One thing young people are not very cognizant of is their personal record, particularly teenagers. Whether or not we ever see it, we all have a record that follows us from birth and well beyond death. It hovers above us like a vulture shadowing its prey. We may not see it, but make no mistake, it is always there tracking our every move, and I believe this is what young people do not comprehend.
As a systems man, I can tell you authoritatively, the government, the medical community, the financial community, and law enforcement have been collecting and maintaining data on us the moment we first entered a doctor’s office (be it in the womb or in person), opened a bank account or credit card, received a social security card, went to school, or received a ticket for jaywalking. Understand this though, there is no single record on any one of us as the data is physically maintained in several different places.
There are actually four parts to our personal record:
* Education – specifying the schools we attended, when we attended, the grades we earned, and if we graduated or failed. Employers pay particular attention to such data.
* Medical – specifies doctor and dentist visits, diseases contracted, procedures, medications, and treatments. Again, employers are interested in such data, particularly in sports and the military.
* Credit – for every financial account you open, your debt is closely followed as well as how well you paid your bills. Any time you miss a payment on a credit card, house payment, or car loan, it is recorded and influences your credit rating, not just now, but for years afterwards.
* Criminal – there is a tendency by young people to misunderstand their criminal record. Even as a juvenile, any and all violations of the law are recorded for years and years. Once again, employers are interested in such data, as well as the military and just about everyone else. Laugh as you may at being arrested in 8th grade, such a snafu may prohibit you from getting the job or opportunity of your dreams later on.
Unfortunately, it is not until we get a little older and wiser do we comprehend the necessity for maintaining a clean record, and usually too late to change it. Some things cannot be changed such as grades. If you try to falsify your academic record, it will inevitably be discovered and your reputation will be ruined, and in all likelihood you will face a serious misdemeanor (thereby updating your record again). It is also next to impossible to alter your medical and credit records, they are what they are.
In some instances, criminal records can be modified depending on the infraction. For example, certain misdemeanors can be esponged from a person’s record by the court providing the person agrees to certain terms, such as performing community service or attending special classes. Nonetheless, it is better not to get an infraction than to try and have it esponged.
It’s actually a little scary how much data there is on all of us, and we hope it is all safe and secure from public consumption. The point is, whether we like it or not, all of our actions are being recorded, and being a juvenile doesn’t mean you are exempt or have an excuse. Just remember, no matter how hard you try, you cannot outrun your record.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Copyright © 2010 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
Whether in business or a nonprofit organization there will be instances where you will inevitably be warned to “play by the rules.” I have heard this in just about every company I’ve consulted with, as well as the many different nonprofit organizations I have participated in over the years. Basically, it is a thinly veiled warning not to disrupt the status quo or face the consequences. It is essentially no different than saying “Do it our way or else.” Interestingly, I have discovered people either don’t know what the rules are, misinterpret them, or know them too well.
Tranquility is a small town in the northwest corner of Connecticut near the New York and Massachusetts borders. Only 20,000 residents live in the area which enjoys an influx of tourists in the summer who want to escape New York City and enjoy some country air. Nearby lakes and parks in both Connecticut and New York make Tranquility the perfect getaway for a picturesque and affordable vacation.
Have you ever observed someone driving in an automobile to a destination with only a slight idea of where he/she is going? Inevitably they become lost and instead of stopping to ask for directions they keep pushing forward. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll eventually get to their destination. More likely though, they will become lost. Perhaps you have done this yourself. I tend to believe this is more common among younger people who are more impetuous than their elders who have committed this mistake in the past. Before someone knows where they are going with any certainty, they tend to jump in the car and drive off, a sort of “leap before we look” mentality. Only much later do they admit is was a mistake and they wasted a lot of time going nowhere fast.
Everywhere. In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Muslim world has been growing by leaps and bounds simply through immigration and obnoxious birth rates. The Catholic Church recently admitted the number of Muslims has surpassed their own numbers. It has been reported there are now over 9 million Muslims in the European Union alone which will likely double by 2020. In the United States it is estimated there are now approximately 8 million Muslims, which is up substantially since 2000 when there was just 1.5 million reported. Such an influx would normally go unnoticed, but due to the War on Terror and the role played by Islamic extremists, alarms have been sounded and there is growing concern about the impact of the expanding Muslim world.
I hate computers. There, I’ve said it, the cat is out of the bag and I feel better for publicly admitting it. I’ve quietly shared this sentiment with many people over the years who look at me puzzled as they know I have been in the computer industry for over 30 years now. Some have even suggested I’m a bit of a masochist staying in a field I do not respect. It’s not that I am not proficient in the use of computers, I am actually better than most. As an aside, you’ll notice I didn’t say “computer literate” which is an expression I detest as it typifies the sloppy thinking permeating this business.
It strikes me there is a generational changing of the guard underfoot which I am only now beginning to realize. I certainly am not against youth having its day, but some strange things seem to be happening. For example, Newsweek magazine created a bit of a hubbub recently when it allowed a 23 year old reporter to cover a major story on the New Black Panther Party. Regardless of which side you take on this particular issue (left or right), you can’t help but wonder why Newsweek, who is struggling at the newsstand, would assign a junior reporter to cover this controversial topic. Perhaps a more seasoned reporter would have handled it differently.
I recently came across some job postings under the title, “Systems Analyst,” and it occurred to me people still do not know what it means. In the postings I saw things like:
Years ago it was commonplace to give job referrals for employees or professional acquaintances. For example, 25 years ago when we moved from Cincinnati to Tampa, for those employees who elected to stay behind and not make the move, we openly helped them locate new jobs. We had several contacts in the systems industry and were able to help our people find work. This was not unusual at the time, but I’m afraid you do not see such practices anymore, nor do I recommend giving such referrals as this has become a potentially litigious problem. For example, if you give a positive endorsement, and the worker doesn’t perform to the satisfaction of the new employer, the company may elect to sue you for misrepresenting the worker. On the other hand, if you give a negative endorsement, the individual in question may sue you over defamation of character. In other words, it’s a “lose-lose” proposition no matter what you do.
I’ve been making the rounds through local political meetings lately and have met a lot of candidates for the November elections, everything from congressman, to senator, to county commissioner, to school board representative, to dog catcher. There’s a lot of new faces running for office, probably because they realize the citizens are fed up with the status quo. Interestingly, I noticed a lot of the new faces are not much better than the old faces.
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