Today’s episode can only be described as inspiring. Seriously. After I finished recording this interview I was ready to go hug a stranger and do something I’d been putting off for a while. If you leave this episode feeling anything but elated and inspired, you can have your money back. Just kidding. But seriously. My guest, Shaun Howie, has a ton of great advice for navigating underemployment and really just staying a decent human being in the face of adversity. From the Navy, back to school, to retail, his advice? Stay positive and never settle.

Topics discussed:

• From the Navy to Portland State University and a business degree in marketing
• Debt + $12 or $13 an hour,
• Expectations vs. reality
• Wages not keeping up with the cost of living
• Trying not to compare yourself to your friends
• Learning that your degree isn’t a death sentence
• The experience cycle
• Watching friends with debt struggle with finances
• The most challenging part of being underemployed
• The role of social media: it’s not always inspiring, it can remind you of what you don’t have
• Health insurance or the lack thereof
• How not getting vacation time negatively impacts your mental health
• Working multiple jobs to make a full time wage but not getting any of the associated benefits with working full time
• How Shaun’s attitude impacts his stress level and outlook
• Using reflection to battle stress and negative energy
• The kind of friends you should keep when you’re underemployed
• The ripple effect of random acts of kindness
• Using job listings to inform your job search
• Remembering what you’ve learned from every experience
• Building resilience: you have to try or you’ll never know
• How shame and vulnerability play a part in underemployment
• Daring Greatly*, Brene Brown’s book on shame and vulnerability
• Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman*
• Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi*
• Note to Self podcast
• Let yourself get bored: put the phone down and be alone with yourself