Tough Times, Tough Choices
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Whether you want to hear the stories, or not, bleak economic news is everywhere. From zero net jobs being created in August to a forecast of an unchanged unemployment rate for 2012, it’s really becoming a struggle to remain positive about America’s economic future.
A few months ago, I had heard that some companies were not even reviewing the resumes of prospective jobseekers, unless they were currently employed. A friend confirmed this through his own experience, noting that an HR Rep from a local employer asked him to confirm on three separate occasions that he was currently employed during a screening interview.
A brief look through open positions seems to indicate that employers want their new employees to juggle multiple responsibilities, effectively doing the work of two positions for the price of one salary. Whereas in the past, you could be a project manager or a business analyst, the new economy seems to want you to do both (all for bargain basement salaries).
In the face of all of this unsettling news, current employees can either:
- Cross their fingers, and hope for the best or
- Develop new skill sets that make them more valuable (and more marketable) in the tight economy
Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill that can be taken to develop new skills. It requires time and effort, and with a full time job and a family, it most likely means turning off the TV and hitting the books (or the eBook, if you have a kindle).
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Tough times call for tough choices, and so for the next two years I’ve decided to put down my compositional pencil and invest that time into developing more business skills in the areas of Web Marketing (Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics, Social Media, Email marketing, etc.). I’ve recently developed an interest in this area, and many companies seem to be looking for employees and consultants that can help them capitalize on these new web technologies.
While I’ve maintained this blog for two years, and have optimized my own website and a company website, I don’t have a long track record of success in web marketing to prominently display on a resume. In order to prove myself, I’ll need to acquire certifications in these areas and volunteer my time for friends, slowly accumulating a variety of experiences and connections that can lead to a new opportunity in this field.
The good news, is that this plan requires me to blog more, allowing me to keep an active presence on the music scene and expand into other subjects I enjoy, like politics, health and nutrition. And, while I’ll be focusing on building business marketing skills, I can apply those skills to better market my music (something that, though it takes time, requires much less energy than writing new music).
Tough times require tough decisions, and it feels better to have some sort of a plan, even one that is sketchy in its current form. More time, and more experience will allow me to do a much better job filling in the details.
Good luck in your own journey toward making a living in the areas you are passionate about. I'm pulling for ya'!
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