The Career Revolution, Part II

When Companies Were Forever (1945–1979)

In 1969, IBM had a “full employment” policy. They explicitly guaranteed they would never lay you off. Try explaining that to a Gen Z worker today. 😗

It may sound like fiction now, but for a generation of Americans, corporate permanence was truly just that — permanent. From the end of World War II until the late 1970s, the American workplace was built on stability rather than volatility. The economy thrived. The GI Bill opened doors to education and homeownership. Union membership stayed around 35%, providing a second layer of protection. And the path was clear: education → job → house → family → pension. It was game on for the American Dream.

During this period, companies were more than just employers; they were immersive ecosystems that shaped identity, community, and daily life. Work offered stability, a sense of belonging, and a broad social infrastructure that went well beyond the job itself. IBM’s “full employment” philosophy meant no layoffs ever. AT&T operated like a quasi-government agency with clear promotion schedules and extensive benefits. General Motors built entire towns around its plants, complete with bowling leagues, annual picnics, and company-sponsored recreation. You worked for and belonged to a company.

This was a time when a person's work and career identity were strongly tied to their corporate affiliation. You weren’t just an engineer; you were an IBM engineer. You weren’t just a manager; you were Ma Bell. The company provided everything: training, development, and career guidance. Your path was laid out, your loyalty was acknowledged, and your future was secured.

Organizations served as custodians of institutional memory, maintaining documentation internally, including yours. Annual reviews were stored in personnel files, and your supervisor knew you personally and understood your work, so there was little need (or tolerance) for self-promotion or tracking achievements. Advancement within the organization was based on loyalty and consistent performance, not on personal branding. Career growth depended on tenure and trust, not visibility.

Retirement was viewed as a clear endpoint. Skills were deliberately company-specific, designed to boost your value within the organization rather than, like today, to make you appealing on the open job market. Families built their lives around the company headquarters. Entire towns were shaped by corporate influence. It was common for multiple generations to work for the same employer, passing down not just jobs but also identities.

I experienced this firsthand growing up on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota, where company towns, called Locations, were common. I spent a lot of time in one, Fraser, MN, which no longer exists. The city began in 1923 and was shut down in 1973; all the houses were moved or bulldozed, and what remained was eventually swallowed up by the Sherman open-pit mine. I think about it often, a place where I hung out with friends playing pickup basketball and scrap hockey, now vanished, part of the economic change in the '70s.

Economically, this period “worked.” Real wages increased. Homeownership rose. Pension coverage expanded. Socially, single-income households became common, supported by suburban growth and Cold War-era manufacturing strength. Internationally, America remained unparalleled with an industrial base powering both domestic prosperity and global influence.

And yet, beneath the surface, this system had limitations.

It was exclusionary, rigid, and often paternalistic, growing “fat and happy” and largely unaffected by the social and cultural issues of the 60s. However, the chickens came home to roost with the 1973 oil shock and the subsequent energy crisis, triggered by the oil embargo imposed by Arab members of OPEC.

There were problems during this time, and I don’t want to downplay any of them. However, that’s not what I’m focusing on here. I’m comparing then and now because this period, with its many flaws, offered something that today’s workers rarely experience: a sense of psychological security. It wasn't just about a paycheck; it was about a shared understanding that your role had continuity, your contributions were recognized, and your future was planned. You weren’t merely employed; you were part of a system that guaranteed acknowledgment, protection, and growth. The belief that your work would be valued, your career supported, and your identity upheld was built into the system.

But that scaffolding has disappeared. The rise of lean organizations, gig work, remote teams, and algorithmic oversight has stripped away the infrastructure that once supported long-term career viability and visibility. Quarterly metrics have replaced annual reviews. Tenure has given way to churn. Managers rotate faster than their reports. And in many cases, there is no manager, just a dashboard.

I’ll talk more about this in my next post, focusing on the 80s and 90s, when jobs and employment shifted away from the post-World War II system I’ve discussed here. For workers, it’s been a slow move from permanent positions to “flexibility.” This change, despite shocks and setbacks like the Oil Embargo, the hollowing out of the Rust Belt, Japanese competition, globalization, the dot-com bubble, 9/11, and others since, has happened gradually over more than 40 years as pieces of the old system fell away.

The days when organizations actively tracked and shaped an employee’s career path are mostly behind us. Today, that responsibility has shifted to the individual, who must now create, manage, and share their own professional story. This shift is a fundamental change, and the “sense of psychological security” has disappeared, regardless of whether it was ever truly there or just an illusion. Planning, documentation, and strategic framing now rest on the shoulders of everyday American workers. Despite all kinds of tools, tips, and digital hacks, many navigate this new landscape with little grounding or clear guidance, as if hoping the old systems will somehow return. It’s like a cultural sleepwalk—waiting for a kind of career stability that belonged to the mid-20th century, a time most of today’s workforce never knew. The truth is, that era isn’t coming back. The sooner we accept this, the better we can create systems that fit the world we’re working in.

This shift toward greater levels of Free Agency continues. I am deeply concerned about this from a civic and social perspective, as things are out of balance and worsening. This, in turn, increases the responsibility on each person to do what they can to function and hopefully progress as we approach our 250th American anniversary.

In my book, Getting Beyond Your Troubled Past, I aimed to emphasize to job seekers with troubled backgrounds that they are truly Free Agents. To help them see that once they are out and away from any form of institutional support, they are on their own, which can be a harsh realization for many who have grown accustomed to institutionalization, regardless of how negative it might have been. Still, they need to wake up and adopt a mindset shift to prepare for a challenging Marketplace that couldn’t care less whether they sink or swim.

Well, the same mindset shift applies to the average American worker. Instead of building silos and moats, the path to success requires individual effort and strategic self-management within the existing systems. There are many things I would like to see changed in our system, but it will take time and more people taking action for this to happen. Meanwhile, I’m here to deliver a few tools to help make successful self-management a reality.

If you’re having trouble overcoming a background obstacle that hinders your progress in work or life (or know someone who is), pick up a copy of Get Beyond Your Troubled Past.

If that’s not you (thankfully), stay tuned for the release of my next book later this year, *Get Beyond the Grind: Work Journaling with The Grind Dairy.*

For now, follow me here or on LinkedIn and “the socials” for more updates on being a heads-up Free Agent. And check back next week for Career Revolution, Part III.

Onward!