I have found that most people I have encountered over the past 30 years of traveling are living in a cocoon. Many have been at the same job and even in the same town all their adult lives. Times have changed and we must change with them. Over the past 30 years I cannot count the number of job's I have had, but I will Try!
Here is the list starting from my first Job's while in High school..
Taco Bell 3 months,
Janitor at a Weatherford TX. Elementary school 3 months,
Montgomery Wards, selling hardware/floor covering/paint/electrical fixtures 3 months,
United states Air Force 6 years (P/T cable television sales) (P/T gas station attendant)
Auto Mechanic, Big 4 automotive 3, months,
Lawn mower mechanic 2 weeks,
Electrician, Nuclear power plant Glenrose TX. 1 year,
Full Time Student on work study program at U.T.A.. Janitor,
Golf Course renovation Pecan Plantation CC 1 yr.,
Lawn care sales Tru-Green Corp.1yr.,
Landscape business, Stevan's Landscape Repair, Self employed 3 yr's.,
Telecommunications Installer 11 yr's.,
Ray Ban sunglasses sales 1 mo.,
Landscape Business Self Employed3 year's,
Generator Mechanic Cantwell Equip. 2year's.,
Vacuum cleaner sales, Rainbow( I only completed the training)
Roller coaster Mechanic, seasonal Six Flag's 3 mo.,
Bar Back at Ace of Clubs's 3 months,
Welder repair business. Self employed 1 yr.,
Environmental protection for Gas drilling industry 1yr.,
Is it true that not many people like employees that have an unstable work history? By the looks of this portfolio it doesn't seen to matter...I had work, there are job's, and the only limitations lie within one's self to say "I can do that"! "I'm ready to go to work today" or "When do we start"?
It's true not everyone can be a Mechanic and transfer those skills from job to job or location to location, but lets look at where those jobs have taken me from my home in Fort Worth, Texas.
Canton Michigan, (and most of the northern part of the state),
Dearborn Mi.(and most of the southern part of the state),
Chicago Ill.,
LA. California,
Granbury TX.,
Acton TX.,
Weatherford TX.,
Grand Prairie TX..,
Dallas TX.,
Amarillo TX..,
Houston TX.,
San Antonio TX.,
Rio Vista TX.,
Williamsport PA.,
These are not all of the cities I have visited through my 11 yr. stretch as a telecom technician. There are far to many to mention. I traveled almost 1 million miles for that industry, including states such as Iowa, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Ohio, plus the above mentioned Michigan ,California, Illinois and Texas. While I had some good experiences and some bad one's, I don't regret one single mile, because every mile, every person I met, every task I was challenged with, provided a valuable lesson!
What I want you to see first is how I "blended my skills" from one job to another, never afraid to say " I can do that". This where most of us sell ourselves short. No one is limited to an exact skill and should never deny themselves the opportunity to expand, adventure, and test something new or innovative. Some of the Task I undertook were never ever done before by anyone else in the world (Especially in the telecom Field). I believe that "One can't fail if it's never been done", It can only be a test and we keep testing until it works. Because of the new innovations in the design of telecom equipment, I had to lean on the engineers to solve many problems because the equipment was never field tested.
There isn't anything new out there in the way of a job that overs much risk of being fired because you tried and failed. When it involves innovative ideas everyone is a guinea pig. That is what our economy is about right now. New and Innovative As we move forward in developing jobs we find new and innovative ways to make things happen. We have the opportunity to jump into things that have never been tried before. We use tools that have only now become available. One important footnote here, is that, a person's gender, race, age and sexual preference does not matter at all. I have personally witnessed all of them succeed within all of the fields I have worked in.
It's my belief that even a secretary can blend job's whether it's filing legal papers, filing Blueprint's or invoice's. Answering the phone is only limited to one's knowledge of the product, or business, or personnel within the business. all of which can be learned! My wife went from cosmetology school and working in a small nail salon, to 6 month's training for MA., to becoming a Medical Assistant in a Dermatology clinic. After1 clinic in Arlington TX. to 2 clinics in the Detroit area and 2 in DFW area, she's now with her 6th and current employer for the past10 years. She has found work whenever, and wherever I have moved her, with only 6 months of school! She was without work for about 30 days once, and thought it was the end of the world! She lost Hope and Faith! Something we must never do! She has never been happier with an employer than she is today! Time and Patience paid off.
Too many people are going through life as if they were wearing blinders. It's time we took them off!
FINDING WORK...
As I mentioned above leaning on Friend's and Family is important, but, I want to focus on Leaning through Social Networking first. Networking is not limited to your Facebook or Twitter network of people halfway across the country, or around the world. Networking begin's in your local neighborhood, town, or city.
Learning how to start an "On line Forum" for your respective city can provide a lot of feedback not only for you, but, for others whom will remember you in the event that they become gainfully employed.
city-data.com provides links to any city and you can input one of your own.
Moving to another city can be devastating to some people but in most cases it provides a much needed exit to many problems in life. In today's world a person must be as flexible with where they live as well as where they work. Moving can be a Breath of fresh air. When I opened my Welder repair business I could not afford the permits and taxes related with the big city. I looked around for a shop getting further and further out of town. The commute was a downfall, but, on the upside, the rent was cheaper, the utilities were cheaper, the people were friendlier, and welcomed my new business that would potentialy bring in more business to their stores, small shops, and the community as a whole. It was a win win for all of us. Again being flexible paid off for me.
I remember telling a friend once that I had no experience in a particular field. He hounded me for a year that my past experiences and skills would blend in perfectly in this "new technology" field. I Finally gave up and joined him. With only 6 month's training and 3 years experience I was earning 50k a year building Fiber Optic network's for GTE. Only thing was, I had to relocate to Michigan. Not a problem, I have made some new lifelong friends, my first son was born there, and the memories are priceless!
While living in Dearborn Height's Michigan, I could not believe how many of my neighbors had never left their jobs within the Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Pontiac Factory's and Auto plant's, and most had not even left the Detroit area, much less the state of Michigan. I felt sorry for many of them because their lives were pretty much over now and they had only enough retirement to exist on. They had yet to fulfill their dreams of seeing America, much less the World. Now they were watching their children follow in their footprint's and wishing there was more for them. During most of the 3 years I spent living in the Detroit area, everyone was on strike or the business was moving away. That included the local Newspaper. No one is immune from outsourcing and downsizing. We must all be prepared to make a move, change careers, develop new skills, and adapt to changes around us.
WORKING FROM HOME... next week we discuss the possibilities and the scams!
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