Well,… things are not better, but there are glimmers of hope.
The the AP reported today [Article Here] that economic data from the Labor Department contained some promising signs:
“In a sharp improvement, the largest U.S. metropolitan areas were evenly split in July between those where unemployment rates rose from June and those where rates fell.
In June, by contrast, 90 percent of the 380 metro areas had seen their jobless rates rise from the previous month.”
What is happening: the rate of unemployment growth is slowing in many areas.
What is NOT happening: but for seasonal jobs in agriculture and other niche segments, the number of new jobs is not growing fast enough to counter-act job losses.
What is means: The US economy continues to cling to a very flat growth curve. In previous decades, even those experiencing recessions, new and revitalized sectors drove job growth. For example, in the late 1980’s technology drove growth; the dot-com / telecom boom and bust drove the 1990’s and financial services drove the first 5 years of the new millennium. Uh,.. maybe forget about that last one.
The point is history proves that without a job growth machine fueled by an emerging or jump-started sector, unemployed workers are left to make their own luck.
Are you ready or just waiting? Do you have a plan? If not, you need to follow the 1st rule of white-water rafting: When you fall out of the boat, YOU are the most important member of your rescue team.
Get it?
Today’s L.A. Times reported mortgage delinquencies in the California will hit 14% in very short order. [Link Here] This on the heels of news that unemployment in California is at a post-WWII high… that’s over 60 years… two-and-a-half generations!
What does this mean for the job market?
First , it means there are a lot of unemployed people looking for jobs (assumably) and not paying their mortgages.
Second, it means housing values will likely be stable for awhile before growing again (as those who continue to pay their mortgages hope).
Third, it means if you are planning to stay in California, I suggest you do some souls-searching as to why. Particularly if you are in an industry suffering a long-term slump (real estate, construction, etc.).
The Golden state is no longer golden. The lone star state (no state income tax) is looking better and better all the time. During the dust-bowl times of the last century, masses of people moved westward in search of jobs.
Today, a new migration is starting… under the call of “Eastward Ho.”
In desperation for good news, even bad news gets spun into rays of hope.
In an AP article this morning, it was reported that 247,000 people LOST their jobs last month [article link here]. They claim is that because job losses are slowing, the recession may be ending.
Excuse me, but consecutive months of job losses and quarter-over-quarter of negative GDP indicate recession. Companies continue trimming expenses and workforces. As a result, companies are more expense-efficient per dollar of revenue than they were two or three years ago – stabilizing their stock prices. Thus, those who hail the stock market recovery as a sign of economic recovery are, in large part, wrong. The net job loss number means jobs are still being lost – the ranks of unemployed workers were joined by 247,000 new friends in July.
Rather than dwell on this news, I am diving into the rare reports of job growth in specific sectors [see my recent post]. I am also encouraging friends to think about relocating and remain open to new frontiers.
This is a time to plan new courses, consider new horizons and prepare for future ahead of those who will be competitng with you for plumb jobs.
If you wait until the surf is up, you will be part of a crowd running down the beach to the waves. The smart surfer paddles out early and is ready when the first ripple crests.
“It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career.” ~ Carlton Fisk
I recently read an article in Career College Central magazine about professionals becoming teachers. Career College Central is a somewhat obscure but highly informed source of information on careers in education. Read article here
The article explored the near-term and long-range prospects for careers in teaching:
In many places, there are more converts to teaching than there are jobs, except in hard-to-fill posts in science, math and special education classes. But the wave of applicants might ease teacher shortages expected to develop as 1.7 million baby boomers retire from the public schools during the next decade.
That indicates that if you can team math or science, jobs are available today. Looking ahead, if you are considering retiring from your current job and going into teaching over the next 10 years, the retirement wave of current teachers will be breaking in your favor.
The article also pointed out the high interest in teacher preparation programs among displaced professionals:
Across the country, interest in teacher preparation programs geared toward job-changers is rising sharply. Applications to a national retraining program based in 20 cities rose 30 percent this year (2009). Enrollment in a career-switcher program for teachers at Virginia’s community colleges increased by 20 percent.
Teaching provides an excellent opportunity to stay close to something you enjoy – particularly in science, math or specialty courses at the community college level. It also may require you adjust your personal budget. Then again, with the federal government making education a priority, investment should continue – and job security usually comes with it.
It is time to trade the white-board for a chalk-board?
I don’t often agree with articles in popular press, but I almost always agree with Forbes.
In a recent article, Tara Weiss and the Forbes research team correctly point out the areas where jobs in specific industries are growing. Here’s the article.
Looking through the 3-sided lens presented in my book, “The Rat, The Race and the Cage“, the industry where you work is the Race. I encourage people to pursue a career in an industry that they find intriguing. For example, if you are an advertising expert but soap and deodorant don’t excite you (insert your favorite joke about the French here), then the consumer products industry is probably not for you. Find an industry you enjoy and take it as far as you can. Sometimes that means moving to another city where the industry is thriving, or at least doing better than where you are located…
While green shoots are not coming up in the macro-economy when viewed in its entirety, Weiss correctly points out that select industry segments ARE seeing growth and those industries invariably have employment concentrations in specific metropolitan areas.
If you are seeking a job in one of the industries described in the Forbes article, it may be time to consider a relocation. While uprooting is typically the LAST thing people want to do, it is also an opportunity to experience a new part of our great country. When I press my case with folks, there is usually push-back: the job market is probably competitive because so many experienced professionals are already located in that city. I counter with the notion that there also may be a shortage of talent. Example: it was nearly impossible to find great engineers in San Jose from 1999 to 2002 and remains challenging today, albeit it’s easier than it was in 1999-2002. At that time, stories of lunch-hour job changes were accurate.
It may be time to take a long look at a new city. I can suggest a great closing line: “While I am currently located in Atlanta, I am planning to move myself at my own cost to Boston as it is a hotbed of activity in Education, an industry where I plan to spend the rest of my career.”
Be bold.
I would rather live today than at any other time in history. This feeling is and has been consistent on good days or bad days and in good times or difficult times.
Why?
First, the world keeps turning and standing still accomplishes nothing. Second, everyday is an opportunity to learn, help, share, reflect or heal. A few of my experiences:
The day of my Dad’s funeral I learned just how much he helped other people and it challenged me to do even more than I was currently doing. A minister shared that Dad privately bought plane tickets so the minister could fly to his family own father’s funeral. We didn’t have a lot but apparently Dad found a way to buy the tickets. In the midst of my grief over death, there appeared motivation for life.
Some time ago I was married for a couple years while completing grad school. We got divorced and I was deeply troubled by how the whole thing unfolded. During the healing process I felt convicted not to become bitter but become better (see also this post). 10 years later a dear friend experienced a nearly identical situation. I shadowed him and provided encouragement as the cycle unfolded. It was a blessing to use my previous pain to encourage his healing process.
Early in my career I was passed over for a job promotion that I felt was earned and deserved. The hiring VP thought differently. Instead of impulsively quitting that company in disgust, I put my head down and elevated my performance. That same VP became one of my cheerleaders as my career progressed and he got me an even bigger promotion 18 months later.
In all cases, my first reactions were human and typical; hurt, angry, bitter, resentful, frustrated, cheated, deprived, shunned, abused, etc. Beyond the normal initial reaction came a wave of self discipline and determination to learn from the mistakes (my own fault) or life experiences (not my fault). This is not easy. You must move forward and utilize mentors, books and solitude during the process.
Today’s economy is driving people to the point of despair and into bankruptcy. Even in the most troubled situations, I can see a vision of a better future. If this is bottom, then every day forward will be a little better until a more stable plateau is attained.
Even in the face of these headwinds, I would rather live today and look to tomorrow than at any other time in history. Today’s challenges and pain are what make us appreciate a better tomorrow.
This too will pass. The question is: how will you use the experience in the future?
Right here, right now, there is no other place I wanna be.
Right here, right now, watching the world wake up from history.
Right Here, Right Now – Jesus Jones
To help those facing career decisions or challenges I am giving away 100 free copies of my book, The Rat, The Race and The Cage to anyone who WANTS one. (See This Post)
Have you heard the parable of the starfish? It goes something like this;
A man and his son are walking along the beach as the tide recedes following a storm. There are thousands of starfish stranded along the surfline. As they walk along, the boy occasionally stops to examine a dying starfish. Now and then he throws one back into the surf. His father comments, “Son there are thousands of starfish out here, you can’t save all of them.” The son replies, “That’s true Dad,” as he throws one into the surf. “But I just saved that one.”
Despite the tension, stress and even desperation of unemployment, a single job is not a life and death event. Still, if you can help a few, why not do it?
So, that’s what I am doing. I am giving away 100 copies of my book, The Rat, The Race and The Cage. Yes, free. Shipped to anywhere in the USA. No strings attached. Just tryin’ to help get a helpful resource to people who need it – if they want it.
My hope is that the people who receive it can apply the principles in their job search and get their careers moving again.
All they have to do is e-mail me a note with their name and address and a bit about their situation. What do they do? When were they laid off? What industry were they in? How long did they work there? That’s it. I’ll sign a copy of the book for them and mail it out.
Please e-mail me here: tom (at) tomellsworth (dot) com
Just tryin’ to help.
“Keep on smilin’ through the rain, laughin’ at the pain,
Just flowin’ with the changes, ’till the sun comes out again”
Keep on Smilin’ – Wet Willie
In the Career section of today’s Wall Street (June 16th) Karina Diaz Cano wrote an article titled “When Tough Times become the Norm.”
Cano briefly explained how she has become acclimatized (my word) to the situation following waves of bad job news from friends and family. The following excerpt summed up her experience:
“With so many of my friends and family out of work, the economic situation and layoff news is something I’ve had to start taking in stride. It’s still not pleasant to receive news of another layoff, but I have become more accustomed to it.”
It’s one thing to become accustomed to what, by many accounts, appears to be a new economic reality, but it’s another thing entirely to give-in to the situation. To be clear, Cano makes no mention of surrender or retreat.
In such a situation, however, too many people will become frustrated and idle. There are several instructive analogies that come to mind, including the frog that ultimately cooks to death in a kettle of tepid water slowly brought to a boil vs. the frog that instantly leaps from a pot of hot water.
My encouragement is to be inspired to action by these situations and start taking steps NOW to prepare and position for the future. No one would wait patiently in a burning building but when careers are in flames I have seen people wait until they are overcome by smoke.
In her article, Cano goes on to muse about the economy presenting new opportunities:
“So perhaps the layoffs were the chance to get to a better next job which we may never have looked for, being in a comfort zone in our former positions.”
YES! I applaud this and add that many people are NOT waiting to respond to such opportunities (see my May 21st post here). An applicable quote was attributed to Abe Lincoln, “Things may come to those who wait – but only the things left by those who hustle.” So true!
My call is clear: if this is the new normal, deal with it. Start searching for ways to be one of those who will look back and talk about how you found opportunity and success in decidedly tough times.
Consider that they still award the surfing championship trophy even when the waves and other conditions are poor. The competition goes on and somebody emerges a winner.
Why not you?
“Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear…
And I can’ help but ask myself how much I let the fear take the wheel and steer.”
Drive – Incubus
Are you sweeping and weeping or cleaning up your act?
I ask that question not to be trite but to determine in which of two camps you are sitting: Bitter about your job situation or determined to get better, be better, find a better job?
Today I visited my favorite coffee spot for a big wake-me-up (triple venti, white chocolate, non fat, easy whip) on an overcast June Saturday in Los Angeles . While waiting for my drink I concluded once and for all that the weekday crowd had a much better attitude than the weekend crowd. There are a couple fairly well-defined encampments. Here’s an unscientific, over-simplified, idiosyncratic look at the two:
Weekday Crowd:
- Searching job sites and reading job postings while asking others for opinions
- Being greeted with positive encouragement by ‘regulars’ who offer advice
- Dressed business casual or just casual – but in all cases neat and ready for the day
Weekend Crowd:
- Carping and griping about employers, the economy, CEOs…
- Avoided by ‘regulars’ who sense the bitterness emanating into the room
- Dressed like they rolled out of bed… hang-on, they DID!
Get the picture? While denizens of each tribe can be found any day, in the scope of my experience here in Los Angeles, the generalization stands as reasonably fair.
There is a place to gather and gripe about dissappointment, frustration and vent a little steam. It’s called a bar. On the other hand, the wifi-enabled coffee shot is invariably linked to working and the daily commute. If you need to be bitter, don’t do it there.
Beyond the appropriateness of location-specific venting is a question about the depth and enduring nature of the venting. Do you blow off steam and let it go or do you build up like a pressure cooker? Both options are obvious to others.
Bad things happen to good people. That’s a truth consistently validated by nearly 3,000 years of recorded human history. When the bad comes to your career it is critical to use the energy positively and prepare yourself for the next step. Yes that’s obvious but is bears repeating because, as the attendees of the “Its not My Fault” society at the coffee shop showed, some people heed to hear it.
Get better, be better and find that better job.
Starting now.
“A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life,
Somewhere a Queen is weeping, somewhere a King has no wife.
The Wind Cries Mary – Jimi Hendrix
The US economy is living a semi-charmed life.
As of today the DOW-JONES average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ have for the most part recovered the losses experienced at the beginning of 2009. On one hand this is good news for retirement savings. On the other hand, job losses have continued to rise over this same time period.
So what’s happening?
Not to over simplify the situation, but it is principally driven by lower costs and the stock market response to those costs.
Step back a moment and take a look and when led up to this point. Companies have spent nearly two years trimming staffs and budgets in the face of economic headwinds. As a result, operational costs have become much more efficient as a percent of revenue, resulting in improved performance and more favorable quarterly reports. In turn, stock prices initially stabilized and then rose this year.
What does this mean for you?
First, in general strong candidates are finding jobs while average workers continue to go wanting. (Duh) It may not be EAST or QUICK to find that next job, but that’s not the point.
Second, candidates with a record of efficiency and the proven ability to manage vs. babysit programs and initiatives will be in demand. Trust me – it’s already happening.
Consider the last point when polishing your resume and crafting the responses to the typical set of interview questions.
It’s time to set yourself apart – on the marklet’s terms.
I want something else,
Get me through this semi charmed kind of life.
Semi-Charmed Life –Third Eye Blind
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