Not sure what you want to work in next?

My hubby passed on today's video link.

I thought it was hilarious and also drives the point home of how competitive its getting out there. There are way too many of us looking for work. And way too many of us looking for the "right" job.

I recently completed a search engine optimization (SEM) course through the UCSD Extension program. In our class there were no full-time students and with little exception, most everyone was unemployed. Everyone had at least an undergraduate degree.

Next to me sat someone with an MBA. In front of me was a Vice-President of IT! (Isn't this the line of work that supposedly is growing even in this climate?) Most of the attendees had notable work experience. I was amazed and saddened that we were all in the same boat.

Some classmates seemed lost. Not necessarily in the coursework at hand, but rather what they really wanted to do next in terms of work. They were taking the class in hopes of updating and adding to their skill set. That line of work would most surely be in a marketing or information systems industry. But they seemed to be going forward with that industry focus because it logically would pay them the most for their experience but not because it is what they wanted to do. And they seemed to resent it.

Me? I've been gone from the marcom scene for a bit so I count myself amongst the eager ones to work in this realm. But for these classmates, they seemed not so much burnt out but more like disillusioned about marcom and corporate America in general. As I see it, a positive outlook on being unemployed is the opportunity to try a new type of job. But I'm aware I am fortunate to have a working spouse to support that outlook.

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My dad was a blue-collar worker his whole life. He recently pointed out that he was unemployed when unemployment numbers were this high during Jimmy Carter's administration. He also reminded me that at various times in his life he worked two jobs for quite a bit to reach a family goal. My mom set up a daycare and at times rented out rooms in our house to reach that goal too. He recalled others doing the same.

I don't recall him or my mom ever talking about what they would LIKE to do for work. They worked hard and they did what they had to do not to just pay the bills but to actually get ahead. They didn't complain that they hadn't gotten a chance to work some dream job. They were glad to have a job. Any and all jobs.

Today my folks are retired and thanks to saving and a conservative approach to investments for decades they are sitting pretty. NOW they talk about what they LIKE to do and go do it. It is a wonderful security in the back of my mind, to know that they are well. Heck, they're in a better position to help me than I am to help them.

There's life's lesson for today.

So I will continue to look for work in marcom but I will be happy to find work period. And if I can find two jobs, maybe I'll take them both and make dear old dad proud.

Disabled and returning to the workforce...

Sorry for the delay in a new post. My family and I are recent corporate relos with the job my husband accepted here in San Diego, and I've been consumed by the home buying process in this short-sale real estate market, but that's another blog altogether...



I want to thank those who have left comments on this blog. I really appreciate it. I have also received some comments on my Facebook page with regard to this blog, so gracias for that too.



Of the Facebook comments, one former high school classmate of mine stood out in particular as he took great effort to share his experience in trying to find work. He was in a motorcycle accident a few years after school, and has been in a wheelchair ever since. He re-trained for a career in auto cad design after the accident but had the toughest time landing work even in Seattle, where he lives - a city that is considered on many accounts progressive and more accepting of differences than the norm.



He mentioned instances where employers would invite to interview despite the business building not having wheelchair access or the job ultimately not being able to accommodate a wheelchair-bound employee. Remember, this is auto-cad: a desk job by all accounts. In other instances, the hiring goal was geared more toward enhancing the company's community involvement effort, i.e. the position was a token effort to include a disabled person amongst its ranks for the sake of business' HR image. And of course, the disabled have to overcome the almost subconscious perceptions that the disabled are more a burden than what they contribute. Physical limitations connote less productivity for the salary for all kinds of reasons: missed days of work for medical issues, potentially costly at-work accommodations, a walking-on-eggshells co-worker empathy, etc...



Many of those perceptions are built from an ignorant glance that the disabled don't want to work full-time and long-term. It is not that simple. For those who are physically-challenged but able to re-train and work, they must also weigh-in the pros and cons of returning to work at all. Sounds like a no-brainer. If you can work, then you should. But for the disabled, there is another layer to contend with. State and community assistance - for therapy, medical equipment/technological devices, transportation and additional supports usually have the eligibility requirement that the consumer have little to no income and/or assets in order to qualify. It's downright poverty. In California, to qualify for many if not most state developmental services, a consumer cannot have more than $2,000 in total assets. In other words, you cannot own a car, have a savings account to speak of, own property of any kind.



If you work, then you should have health insurance and income and should not get subsidized community assistance is the knee-jerk thought that comes to a reader's mind. But the disability related costs for those areas of support and need most certainly in the majority of cases outspend the average joe's income under the best of circumstances. It's the middle class squeeze raised exponentially. Too rich to qualify for help, to poor to pay for it privately. So many work, in a perpetual hope that their health needs don't outweigh their ability to earn a living to pay for it. But many do not, because if they work they will be penalized for wanting to help themselves as much as possible.



I know this blog is about returning to the workforce and for most of us it's a matter of updating or getting new skills, polish the resume writing and interview skills and hitting the proverbial pavement of job searching and networking until something sticks. But for some among us, there is even more to contend with. Just a sidebar thought if you will.