Why is my teen so cranky?

Dear Clever Cali,

Why is my teen so cranky?? My teenagers are by turns such a joy and such a pain, lol. There’s got to be some science behind this!

Sincerely,

Bewildered Parent

Dear Bewildered Parent,

There actually is some science behind this! Although I’m not sure that’s an excuse for rudeness 🙂

Adolescents experience mood swings because of changes in their developing brains and fluctuating hormone levels. What might seem like volatile and highly charged behavior may be influenced heavily by hormonal shifts. It’s no coincidence that many of us as teenagers may have made emotion-driven or questionable decisions- as our bodies and minds are developing, there are hormones that are heavily implicated in our behavior that are waxing and waning. However, try not to sign off errant or unusual behavior as just a mood swing- if you can, understand why the behavior happened, in case it’s an indication of something else, like depression, or substance abuse.

~ Clever Cali

Dear Clever Cali,

I’m applying to tech sector jobs soon and I’m confused about how the market is doing. Is this a good time to apply? What’s the job market looking like right now?

Sincerely,

Soon-to-Apply Samson

Dear Soon-to-Apply Samson,

That’s a great question. The state of the “job market” can be a source of confidence or stress for prospective job seekers; if you’re sure employers across the country are hiring, you can feel more confident about finding success in your search or in turning down a job you don’t love.

First, job markets for different positions will look very different. Nursing homes are looking desperately for nurses as they are understaffed at present- so that market is doing well. Overall, however, the frantic hiring of the immediate post-pandemic years (2021 and 2022) has slowed off. Following this period, in 2023, there was a great deal of job-hopping and the so-called “quiet quitting” movement. Employers were still seeking to replace those quitting employees and hiring was still going strong. This past summer was a bad time for the job market, as job growth in many areas was pretty stagnant.

However, as we enter the fall, some natural fluctuation is expected to result in an uptick of jobs for a while. Employers this summer have sought to cut hours, so it may take a while for hiring to boom upward to post-pandemic levels, but overall, the market seems promising. More workers are retiring with an aging population, and companies are seeking to hire in their stead. The analyst firm Morningstar stated that they “remain upbeat on labor force participation gains” for 2024.