Reviews by Hubie Goode: Where Do I Begin? Part 1

Where Do I Begin?

Arming Yourself for
the Economic Changes Ahead

Part 1

The other day I was watching a local program where several professionals were being interviewed about the effects that the economy has had on their lives. Some where very high ranking business people who had been laid off due to the economy and had to take much lesser positions where they could find them. One such man was a bank president who had to take a job running a flower shop for far less than he had been making per year. He’s actually one of the lucky ones, for many people can’t find ANY kind of work. I saw a letter written to an editor of a national newspaper where the person could not believe that people couldn’t find work. He claimed that his car dealership was strapped for employees and couldn’t find any. I chuckled when I saw this, I know what it takes to sell cars, but still the salesmen sing the same old song of “anyone can do it”. It’s tough to find work because so many people are applying for the same jobs in fields that they have experience in and have credible backgrounds that they can rely on. Businesses searching for employees are looking outside the area of experience.

But let’s say for instance you have been out of work for about a year and a half now, maybe you have sent out 350 resumes in your field, and perhaps you have had 30 interviews, but someone else has been picked. As the form letters now go, “another candidate” has been chosen. It could very well be that the employment world of the last 50 years or so is now over with. Dad or Mom may have pent 40 years with the same company, but that doesn’t happen anymore, in fact, living by the “seat of your pants” has become the norm in our economic society. The days of employer loyalty to an employee are also over with. You could be replaced on a whim at any time.

Going With The Flow

So what’s the new paradigm for work and surviving in these turbulent times? Businesses all around my area, and it’s a nice, high end area where I live, are closing and going out of business. Brick and mortar stores are being defeated by some great unseen force. The creative community also has a real problem with this force. Photographers, Graphic Designers and Video Production alike are also flooded with amateurs who have the equipment for production and work cheaper than a professional. The internet is to blame for much of this, as major companies like newspapers are now going under for lack of advertising dollars due to the ubiquitous existence of computers in the home. We may still have newspapers around for the next 50 years or so, but they will be specialized entities. Your grandchildren will never see a New York Times or a Los Angeles Times, and possibly no USA Today either. Back in the 1960’s when TV produced a new television show, like say, “Bewitched”, the living room was set up with the television as the main focus of the room. Future TV shows will no doubt have the computer in that place, that is, if TV remains anything like it is today. Who really knows where we are going with today’s technology? What will it be like?

For you and me and those generations to come, we had better come up with a game plan that moves with the future as quickly as it changes. The answer to this is of course, education and knowledge. If I am to adapt to a continuously changing environment than the tools for adapting are paramount in my study. The world still moves on its legs of business. Business is what moves the world. So you had better be prepared with the axe, chisel and jackhammer of business. Your kids and their kids now need this information simply for basic survival.

That’s what this ongoing portion of the blog will deal with. Where do I begin? What information will we all need to acquire in order to become recession proof in our own individual lives. We’ll being in part 2. See you there.