Some New Job Ideas
The following is not about new ideas for those who simply
want to work in another field, although it may help in that as
well. This page is about changing our ideas about the meaning
of having a job. An article in Time Magazine (March of 2009)
suggested that as a culture we're over our constant concern with
real estate value and stock market investments, thanks to the
current economic crisis.
People no longer see their rising 401K value as a ticket to
early retirement, nor do they get to tap into their home equity
(which has largely vanished) as a way to live beyond what their
employment income. The article claimed that we are beginning
to give the same attention and nurturing to our employment possibilities
as we used to to those previous sources of wealth or temporary
income.
The piece was titled "Why Your Job is Your Most Valuable
Asset," which was a bit misleading. What was really pointed
to as the valuable asset was not a person's job, but the skills
that make us able to get jobs. Certainly that makes more sense.
It got me thinking...
Are workers going to begin to invest in and develop job skills
the way they carefully invest in their IRAs?. Could we start
hearing about "mental equity," something we have in
the form of experience and training and knowledge tat makes us
employable? Perhaps enrollment in non-credit job-skill classes
will rise as workers try to bolster their qualifications for
one or more types of employment?
It's possible. My guess is that the future will be one with
fewer and fewer jobs as more and more people begin to work in
their own businesses or as independent contractors. Of course,
there will be jobs, and some people will always prefer the simplicity
of working for others over self-employment. What new job ideas
can they put into action to make themselves more able to find
and keep employment?
It may help to specialize. Enough years doing computer programming,
tax preparation or machine designing certainly gives you an edge
on the competition for those jobs. Perhaps you could be the only
one in town who specializes in preparing tax returns for companies
that are based locally but incorporated in other nations.
But what if they actually simplify the tax code someday, putting
half of the tax preparers in the country out of work? For that
matter, computers might start programming themselves. Whole industries
have been known to die, and change is a constant. Who knows how
many young men started careers as a wagon wheel makers in 1905,
just as cars started to become common.
One job idea that solves this problem to some extent comes
from a newspaper article I saw. It was about a young man who
was trying to work at 52 jobs in 52 weeks as he crossed the country.
Maybe when young people are fresh out of high school or college
they should work a few months at several different jobs, just
to have the experience and skills for whatever the future holds.
If you wanted to be more systematic about this, you might
choose a couple jobs that are likely to be recession-proof, like
being a cook or bar tender. Then you could work at several that
are in growing fields, like retirement home administration or
medical positions. A variety of job skills and experiences should
help you find work in almost any kind of economy.
But your resume alone doesn't always get you a job, so you
might want to develop the skills of getting hired as well. Suppose
you obtained and quit seven or eight jobs in a span of a couple
months early in your working life? Do that and use the good advice
in some of the books out there, and you might be much more prepared
to quickly get a new job if you should ever lose your existing
one.
More Job Ideas
- Be in business in any case - the business of selling your
labor. Consider how to make your customers happier and more likely
to keep using what you provide for them.
- Some jobs are meant to provide income, some are meant to
train you for a related business, and some are actually what
you want to do in life. Then there are jobs meant to build a
resume, and sometimes even jobs that are only about getting to
know people who can help you. Consider what kind of job you are
looking for, or what elements each one has. Plan your employment
strategically.
- For some people more meaningful employment might come from
green
jobs (that link goes to a section on EveryWayToMakeMoney.com
which has many pages of green job and business information).
- You can buy the benefits that come with jobs. Figure out
the true costs of getting whatever benefits an employer provides.
Why accept a job that pays $12,000 less than another just because
the one has health insurance and vacation pay, if you can buy
these yourself for $6,000. Take the time and thought to compare
all your options.
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