Lots of people are out of work. Feeling betrayed by the system, they have taken their anger and their tents out and occupied parks.
Certain politicians out there are telling them to quit their whining and just go get a job, like it's just that easy. Recently, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke spoke of something called "structural unemployment", as distinct from "cyclical unemployment". WHAH? It means that your job isn't coming back. Basically, the structure no longer includes your profession. It looks like we just don't need any of those anymore. You've been unemployed too long, and that means you're less employable, because those months or years you've spent out of the workforce have caused you to lose skills , fall out of the loop on changes in your field, lose contacts, and mostly, they've made you desperate, which is somehow not so attractive to an employer. You changed from being a person who was temporarily out of work to a person without a viable career. As stated in an article I read recently, "20 people working on classified ads at Craigslist took out 20,000 jobs in newspapers." (great article, btw: http://queenstreetcommons.org/2011/11/14/the-job-is-dying-the-need-for-a-new-way-to-make-a-living/)
So now what? Well, you can probably stop sending out those resumes printed on pretty paper. One option is to become the type of professional that's in demand. Apparently, there is currently a strong demand for astronauts, precision tool makers, genetic counselors, cyber security specialists and underwater welders. But if you can't see yourself transitioning smoothly into one of these professions, it's time to get creative.
Think services rather than products. Most of us don't want more stuff mucking up our houses, but plenty of people hire organizers to help them get rid of stuff. Making a product requires equipment, facilities and supplies. It might require R&D, marketing, warehousing and logistics. Are you feeling tired just reading about that? Hey look, another bill just came in the mail.
Instead, be the marketing consultant to that person who makes those products. You'll get paid even if the product doesn't sell! Be the person who tweets and blogs and gets their product noticed. Demonstrate your abilities rather than describing them. Reinvent yourself, preferably as something that can't be automated or off-shored. Declare yourself an expert at something, and establish your cred by constantly referring to your expertise on the internet, where everyone believes whatever they read over and over again.
Remember those "team-building retreats" from the old dot com days? You and your colleagues would camp out in the woods, and learn to trust and rely on each other by doing falling exercises? In some ways, it's kind of like the Occupy thing. You camp out together, and rely on each other for food and security. Great networking opportunity! The 99% are a huge customer base, and they aren't all broke. Maybe you can facilitate team building exercises for the Occupiers? You could also cater to the Occupiers other needs. Perhaps a tent pitching service or a service that drives their kids to school while they occupy something. Maybe you can write clever signs for people who aren't naturally very clever. Maybe you can help the protestors refine their message so that other people are more clear on what it is exactly that they want (maybe something less vague than "justice"). Perhaps a consulting service to harness that angry energy, and help the protesters transition into political careers. Legal services will be needed to bail people out of jail. The movement will need a good anthem (how are your songwriting skills?) and a documentary film. There will need to be funding (you can write grant proposals, can't you?) and websites (can you still do HTML?). Business opportunities abound. And there is a real opportunity to capitalize on the viral brand that the 99% have created. Someone will shamelessly co-opt that brand for marketing purposes, so why not let that shameless person be you? I'm sure McDonald's and Pepsi are already working on this. But you can create the business network of the 99%, establishing an online marketplace for goods and services provided by the 99%. Made in America. With integrity. Handcrafted, even.
Darn, I just checked and the URL: wearethe99.com is already registered. Of course. So get moving already --- before this golden opportunity passes you by!
