Bidding Bar

In this era of changing technical epiphanies, relentless competition from a global marketplace, and artificially inflated valuations (i.e. economic bubbles that inevitably burst), it is no wonder why people like you and I are seeking high and low in the search for authentic work stability.

In decades past the status quot was to go to school and/or master a craft/skill, go to work for a big (big meant successful in those days) company for 30 years or so, buying homes and other assets in the process and retiring to a lifestyle of telling your grandchildren how tough the old days were. You know the walking 5 miles uphill both ways to school sort of chit chat.

Fast-forward to the turn of the millennium where many people unknowingly went about their routine lives, thinking they were making all the responsible moves. Going to school to garner an education, placing down payments on homes, raising a family, etc… There were no apparent warning signs for the public to pay attention too unless you happen to be in one of a few select industries. Some of us spent our free time basking in the ambiance globalization without fully understanding it’s effects both positive and negative; we loved the low prices we received as consumers so much that it intoxicated us to the point of forgetting that this very addictive delight was sealing the fate of business owners unable or unwilling to outsource their work to nations with lower standards of living and/or relaxed labor, environmental laws.

Then somewhere along the past few years it happened. All sorts of people began losing their jobs. No one paid much attention to this silent but definite trend until “white collar” workers began to lose work in droves. Suddenly Americans that had never experienced financial setback had always paid their bills on time, citizens that thought that their education level, or position prestige insulated them from termination found themselves swiftly dismissed. Now in a state of panic over the lack of career choices available paying enough to maintain their lifestyle, some stepped up to the challenge by parading the streets in die hard 3 fashion in order to stand out, while others couldn’t handle the level of pressure and resorted to other extremes.
If the above says anything to you, I hope that it paints a bright red blinking message. One that will change the way you look at work and how you deal with you and your loved one’s future, permanently.

Job security working for corporate America is merely a seductive illusion. Job security working for anyone other than yourself puts you at the mercy of the person running the show. Assuming they have their companies best interest in mind, all it takes to get canned now a days is any slight deviation in consumer spending habits, an upgrade of a current system or technology, and BAM… That’s the end of you working for company XYZ. If you’re lucky you’ll receive a few weeks notice, barely enough time look for a side job just to afford the gas you’ll use while driving to future interviews, let alone pay any significant bills.

Now you find yourself in a position where you marched to the beat of someone else’s drum for so long that you find it hard to know where to turn. You went to work on someone else’s schedule and toiled with fitting a social life, hobbies, and family time around this life sentence of false security. You got paid on your employers’ schedule, regardless if needed the money for work you performed yesterday so you can be on time for your cell phone bill that’s due tomorrow. Your check still came every other Thursday or Friday. Better still did you ever find yourself among the group of people that consistently worked hard, did everything by the books only to see yourself get passed over again and again like a 1976 brown Ford Pinto at a Bentley dealership, by someone who did little to no work but “played the game” well enough to get the spot you deserved?

Well if you are completely sick of being victimized by any of those circumstances I have good news for you. Whether you are working full time, part time, or unemployed you owe it to yourself to find out how much your skill-set(s) is/are worth as a freelancer. Looking for added income, more flexibility in your daily schedule, and the only genuine stability available to us as working class adults? Well believe it or not, all you need to do is find enough people willing to pay for your expertise in order to replace your current or desired income and Walla! You now have true stability due to your freelancing for many clients at time, and not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Get creative! Turn being an assistant for people too busy to manage their chores into your specialty. Become an expert at handling multiple chores for your clients. Once one person finds you invaluable because you consistently demonstrate excellence in organization, reliability, professionalism, and demeanor, your name can’t help but come up in social conversations to their peers. The next thing you know you will have more and more people looking to utilize you to keep their lives manageable.