Looking for Work in Hard Times

In case you haven't noticed, we live in interesting times. And about the only way you wouldn't have noticed is if you were in a coma, in an underground bunker for the past several years, or you are a very uninformed individual. Today, we have high unemployment (and going higher), a ravaged economy (no thanks to our titans of industry), and civil unrest throughout the globe. With this background, many Boomer's are faced with an early termination of their careers (highest-paid front line personnel are the first to go), or they find themselves in early retirement with less spendable income than they thought. Whatever the initiating issue, a lot of people find themselves looking for work.
Given that one must look for work, the choices are:

• Perform an extensive job search and look for traditional work. If you find it, you work in a cubicle, and have a management structure populated with people that have contributed in large part to the problems we have today. Since you will be the first hired, an older employee, and probably higher paid than your peers (but still lower than your previous job), you will be the first to go when hard times hit.

• Perform an extensive job search and look for non-traditional work. These jobs are harder to find and are harder to fill. However, they provide an opportunity for the job-seeker to expand their skills and expose them to new opportunities. Pay can be comparable to the traditional job. It can also be a little less. However, benefits of the start-up or non-traditional business can range from numerous perks (free lunches, beer Fridays, casual dress) to non-traditional perks (in-house exercise, concierge services, and similar benefits).

• Become an independent contractor. Using services such as Elance, anyone with a skill that is in demand in the marketplace can become an independent contractor. Though the individual is responsible for the all benefits, it provides the opportunity for the individual to work in a wide variety of environments, with a wide variety of businesses, and generally expands the worker's business experience. Pay can range from subsistence to quite lucrative, depending on the skills, the work, and the deadline.

• Start your own business. This can range from a business on a shoestring to a fully-funded corporate enterprise. The two things necessary are you must have an idea that can be translated into an executable business strategy, and you must have a business idea that will have demand in the market. If you have the skills, some areas are always in demand: plumbers, electricians, woodworkers, and similar skillsets. I addition, if you are a technology professional with Java, Perl, PHP, or other Web programming skills, it is usually easy to find at least temporary work applying these skills.

Even in a down economy, there is demand for skilled individuals. The problem is finding the work, matching your skills to the opportunity, and selling yourself. Future articles will explore these job-search aspects in more detail.

If you have suggestions, additional insights, or other comments, we'd love to hear them.

Okay, Now What?

It's interesting how you fall into a routine after you retire (actually in most any endeavor). I find myself spending much of the day reading (RSS feeds related world, national, and local news; technology news; alternative energy news; and of course the iPhone) and listening to a variety of podcasts (same subjects). To keep things interesting, I also throw in a few miscellaneous subjects just to keep things interesting--eastern philosophy, science fiction, my previous company, information technology competitors, and of course politics. I am also continuing to teach in a graduate MBA program. Therefore, one could say that I am pretty well informed.

I also have fallen into a routine of piddling around the house doing odd chores (not near enough according to my wife) and having lunches with former business colleagues. It is fun, but not particularly exciting or challenging in the great stream of things. Indeed, at six weeks into retirement, I find myself becoming bored.

Okay, now what? While I am in no rush to get another job, I find circumstances pushing me. For instance, I never realized how may information technology jobs there were out in the market--many paying competitive or superior to what I have been used to. While I don't particularly want to pursue them, it is something that I know well and there are many of them.

The other path that I am considering is some activity in renewable energy. However, at the present time, much of the intellectual and financial energy in this field is being consumed in technology development rather than technology deployment. The exceptions are opportunities in solar panel sales and installation, and wind generator sales and installation (not to dismiss solar water heating). Unfortunately, these require climbing on roofs, installing and climbing tall towers, and similar activities--not my cup of tea.

Therefore, I am at that point that I need to do something, but it has not quite coalesced. Any ideas or suggestions or stories of similar dilemmas are welcome.