Take Advantage of Opportunities

I keep coming back to this topic and I don't wish to bore people, but I have to say this again.

Remember a TV show called Dirty Jobs? The star, Mike Rowe, is promoting job training programs for trade jobs such as welding, plumbing, etc. He was on TV bemoaning the fact that he is seeing little interest in these programs from the young people who need to be taking advantage of them.

I am appalled by this. What is wrong with you people. Face it kids. You are going to have to work during your lives. Here you have a chance to take advantage of schools that will get you certified for good jobs and you are not taking advantage. Shame on you.

Nor everyone can be a doctor or lawyer. Not everyone can make it in IT work, but most folks can develop the skills needed to practice one of the many skilled trades out there. These jobs are not the most glamorous and they do require real work, but any job you will find requires work and all of them have their boring days. Get over yourselves. You need skills and you will have to work.

These jobs will allow you to make a good living and live a reasonably comfortable life. Your alternatives are limited, to say the least. If you don't learn to do something , you need to practice the following phrase: "would you like fries with that?"

Get Ready to Roll

The Nation is about to undergo some huge changes. Unfortunately, we have no clue what might happen. The Practical American will get his act together right now, because change, of some sort, will come fast.

As I keep stressing, get your debts paid down. This is a liberating; it gives you room to breathe and move around.

Don't like your job?  Get over it. Do not go changing jobs now, unless you get an absolutely incredible offer. A period of great flux is a time to stay put.

But, do everything you can to be ready to jump. If things start working out in this Country, at long last, opportunities will be abundant, if, and only if, you are ready. How do you get ready? Easy. Work on your health. As someone who used to do hiring, I will tell you, a healthy, energetic applicant is frequently a hired applicant. Develop good habits. Learn to speak, not formally, but properly and clean up your language. Swearing during an interview, for any kind of decent job, will eliminate any hope you have of getting hired. Get some decent clothes, nothing fancy, but presentable. Appearance does count.

Be aware that your interviewer may be anyone, of any race, cultural heritage, gender, and sexual orientation. No matter how you feel about any of those, be ready to show only respect. Things are not like they used to be.

Learn as many skills as you can. Right now, if I were getting ready to seek better employment, I would be studying everything I might possibly need to know about that line of work. Take courses, read books, watch training videos, whatever you have to do, and, remember, you may start at entry level, but. if you show your knowledge, you may start moving up quickly.

Lastly, be flexible and optimistic. Things are going to be a bit weird for a short while, but they will change fast. Be conservative for now and ready to expand on a minute's notice.

Finding Jobs - Be Careful

If you are out of work, the temptation is to grab the first job you are offered. Face it, sometimes you have no choice. But, try not to get in that place. When you start your job hunting, apply to several spots; give yourself some options.

In my last post, I gave a reminder; while the employer is interviewing you, you should be interviewing her/ him. You are going to be spending a good deal of your waking life working for this person. Do you find her/ him likable? You do not have to feel that you are going to become best buddies, but there should be at least a little rapport. Do you feel uneasy? If you are sure that this is not just your nerves, then do not discount that feeling. Mind you, paranoia is not a good idea, but trusting your instincts is and there are unpleasant folks out there.

Listen closely. I have heard potential employers say amazing things during interviews. I have heard anti-Semitic, racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks rear their nasty little heads during such interviews and, if they do, you should excuse yourself and leave.

Sometimes, I have seen interviewers interrupted by their staff, asked questions or asked to sign papers, that sort of thing, and, in those cases, pay attention.. Notice how they interact with employees. I have heard, in such instances, employers almost bite the head off the interrupter. That may be a clue that, no matter how well your interview is going, this might not be the job for you.

Does the interviewer seem nervous, ill tempered, reluctant to answer questions or give exact answers? You need to notice and consider these things. Remember. You do not have to take a job just because it is offered to you. Trust your observations and instincts.

Of course, if you are broke and the rent is due, you mat have to take a job even if you are fairly sure it will not work out. Okay, you have to do, what you have to do. Just, after staring that job, keep looking around. Be ready to move to another job as soon as you can. Do not become married to any job. Stay light on your feet and ready to move.

Learn To Duck

Times are downright weird, that is undebatable. If you have a nice secure job that you love (okay, love may be too strong a word, let's try 'find tolerable', instead), count yourself lucky and hang on for dear life. But, trust me, I know from hard earned personal experience, that nothing is secure. That is just how the World is, and things are especially shaky now.

So, the smart and practical person learn how to duck. When trouble rears its head, you need to be ready to move quickly. There are a few things you can do.

First and most important, relax. If you are all uptight, your vision and reflexes will not be at their best. It is easy to freeze when the unexpected arises and you cannot afford to waste time. Just remember, you are smart and like a cat jumping from a tree, you will land on your feet, if you do not tense up.

Second, try, try very hard, to keep caught up on your bills. Nothing is worse than having troubles when you are deep in debt. Stay away from credit, pay down your car and house as quickly as possible. You do not have to live like a monk, but do try to avoid most unnecessary expenditures.

Third, if possible, find a way to bring in some extra money and put that away. Even a few hours a week helps. If you do not want a part time job working for someone else, start something of your own. Use your imagination, If you like to write, try your hand at that. If you like gardening, open a small business doing that. Clean houses, deliver newspapers, deliver phone books (I made some much needed money doing that one summer and it wasn't bad), anything. Again, you need not work 24/7 but those few extra dollars help. And, that part time work leads me to point  four.

Fourth, whatever you are doing, learn to do something else. The economy is changing rapidly and a field that had many job openings one year, may have none the next. Learn to be flexible. You can never have too many job skills and being able to work in any of several fields gives you a better chance of staying employed.

Eventually, in everyone's life, there comes a point when the crap hits the fan. The smart, practical person is always ready to duck.