Starting to see the light
What seems like ten years was only three short years ago. We experience the beginning of the worst downturn in our economy that many of us will see again in our lifetime. In the early 80’s I was told that it was just as bad with losing a lot of jobs. Being a recent college graduate during that time, my experiences were quite different and I viewed employment differently. The impact of not having a job at age 22 was quite different from that of not having a job at age 50, married with family and mortgaged.
If I recall, the 1980s represented a period when America was moving from an era of factories to high-tech. Growing up in Birmingham, we knew that labor-intensive factory jobs would always be in demand. Having a college education secured us high-paying white-collar and blue-collar jobs. Like most American cities, chimneys defined our work ethic and our American pride in producing goods. Believe it or not, it seemed like everyone who wanted to work was working. I know we can’t relive the past, but it was a great feeling when there were jobs available if one was qualified and wanted to work. Those days are behind us and they only represent good memories and great pride.
Today’s unemployment has the same impact on families as it did in the 1980s, with several exceptions. The cause of this economic recession was not due to technology and changing times. Rather it was the result of corporate greed and mismanagement of our financial systems. The devastation that resulted from this ineptitude affected loans, housing, savings, health care, and retirement. This resulted in a job reserve that resembled the Great Depression. There were blue-collar, white-collar, and corporate senior managers unemployed for the first time in their careers. But Americans are still proud, hardworking, and resilient; we will recover and become stronger and wiser in the future as a result of this experience.
Well, the sun is starting to shine again with the American economy. It was just reported that the unemployment rate is now at 8.8% and continues to improve. More jobs were created in the last two months during this period than at any time since 1983. That is something that those of us who were present during that time can appreciate. I remain optimistic in four job sectors: education, government, technology and health. If you are looking for job opportunities, you must first consider these sectors. Smaller companies are leading the way in job creation in March with 102k jobs, midsize companies 82k and large companies 17k. The backbone of our country continues to be small business creation and during tough times you will see more people taking risks starting their own business. For employment opportunities, start looking for smaller businesses that you can bring a wealth of experience to to help these businesses grow.
One reality that we will have to accept is that companies are really looking at how they run their business. The goal is to be [lean and mean and profitable] And that means expecting more from us for a day’s pay. Higher-paid professionals may find it more difficult to find a job that pays what it made two years ago. It doesn’t mean that you won’t find that job, but you realize that the competition will be tougher this time. I know that there are some companies that will not hire some candidates due to the fact that they are overqualified. You know what? Forget about those companies and don’t waste a minute trying to rationalize your thinking. At the end of the day, you better not work for them anyway. There are companies that will value your expertise and welcome you as an employee to help their business grow. I am excited about this change and I see nothing but positive things in the future.
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