"></div> The jokes didn’t stop there; some users playfully imagined the man’s predicament, suggesting that he might have forgotten his phone at the office and was now transferring money to the momo vendor via net banking on his laptop. While the image and its accompanying jokes provided light-hearted entertainment, they also highlighted the growing concern about the intense work culture in the tech sector, where employees often find themselves working outside traditional office hours and settings. As one user lamented, “Ek labor karega bhi kya? Apne ghar ja kar English jhaadega. ‘I am audible? My screen is visible or not?’ (What will a laborer do? He will go back home and flaunt his English, saying, ‘I am audible? Is my screen visible or not?’).”

'Work-life balance is a myth’: Photo of man working in front of momo stall goes viral, Internet reacts

It's a familiar experience: You wake up feeling a little off with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-summer-surge-relaxed-precautions-masking-vaccines-doctors-2024-7">a slight headache and some sniffles</a>. Or maybe you started on a new medicine, and you've noticed a small rash developing. Looking for some quick answers, you fire up your browser and waltz over to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/webmd-parent-company-defends-return-to-office-video-2024-1">WebMD</a>. This isn't always an advisable move, of course — you're better off consulting your doctor about health questions than you are a website and randos on the internet — but listen, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-googling-your-symptoms-isnt-bad-idea-according-study-2021-3">sometimes you just need a quick reassurance</a> that you're not falling apart. Regardless of what brought you there, if you do land in the comments section looking for some minor medical advice, here's one weird trick for getting decent insights: Look at what women are saying, and ignore the men. Seriously.A <a target="_blank" href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10591478241256644">recent study</a> on gender and drug recalls found that WebMD reviews from women were an early predictor of quality issues with drugs that later led to a product recall. When women have negative things to say about medications, that can wind up being a sign that something is amiss enough to eventually cause a drugmaker to act. What men say, on the other hand, isn't at all telling."We find that the more negative the drug review sentiment, the greater the hazard of a serious recall on that drug," the researchers wrote. "This relationship is completely explained by drug reviews written by females; reviews written by males have no explanatory power."George Ball, an associate professor of operations and decision technologies at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business who was one of the researchers behind the paper, put it more succinctly: "The male comments are completely meaningless."The researchers posit that the gender divide in online health advice is because <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-impact-of-apple-health-on-womens-health-startups-2022-11">women are generally more in tune</a> with their bodies and how a drug might affect them. They're more mindful of their health and have greater care for other people's health, too. They're more expressive in their communications, and they're <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/online-health-hims-young-men-prescriptions-doctors-shame-fears-2024-7">more comfortable sharing their experiences</a>, particularly on social media and elsewhere online. In their analysis, women tended to be more articulate and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-weight-loss-drugs-affect-couples-relationships-spouses-2023-12">detailed in their drug reviews and experience</a>, while men were vaguer. Guys would say something like, "Drug works good so far, I'll keep everyone updated." Sure, that may very well be their experience, but it doesn't really do much in terms of communicating the actual effects. Women, on the other hand, were more detailed, like in this example from the research: "My lymph nodes swelled in my armpits and under my ear on the left side. Headache for 4 days then went to urgent care and told to quit taking the med. I was shaky, extremely tired, and very emotional. So glad that is over. Unlikely I will try this one again. Was on it for 4 days." The review has it all: specific ailments, duration of the issues, and even an emotional bent."If you think about it, women tend to be a little bit more health-conscious and a little bit more aware of their experiences on how things affect them physically," said Kaitlin Wowak, an associate professor of business analytics at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and one of the other researchers behind the project. "Men might just not write comments, or they might not be as explanatory about exactly how this affected me. Whereas women might say, it affected me as X, Y, and Z much more precisely in their comments. And men might just be saying things such as it didn't make me feel good, or I felt lethargic, or I felt bad after taking the drugs."This wasn't because men and women were having different experiences with the drugs. Doctors reported adverse events, such as hospitalization, disability, unexpected side effects, or death, to the Food and Drug Administration at similar rates for men and women. (Though women self-reported adverse events more than men.) That's important to note because drug development is often more focused on men, and women tend to be underrepresented in clinical trials. It could have been the case that women were just having a worse experience because the drugs hadn't been tested on them to the same extent as men. Given this reality, the researchers had to make sure they weren't just picking up that the drugs didn't work well on women. But that's not what was going on. It was really that women were just … better and clearer at communicating the problem with a drug."What female consumers are able to do is they're able to kind of sniff out, sometimes literally, something's not right here with this product," Ball said. Separate research he's done found <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gender-inequity-drug-industry-little-progress-on-diverse-female-ceos-2021-4">having women on boards of directors</a> resulted in swifter action on recalls, too. This isn't to say that all <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-reasons-negative-online-reviews-can-be-great-for-business-2023-2">online reviews</a> written by men are useless, but the way different genders communicate their experiences — and the trust others put in them — is different. One 2023 study looking at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yelp-listing-shaming-restaurants-businesses-paying-positive-suspicious-fake-reviews-2023-9">Yelp reviews</a> found that the persuasiveness of reviews by gender depended on product category. People saw reviews from women in areas such as arts and entertainment, nightlife, and home and garden as more pertinent, while they believed men more in areas like car-repair services."Women are more authentic. They write more-authentic reviews and more-emotional reviews," said Prashanth Ravula, an assistant professor of business administration at Morgan State University and one of the paper's authors. "When it comes to men, they write more analytical reviews compared to women."The irony is that many people who read online reviews may still be less likely to listen to the ones posted by women. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8777126/">Some research has found</a> it depends on what's being evaluated — reviews from women are perceived as less helpful on electronics and computers but more helpful in areas like clothing. <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=a06aec70a6ca37b8da5f4da22e97467ec8a86d9804e183b92718dcc9f41cfe49&amp;postID=66a7b2f1220fcb2243b580d8&amp;postSlug=women-men-medicine-drug-reviews-online-health-medical-advice-webmd-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41599-023-01504-5%23%3A~%3Atext%3DHowever%252C%2520there%2520was%2520no%2520significant%2Cproducts%2520typically%2520associated%2520with%2520women.">Other research</a>, however, suggests that even for areas stereotypically seen as being in women's realm, women's reviews aren't perceived as more valuable than men's.Even when maybe people should, you know, believe women, they don't. It's not the end of the world when they're looking at a review for a new TV or a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-restaurants-in-the-us-ranked-yelp-2024-2">local restaurant</a>, but for something that could affect their health, who the commentary is coming from might be extra valuable to keep in mind. If the anonymous lady on the internet says a product is making her sick, it's something to pay attention to. The anonymous guy, not so much.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/emily-stewart">Emily Stewart</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

A new study shows that men are terrible at giving medical advice online

<keyword id="14117895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Non-coffee-drinkers" source="Orion">Non-coffee drinkers</keyword> who sat for six or more hours a day were found to be almost 60% higher <keyword id="22174767" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="risk-of-dying" source="keywords">risk of dying</keyword> as compared to <keyword id="2026305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coffee-drinkers" source="Orion">coffee drinkers</keyword> sitting for less than six hours. This was revealed in a research published in the journal BioMed Central (BMC) Public Health. This indicates an increased risk of dying in <keyword id="22174766" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sedentary" source="keywords">sedentary</keyword> people who were not consuming <keyword id="20121157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coffee" source="keywords">coffee</keyword>, but not among those drinking coffee, researchers following over 10,000 adults in the US for up to 13 years said. The researchers at the Medical College of Soochow University's School of Public Health in China also found that sedentary coffee drinkers were at a 24% lower risk of death as compared to non-coffee drinkers sitting for at least six hours a day. The result, not featuring in the study, was calculated at The <keyword id="19991946" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="washington-post" source="keywords">Washington Post</keyword>'s request, according to the media website's report. "The benefits of <keyword id="20931" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="coffee-consumption" source="Orion">coffee consumption</keyword> in improving overall survival in adults compared to sedentary behaviour are manifold," the authors wrote in the study. Consuming coffee lowers risk of metabolic problems which is known to worsen inflammation, which, in turn contributes to heightening <keyword id="22174768" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="death-risks" source="keywords">death risks</keyword> because of sedentary behaviour, they said. In their study, the authors found that the risk of dying from any cause was lowered by 33% amongst a fourth of all the participants who consumed highest amounts of coffee as compared to non-coffee drinkers. The results were consistent with those from previous studies, which have found a link between drinking more coffee and a lowered risk of dying from any cause and <keyword id="19898369" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heart-disease" source="keywords">heart disease</keyword>, they said. Compounds present in coffee, including caffeine and polyphenols, are <keyword id="20115043" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="anti-inflammatory" source="keywords">anti-inflammatory</keyword> in nature. However, how exactly coffee works in the body to lower risk of dying is still unclear, the researchers said. Further, the team also found that sitting for more than eight hours a day was linked with over 40% higher risk of death from any cause and almost 80% higher risk of dying due to heart disease. For their analysis, the researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which follows Americans' health and nutrition.

Sedentary, non-coffee drinkers at 60% more risk of dying! Know all about it here

On July 13, shortly after Donald Trump was targeted by an assassination attempt, <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword>, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), tweeted to his 200 million+ followers: I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery. Musk's efforts to influence who wins next week's US presidential election have continued. For example, over the past three months, he has donated more than US$100 million to a political action committee called America PAC that's promoting Trump. Shortly after Musk endorsed Trump's presidential campaign, there was a statistically anomalous boost in engagement with his X account. Suddenly, his posts were getting much higher views, retweets, and likes in comparison to other prominent political accounts on the platform. This raises suspicions as to whether Musk has tweaked the platform's algorithm to increase the reach of his posts in advance of the US presidential election. It also demonstrates the problems with how <keyword id="19897919" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="keywords">social media</keyword> platforms like X are currently regulated around the world. <h2>Not the first time</h2>Musk has a history when it comes to tweaking X's algorithms so his content reaches more people. Last year, he reportedly mobilized a team of around 80 engineers to algorithmically boost his posts. This came after his tweet supporting the Philadelphia Eagles during the Super Bowl was outperformed by a similar one from President Joe Biden. Musk seemed to confirm this happened, posting a picture depicting one woman labeled "Elon's tweets" forcibly bottle-feeding another woman labeled "Twitter." To see whether Musk has done this again in the lead-up to the <keyword id="20204585" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-election" source="keywords">US election</keyword>, we compared Musk's engagement metrics—such as the number of views, retweets, and likes—with a set of other prominent political accounts on the social media platform. The data spans the period from January 1, 2024, to October 25, 2024. Other political accounts that served as a basis of comparison include those of right-wing commentators Jack Posobiec, Tucker Carlson, and Donald Trump Jr. The study also examined accounts at the other end of the political spectrum, including those of US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Senator Bernie Sanders, and Vice-President Kamala Harris. <h2> A sudden and significant increase</h2>Since July, engagement with Musk's X account has seen a sudden and significant increase. The view counts for his posts increased by 138%, retweets by 238%, and likes by 186%. In contrast, other prominent political accounts on X saw more moderate increases: 57% in view counts, 152% in retweets, and 130% in likes. This suggests that while engagement went up for all accounts after July, Musk's metrics saw a particularly large boost, particularly in retweets and likes. The research further found that since July, other conservative and right-wing X accounts have performed better in terms of visibility of posts compared to progressive and left-wing accounts. Without backstage access to the workings of the company, it is impossible to know for sure whether changes to its curation system are boosting its owner's posts. The platform has limited the access it provides to researchers since Musk took over. However, the Washington Post recently found that tweets from Republicans are far more likely to go viral, receiving billions more views than those from Democrats. Similarly, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed that new users to the platform "are being blanketed with political content" that disproportionately favors Trump. Since Musk purchased the platform, it has become more congenial to figures on the right, including people who were previously banned for spreading harmful and false information. <h2>The myth of neutrality</h2>The findings raise the question of the extent to which Musk's influential social media platform is reinforcing its owner's political agenda. Musk, whose businesses have extensive government contracts, has made a public and financial spectacle of his unabashed support of Trump. The billionaire tech tycoon is reportedly Trump's second-biggest financial donor. He also promoted Trump in a glitchy live interview on X and authored a stream of tweets promoting Trump's campaign. Musk is also handing out $1 million a day to selected registered voters. This plan (which has met with questions over its legality) aims to boost <keyword id="20759059" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="voter-registration" source="keywords">voter registration</keyword> among sympathizers in swing states. Musk's actions have torpedoed the fantasy that social media platforms such as X are neutral. Given he has previously tweaked X's algorithm to amplify the reach of his posts, it would be surprising if he were not tilting the platform in favor of Trump, whom he believes is "the path to prosperity." For too long, social media platforms have enjoyed immunity for the information they selectively inject into users' feeds. It's time for governments to reconsider their approach to regulating the oligopolistic power over our information environment wielded by a handful of tech billionaires.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's social media posts have had a 'sudden boost' since July, new research reveals

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Quant giant D.E. Shaw has hired people from non-traditional finance backgrounds for decades.</li><li>The firm's head of recruiting told BI he looks for certain traits when hiring, including "learning agility."</li></ul>It was 2011, and Tim Willenken had just spent the past 12 years — four as an undergrad and eight in a doctoral program — preparing to be a philosophy professor.There was just one problem: He didn't want to be in academia anymore.He "had no idea where to start" looking for a job, knowing just about the professions he had been exposed to in graduate school — doctors, lawyers, and professors, he told Business Insider.To learn about what else was out there, he went through his Facebook friends list and called people working at companies in roles he hadn't heard of before. He eventually spoke to an old college friend he knew through debate club who had previously worked at D.E. Shaw."That was the first time I'd heard of the firm," said Willenken, a senior vice president in the D.E. Shaw's corporate development unit. "I think I'd had one conversation about what a hedge fund was when I applied." D.E. Shaw, started in 1988 by now-billionaire computer scientist David Shaw in New York, is remarkably secretive even for the guarded world of hedge funds, but what little has leaked paints the manager as being on the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-half-quant-returns-from-de-shaw-two-sigma-renaissance-2024-7">cutting edge</a> of quant finance.While working at the $60 billion fund is now the goal for many finance-focused students at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/de-shaws-summer-internship-recruitment-interview-tips-2023-4">top universities</a> and a destination for quants, the manager has also maintained its long history of hiring non-traditional talent. Early hires included crime fiction writer Charles Ardai and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and the manager now boasts on its website that employees come "by way of academia, Silicon Valley, or an NGO."Other hedge funds are also hoping to convince academics, technologists, and others to join their ranks instead of staying in their field or working in Big Tech as they grow and compete to have best-in-class talent rosters. These offers are not just down to compensation, which is handsome at hedge funds.The firm's head of recruiting, Jeremy Reff, a former English major at Harvard who has worked at the fund for nearly two decades, is in charge of continuing and improving on this tradition of non-traditional hires. While some who join D.E. Shaw may require additional training or a longer runway to get up to speed, he said, the return on these hires outstrips the costs."There are benefits to having a beginner's mindset," he said, and the firm's expansion into different investment strategy types, such as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-d-e-shaw-group-raises-combined-1-1-billion-for-two-new-funds-focused-on-private-market-opportunities-301746589.html">private investing</a> and discretionary global macro, can be attributed to the curious nature of these hires.  The reality, though, is that a lot of roles don't have exact equivalents to other parts of the industry, so people from outside finance are not on that much different footing as those with more traditional finance backgrounds, he said. "We are looking for traits and attributes more than one particular skill," he said.<h2 id="1ec22262-b503-4604-bafe-92fe9e0ecb78">Mentorship, prerequisites, and 'learning agility'</h2>While the firm is happy to invest ample time in training talented recruits, certain roles still require certain skills. For example, knowing how to program is a must if you're applying to be a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-top-technology-projects-goldman-blackstone-morgan-stanley-2024-8#d-e-shaw-s-generative-ai-approach-encourages-programmers-to-build-their-own-tools-4">software engineer</a>, Reff said.The firm's learning and development team is structured to get people up to speed on financial markets and where the firm sits within them. The rotational associates program lets new hires work for different teams in different roles so new employees can get a sense of where they fit best.The real learning happens on the job though."The only real way to learn is to get your hands dirty," Willenken said.Reff's job is to find people who can keep up. The interview process is designed to test potential at the firm, including creativity and "learning agility.""There are thousands of indicators for success that we use," he said. "No one is hired solely based on their résumé."   The firm used to consider <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/09/david-e-shaw-college-donations.html">standardized test scores</a> as part of its hiring process but has phased them out over the last few years. "They aren't predictive of success," Reff said.The résumés are generally reviewed blindly, meaning names are not attached to the qualifications and experience.   The process has changed significantly since Reff was hired in 2006, two years after graduating from undergrad; he recalled speaking to his interviewer for a while about the Spanish novel "Don Quixote." Now, it's a more structured process, incorporating industry best practices with the firm's internal metrics and "secret sauce."  "We don't get it 100% correct, of course, and are always tinkering with it," he said.<h2 id="067dcf50-7ee4-431a-b455-7435b3922f71">Academics, doctors, and veterans</h2>The end result is that driven people find their place in the firm, one way or another. Ana Díaz Rivero, a quantitative researcher, "never had an interest in finance," but wanted to leave academia after getting her doctorate in physics.Her role allowed her to "continue pursuing academic research without being in academia," she said."A lot of the skills and tools we use are very similar. The principles behind how we do research are very similar," she said.For those who have joined the firm after working in a non-finance field, incorporating past abilities and skills into their current roles was a big selling point.For some, the biggest carryover from their former careers is habits they learned, like Lindsay Temes's military-trained punctuality and organizational skills. For others, like Dr. Omar Ali, a healthcare specialist on the fundamental equities team, there's more overlap.<div type="image" title="Lindsey Temes sits at a table, writing on a notepad" height="2667" width="4000" msid="114980202" hostid="261" sizebytes="1074078"></div>Temes, a vice president in the COO Group, spent more than a decade in the Air Force before leaving in 2018 to attend graduate programs at Harvard and MIT.As a Pat Tillman Foundation scholar, a program named for the late former football player-turned-soldier that covers veterans' education expenses, she was introduced to D.E. Shaw and found it was a place where she "would be valued and heard."  She overcame some initial hesitancy about financial services thanks to employees from non-traditional backgrounds who stressed that her role wasn't going to be "static."  A former doctor for the UK's National Health Service, Ali said that "the day-to-day is certainly different than working in medicine," but the jump to finance wasn't as daunting as it can seem from the outside.<div type="image" title="Dr. Omar Ali smiles while sitting in a conference room" height="1525" width="2000" msid="114980199" hostid="261" sizebytes="230880"></div>He said firms that focus on their employees' talents and not on fitting people into specific boxes make the transition easy."My real value is not my ability to navigate a balance sheet, it's my practical expertise in the field and my background," he said.<h2 id="900d026f-556a-4784-8b67-9629236daaba">Don't want to 'win' on compensation</h2>Hedge funds are known for paying their employees well, especially compared to fields like academia or government work.Job postings show positions such as a software developer making $200,000 a year, and a summer internship on the fundamental research team for college students is offering $18,000 a month in salary, plus overtime, along with a $10,000 signing bonus, a $10,000 housing allowance, and thousands of dollars in stipends for "self-study" materials and technology equipment.But Reff said, "I never want to win on solely compensation," and those who have joined from outside finance say they were drawn to the firm for a number of reasons beyond pay.Díaz Rivero and Ali knew of D.E. Shaw Research, a computational drug discovery company led by Shaw, which put the hedge fund on their radar. Willenken, the doctor of philosophy, appreciated that his role included the parts of academia he enjoyed most without the siloed approach academic research roles typically require.Timelines are tighter and there's more collaboration on the corporate development team, he said, and "the questions are a little more concrete than in philosophy." But he is using the same muscles to search for answers to questions that don't have easy answers.   "There's not a lot of low-hanging fruit. If there was an obvious answer, someone would have thought of it by now," he said.Reff has a shorthand he uses with potential recruits to describe the firm: "These are a bunch of people who really want to get things right."  "I think that's very attractive to people in a lot of different fields," he said.

Why quant giant D.E. Shaw seeks out academics, doctors, and veterans to work at the $60 billion hedge fund

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The post-pandemic shift to working from home has given some fathers more time with their kids.</li><li>But WFH can have downsides for dads, whether partner conflicts or work disruptions.</li></ul>The work-from-home <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-remote-work-changed-economy-pandemic-2023-4">revolution</a> has transformed family life, encouraging and allowing many fathers to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stay-at-home-dad-less-manly-freeloader-wife-2024-8">spend more time</a> with their children. But the seismic shift has come with downsides.Not commuting to work has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/husband-returning-to-office-more-work-me-spend-money-childcare-2023-11">freed more dads</a> to have meals with their kids, pick them up and drop them off at day care or school, and enjoy some pre-dinner playtime.Working fathers who were once oblivious to what their partners did all day, from running the house to raising the kids, had their eyes opened during pandemic lockdowns.Some are now more understanding and able to help, with those in heterosexual couples <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-women-careers-jobs-pandemic-flexibility-gender-equality-2023-7">no longer defaulting</a> to moms taking care of everything."Having fathers work remotely is generally good for families," Daniel Carlson, the interim chair of the University of Utah's department of family and consumer studies, told Business Insider."Most dads want to be engaged with their home and children and so it offers them the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pandemic-made-parenting-easier-for-me-husband-around-to-help-2022-3">opportunity to do so</a>. For those not inclined to be engaged at home, it can expose them to all the demands of home they may otherwise miss. It sensitizes them to how much their partners have to do and leads them to want to share the load."Carlson noted that many families have two working partners, but the female partners "often shoulder a second shift of domestic labor and childcare. So, if dads can work from home, even if it's just occasionally, then this can lead to a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-employee-job-stay-at-home-dad-2024-8">more equitable division</a> of labor in families."<h2 id="df1b0888-a492-4f19-8260-b2647b7a7c94">Pluses and minuses</h2>Yet Carlson noted that a WFH father isn't a magical cure for families."Remote work is not a panacea. While it has benefits, it can also have costs," he said."Remote work can solve work-family conflicts as well as create them," he continued. "The question is how remote work fits into your life. It's not so much whether people work remotely, it's whether they have the option to do so, and the support to make it work for them."Having two people share a typically small space can lead to feelings of claustrophobia and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-work-from-home-affected-pandemic-relationships-2021-6">spark arguments</a> over who does more chores or more childcare.Work can also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-law-right-to-disconnect-ignore-calls-after-hours-work-2024-8">creep into the home</a> (think logging on after dinner or checking emails in bed), which can fuel stress and resentment, and make it harder for people to switch off.On the other hand, some people may feel pressure to complete household tasks during the working day. They might also feel obliged to run errands, such as mailing a package or picking up food for dinner."The parent who's working from home becomes the housewife," Jennifer Glass, a sociology professor at the University of Texas, Austin, told Vox last year. She said that was especially true for mothers but applied to fathers too.There's also a risk of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-remotely-feel-isolated-from-coworkers-quit-2024-7">isolation and loneliness</a> among the WFH crowd if they miss out on water-cooler conversations, after-work drinks, and office sports. They can <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-friends-spouses-loneliness-remote-hybrid-benefits-of-work-connections-2024-6">become detached</a> from their teams as longtime colleagues leave and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-friends-are-over-remote-jobs-gen-z-relationships-pandemic-2024-6">new faces join</a>, particularly if they only ever communicate virtually.<h2 id="44c4daa1-1bbf-4407-9401-3ea9d19fe558">Childcare concerns</h2>The lack of a commute and reduced presence in society could also mean people <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-sitting-standing-routine-better-health-2024-2">get less exercise each day</a> and develop unhealthy habits. They might also fear they're less likely to be promoted, or at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-from-home-remote-work-increased-layoff-risk-job-market-2024-2">greater risk of being laid off</a>, if they're never in the office.There's also a heightened chance of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-works-from-home-and-still-needs-childcare-explains-why-2023-1">distraction or disruption</a> when parents are in the same room as children or just a door knock away. They might be asked to watch the baby, pick up a sick toddler from day care and look after them for the rest of the day, or take their child to a doctor's appointment."Both mums and dads can get pulled into childcare when they WFH, so for both genders this is definitely an issue," Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economics professor, told BI.He noted that studies show that moms are far more likely to be called upon in childcare emergencies than dads. He also suggested disruption might be necessary if there's no alternative.It's easy to see how having children can magnify the downsides of WFH. Sleep deprivation from staying up all night with a newborn can stoke arguments between partners. More people in the house mean more dishes and tidying up to do.The demands of childcare can also make it harder to finish work tasks during the working day, or to find time to meet friends, fueling stress and loneliness.<h2 id="e163a636-7fe6-4e15-a4b7-dbd3b3cad77a">Finding the right balance</h2>There's significant variance in how much WFH is best for a particular employee's health, Bloom told BI.Bloom, who's part of the WFH Research team behind the US Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA), said about a quarter of respondents "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dream-job-in-office-work-full-time-flexibility-benefits-2024-3">love fully remote</a> as they might live near a park or a gym, or just having the time and peace to WFH is great for exercise."Close to half of people like a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-xers-boomers-return-to-office-remote-work-hybrid-wfh-2024-6">hybrid model</a> or mix of in-person and home working. The final quarter prefers going to work every day, perhaps because of the social benefits and ease of joining team activities, Bloom said."I do find WFH saves on the commute, about one hour per day for the typical person, and that's a lot of time," he said. Bloom noted that he clocks a 50-minute run during the time saved from commuting most days."So my sense is the best WFH for employees' health is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hybrid-work-from-home-office-culture-remote-jobs-productivity-happiness-2024-6">the one they choose</a>."If he's correct, dads experiencing some of the challenges of staying home might consider going to work more. But that's not always feasible if they're needed at home to care for a child or other relative.

Dads are work-from-home winners — but ditching the office has downsides

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hybrid work boosts job satisfaction, a study published in Nature found.</li><li>And productivity loss in hybrid work was negligible.</li></ul>One of the greatest debates of the post-pandemic age is whether hybrid work is the best — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hybrid-work-worst-of-both-worlds-remote-ceo-says-2024-5">or worst </a>— of both worlds.Advocates of hybrid work say it helps them achieve a better work-life balance and is more engaging. Studies show it has also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hybrid-work-bringing-women-back-to-the-labor-force-jobs-2024-3">boosted women's participation</a> in the labor force. Employers, meanwhile, worry that it lowers employee productivity and collaboration.A <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=bb216d3fe0f6cc03a467bbdf355b01e259699ba41b303520e12e0da4ebd73836&amp;postID=666dee43074e87bb00faaf36&amp;postSlug=hybrid-work-from-home-office-culture-remote-jobs-productivity-happiness-2024-6&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41586-024-07500-2">new study</a> published in Nature could end the debate. It suggests that productivity concerns are negligible and that hybrid work really could be the ideal setup for workers.The study divided more than 1,600 employees of <a target="_blank" href="http://Trip.com">Trip.com</a>, a Chinese travel agency, into two groups and tracked them for two years. One group worked from the office five days a week, while the other spent three days in the office and two days at home.The latter group showed improved job satisfaction. The rate at which these employees quit also reduced by a third, with the impact especially pronounced on employees who weren't managers, females, and those with long commutes.There weren't really any downsides. The study found that hybrid work didn't have a measurable impact on workers' performance or productivity. Managers, too, were more supportive of it after participating in the study.The authors concluded that hybrid work can boost companies' profits by reducing quit rates "estimated to cost about 50% of an individual's annual salary." It also "offers large gains for society by providing a valuable amenity (perk) to employees, reducing commuting and easing child-care."It can also be a boon to businesses like cafés, bars, gyms, and beauty salons — all of which have seen increased earnings due to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-hybrid-jobs-allow-work-from-home-fridays-boosts-businesses-2024-5">work-from-home economy</a>.

Hybrid workers are happier and just as productive as office workers, new study says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Eric Sim spent over 20 years in banking, working in Singapore, London, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.</li><li>The engineering major says he had no idea what banking was when he graduated in 1994.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeric/">Eric Sim</a>, 54, a former banker turned professional speaker and executive coach. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his education and employment history.When I picked banking as a career, I had very little idea of what the job would actually involve. I'd never even heard of the big names like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — but banking felt novel and challenging to me.My first job out of school was at DBS Bank, where I did corporate foreign exchange sales. I was an engineering graduate and not as savvy as my colleagues, who majored in business administration.After two years, I decided to leave DBS and get my master's in finance at Lancaster University. I wasn't able to secure a job in London, though. I ended up returning to Singapore in the thick of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.As jobs were scarce, I decided to take work in risk management instead. That was when I joined Standard Chartered.I was fortunate to have a good boss. He really believed in me and sent me on secondments to London and Hong Kong. That kickstarted my international career.I later moved on to Citibank in 2001, where I worked on global markets. In 2005, I saw that China was liberalizing its financial sector, so I asked my boss to post me to China, and I spent two years there.Working in China was eye-opening. Compared to a small country like Singapore, there were lots more industries, such as mining and shipping, to cover.I then relocated to Hong Kong and switched my focus to investment banking and Asia-centric transactions. That paved the way for me to join UBS as a managing director.<h2 id="6126e89b-83ba-409f-829f-7c6830f6f066">I can play the game, but I don't enjoy the game</h2><div type="image" title="Eric Sim giving a lecture to students." height="768" width="1024" msid="115431925" hostid="261" sizebytes="84092"></div>To be honest, I've always thought of leaving banking. Back in 2005, I thought of returning to college to study architecture. I applied for a spot and got accepted into the program after passing a test.But I decided against it. If I went back to school, I would have to study for five years and accrue two years of practical experience before I could qualify as an architect.That was a huge opportunity cost for me, as I could have made up to a million dollars if I had stayed with banking during the same period. I was in my mid-thirties then, and I still had to pay my mortgage. It didn't make financial sense to leave banking then.That said, I also recognized that while I could play the game, I didn't enjoy it. For most people who go into banking, the norm is to work as much as you can and retire when you're 60.However, that leaves you with very limited choices in life. Your health may deteriorate, and you won't be able to travel as much.So after spending over 20 years in banking, I left UBS in 2017.At that point, my health was still good, and I had sufficient savings. That meant that I could pursue the things I liked, and start a new career in professional speaking and executive coaching.In this phase of my life, I'm now focusing on satisfaction, meaning, and fulfillment. Through my work as a speaker and lecturer, I have been able to share my know-how in banking and career planning with more people.<h2 id="cd01a843-0073-4c6f-b1d9-e32d59c1e82f">It is a lot harder to make it in banking these days</h2><div type="image" title="Eric Sim standing in front of the London Bridge." height="768" width="1024" msid="115431926" hostid="261" sizebytes="39050"></div>Banking is really just a sales job. It is about knowing what your customer wants and then building a relationship. You want to be the first person the client calls when they have a problem.But succeeding in banking is a lot harder these days. In the past, there was less competition and less regulation within the sector. It was easier for the banks to make money.Things are different now. After the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, a lot more people now know how much money bankers can make. There is a lot more competition for banking jobs.But even if I could turn the clock back, I would still pick banking as a career. Banking is an excellent industry for self-development.My advice to young professionals is to seek out job opportunities that allow them to learn. That has been my career principle and it has served me well.

I made it to managing director after 17 years in banking, then I quit. I didn't want to work myself into the ground well into my 60s.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I couldn't find a job after college, so I started working at a Tex-Mex restaurant. </li><li>While working there, I fell in love with my coworker.</li></ul>The last thing I expected after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recently-graduated-college-incredibly-lonely-struggling-adjust-2024-1">graduating from college</a> and moving back home with my parents was to find my soulmate.I took a job waiting tables at a local Tex-Mex restaurant while I killed time applying to the Peace Corps. Despite thinking I could leverage my English major into a job shuffling books at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barnes-and-noble-history-bookstore-amazon-feud-rise-and-fall-2023-2">Barnes &amp; Noble</a>, they ignored my application. This restaurant was the only place I found willing to hire a rookie waiter. I intended to put my head down, serve fajitas, and get as far away from my hometown as soon as possible.My trainer was a young guy named Benjamin, who was in a similar limbo as he navigated the aftermath of leaving college without the degree he thought he'd have by then.He would later become my husband.<h2>As my social life dwindled, the restaurant became my sole source of socialization</h2>I spent my early weeks diligently studying the menu, learning the difference between the San Juan and the San Luis plates and the best way to upsell a margarita.As a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recent-college-grad-applied-jobs-rejected-2023-8">recent college graduate</a> entering the ranks, I was an anomaly. Most of my peers were in school trying to degree their way out of the service industry. I felt like a cautionary tale about liberal-arts majors.At my first mandatory all-staff meeting, the general manager commented on how many people meet their future spouses while working at that very restaurant. I rolled my eyes. Dressed in a starched white shirt and black Dickies, covered in guacamole, and reeking of the restaurant's signature garlic-butter sauce, I could not imagine a less romantic ambiance. Plus, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coworker-dated-women-office-before-marrying-me-2024-2">workplace romances</a> did not happen while busing trays of chips and salsa. That was for stints between expats abroad.But my social life had quickly shrunk to a minimalist carousel of work and evenings watching television with my family. But a coworker invited me for drinks after work one night, and I said yes. I put on my Italia shirt from my summer backpacking through southern Europe and sat beside Ben. Later, he would tell me he'd made a point to sit next to me, hovering his arm behind <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/keanu-reeves-greatest-person-ever-2019-8">my back like Keanu Reeves</a>.I passed my shifts, swapping plans and gossiping with my coworkers as we entered our dinner orders or ran credit cards. We commiserated about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hes-not-into-me-romantic-barcelona-trip-2024-1">bad tips</a> and bad behavior.As various friendships grew, I was especially excited to have my shifts overlap with Ben's. We shared a sense of humor and a refreshing worldview as I navigated this first precarious baby step into adulthood.<h2>Ben and I only got closer</h2>About a month after my first after-work round of drinks, I asked Ben to be my plus-one at a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/attending-strangers-weddings-to-make-friends-2024-2">friend's wedding</a>. He agreed, and I got nervously excited about something that might be more than friendship. Still unsure about this nascent workplace flirtation, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed his company as much out of work as in. He also easily got along with my friends, and it was great for just the two of us to spend time together. It was an enchanting evening of dancing, conversation, and laughter. By the end of the night, we kissed.Our low-key courtship continued as we worked together. We traded bits of our stories and developed inside jokes. He eventually asked me to join him as he applied to finish his degree at a local college, and he drove me to my Peace Corps interview in a city four hours away. The more we moved toward the future, the more we saw each other as inexorable pieces in each other's lives.<h2>Ben and I have now built a happy life together</h2>Less than two years after we started working together, we married. Our eldest took her first step before her aunt's rehearsal dinner at the same restaurant where Ben and I met. As fate would have it, my sister-in-law and her husband met at the same job. Two kids and almost two decades later, I guess I have to admit our general manager was right — at least about this one thing.What appeared as a desert for flirtation was actually a hotbed for rom-com-level romance to blossom. Something about sharing the everyday minutiae in a workplace fosters the kind of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/mental-health/why-is-friendship-important">deep friendship</a> in which love thrives.

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