Economic Turnaround?
Speaking from one of the hardest-hit areas of the country in terms of job loss, I’m still a bit skeptical that we’re seeing a true turnaround in the job situation. The politicians are excited-President Obama visited our area on Wednesday and gave an uplifting speech about the new jobs coming to our neck of the woods, but no one seemed to mention the discrepancies in numbers. The new companies coming in are planning to hire a few hundred workers between them, over the next three years. The jobs lost number in the thousands.
By my count, that’s still an awful lot of people who are unemployed or dramatically underemployed. It will be a hard sell to convince my neighbors that better economic times are on the way when they are still relying on charity to feed their families.
The reality is that those low-skill, easy money manufacturing jobs just aren’t going to be coming back in the numbers to match the people that want them. Workers are going to have to retrain for different careers. For many, that means heading back to school or other training. It also will mean a diminished standard of living, because many of the ‘new jobs’ that our political pundits refer to are in the service sector, and those simply don’t pay as well as the old manufacturing jobs.
There has never been a better time to jump ship, as it were, and get into a training program. You may qualify for various government aid to cover the costs, and for better or worse, our economy IS changing. Don’t get caught unawares! Build your skills now while you have the chance!
Need some guidance about finding those grants and financial resources for going back to school? Check out the State-by-State Guide for links to information about your state’s programs!