Ep 14How People Successfully Transition from Yeshiva Life To The Working World
A year of therapy barely moved him. A warehouse job changed everything.
Dr. Tzvi Pirutinsky
How People Successfully Transition from Yeshiva Life To The Working World
with Dr. Tzvi Pirutinsky
The worst thing you can do is do nothing because you're afraid to do something.
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Quotes
“Where am I the top 10%? ... And then play to that strength.”
“Your employer has to believe you have the ability to leave, to get significant raises.”
“A job primarily is about supporting your family.”
“At a certain point, you're asking too much from your job.”
“Gratitude, particularly towards Hashem, is extremely effective and very highly correlated with life satisfaction.”
Takeaways
- 1 About 40% of the people he counsels are kollel men in their mid-20s to early 30s going to work for the first time. The average age has dropped from about 31-32 to 27-28.
- 2 The hardest sacrifice for years of learning often comes later, when a man in his late 20s with a family starts an entry-level job. Most catch up within about 5-6 years.
- 3 Many bachelor's degrees don't lock you in. You can often go to grad school in another field, and many programs accept Yeshiva degrees.
- 4 Advice on business versus a job conflicts. The deciding factor is your own abilities and tolerance for risk.
- 5 We tend to credit success to personal traits and overlook luck and circumstances ("fundamental attribution bias").
- 6 People often stall by staying at one comfortable job too long. Raises tend to show up when there's another offer on the table.
- 7 His estimate (2021): a Lakewood family paying tuition, camp, a car and a home needs about $150,000 combined income, rising to about $170,000-175,000.
- 8 Families often reach that through hidden sources: Medicaid (worth about $30,000-40,000 a year), family help with a down payment, and two incomes.
- 9 Lakewood tuition was about $7,000-10,000 per child, paid with after-tax dollars.
- 10 The Lakewood job market was very strong in 2021, and many companies hire remotely or open offices in other communities.
- 11 Paying teachers more would help the shortage but pushes tuition up, which feeds the cycle.
- 12 His research found no link between family size and parents' mental health or life satisfaction, regardless of income.
- 13 Living close to much wealthier neighbors makes comparison harder in frum communities.