Archive for July, 2010

The Recession Lingers On and the Casualties Are Mounting

July 23rd, 2010

Despite the upbeat news America ails on

Like any serious illness or disease, recovery is slow and relapses keep occurring. America may be out of the ICU but the patient’s bed is stuck in some draughty corridor and the weak patient catches every evil germ and cold wind that passes. Just how long is this recovery going to take doctor? But there are no doctors in this corridor.

The one day a week recovery plan

On one day every week the stock exchange makes a dramatic recovery adding hundreds of dollars to my little portfolio. The other 4 days it drops, eating away that one day rise, so that at the end of the week I am back in square one. My little haberdashery business is behaving the same way. One day a week I have a great business. The store is crowded with women, milling about, smiling and buying. The other 4 days I may as well not be there.  It has been doing this for some months now and it’s time to switch to plan B: a career change.

On the grapevine

This is what I am hearing about for the women who are looking for jobs in fields that are growing. Researcher Laurence Shatkin, author of Best Jobs for the 21st Century, analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data to determine the fastest-growing jobs for women.

Health care jobs

Health care jobs dominate the list. Topping the list are Home Health Aides. The job market for this specialty is expected to increase by 50% through 2018, and women currently make up 88% of this job force. A home health aide visits elderly, disabled or ill patients in their homes or in medical facilities, and helps with such day-to-day tasks as housekeeping, grooming, dressing and meal preparation. This job is often a part-time one which means that the women can continue to care for their own families. The downside is the low pay. Home health aides earn a median of $20,500 per year and those in the top 90% of the field earn just $29,500 yearly.

Dental hygienists

In other health-related jobs, dental hygienists are experiencing a 36% job growth and earn an average of $67,500 per year. Work schedules are flexible and the hygienist can often make appointments to suit herself. Similarly, occupational therapists are experiencing a 26% growth and earn a median salary of $69,500.

Administrative

Most of the growth within the health care industry is administrative. Shatkin explains that the new health care legislation and the aging baby boomer population will contribute to the growth of a field that currently employs 14 million workers, and is expected to add another 3 million jobs by 2018.

Other jobs

Outside of the health care industry, the jobs that are currently in demand and pay a median annual salary of $40,000 or more are athletic trainers, paralegals and legal assistants and instructional coordinators, those that assess and improve the quality of school teachers, curriculum and technology.

Posted in Economy, Finance | No Comments »

No Money And You Desperately Need A Holiday?

July 22nd, 2010

Your family is yelling at you to take them outa here

Have you ever thought about home swapping? This UK family with 2 teenage children did. They are flying off to Hong Kong for a three-week break and a Hong Kong family they have never met will come and live in their four-bedroom detached house in Yorkshire. The English mother is frantically cleaning and fixing up the house for the swap. Already she has scraped off the dead ivy from the front wall, cleared the cupboard under the stairs and dusted off a baby’s cot, which then had to be assembled.

“I am exhausted and when I think of all the packing and cleaning I’ve yet to do, I feel even more shattered,” says Liz, 47.

A hard year

“It’s been a tough year businesswise and there is simply not enough money for a holiday in a decent hotel. Someone told me about the idea of swapping homes for 3 or 4 weeks with another family in a similar situation and we decided to try it.” To many, the thought of strangers sleeping in your bed, nosing in your underwear drawer, meeting your neighbors, and even driving your car, will seem like the stuff of nightmares.

Home swapping sites

The practice is a real hit with the middle classes, who value nothing more than a recession-beating break that will prove the envy of their friends. Families are clamoring to find the plushest houses in foreign climes and competition is fierce. “Holiday swap” Internet sites are listing hundreds of upmarket homes in Britain which families are keen to swap with similar properties abroad. Luxehomeswap.com, one of the sites set up to cater for middle-class home-swappers, boasts that it offers only “house-swapping holidays for people with homes they’re proud of”.  Another, Homelink, claims on its site: “Most of our members are in an upper income bracket, well-educated and experienced travelers.”

The downside

Home swapping does have a downside. As well as leaving your house spotless, many sites recommend leaving two clean sheets per bed, two sets of towels per visitor and basic groceries, including the makings of a first meal. If that isn’t enough, a bottle of champagne is further recommended “to welcome your guests”. Then there is the home manual you must compile, including local tourist information, suggestions of friends they can meet during their stay, plus reminders of which day the rubbish is collected and recommendations for babysitters, dentists, doctors and restaurants. Many swappers expect to drive your car, and you will need to tell your car and house insurance of your plans.

The upside

But Caroline Connolly, of Homelink says swaps rarely go wrong: “We have a Home and Car Exchange Agreement form to avoid misunderstandings and clarify who pays for bills and other things such as insurance excesses in the case of accidents. The small numbers of complaints we do receive are to do with ‘housekeeping standards’. And if we did have a genuine concern about a swapper, they would immediately be expelled from the site.”

Posted in Economy, Personal / Internet | No Comments »

You Can’t Find A Job? Start Your Own Business

July 21st, 2010

It could turn to be a roaring success

There is a woman in my street who did exactly this. At the time she launched her venture she had 3 kids aged about 8, 6 and 3 and she said that “the thought of the kids coming home from school to an empty house every day was unbearable. So I looked for a solution. I had to work to contribute to the family income, and in the end the solution was obvious, I started manufacturing jewelry at home.”

Slow start

I watched her progress and it was slow. She seemed to be torn between organizing the business and making necklaces and earrings. Then the penny must have dropped and she stopped making and spent her time designing business cards, a website, sketching packaging ideas, checking materials and tools. Once the business side was up and running, even though completely blank without content, she sat down and began designing her own line of jewelry.

The first pieces

The first pieces began to appear, some good, some great and some disasters. She carefully cataloged everything she did with an eye to future marketing strategies on the web, or so that she could make repeat orders. Every new idea was photographed and the website began to fill out. She began to look around for places to exhibit her wares like street shows, artists markets, and other events and slowly but surely her sales took off. I began to notice that things around the house were being repaired or exchanged for new and the children were wearing new clothes.

It’s going well

Today she confirms that her business is going well. There are problems, though. It is a one-man enterprise in that she does everything herself, from the designing and making to the selling and where necessary, the shipping. “I work at it the whole time. It’s true that I am home most days to greet my children when they come home from school, but I am continually running to meet prospective customers like the big business houses, standing in line at the bank and the post office. It’s difficult.”

My business

“On the other hand it’s my business. I built it from scratch all by myself. My husband is supportive but he is heavily involved in his job and is often away. The kids help if I ask them. Once a year I go on a buying trip overseas to buy raw materials to keep my products at the standard I set for myself when I started. But the level of satisfaction is very high, and I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and hopes.

Reputation

I have an excellent reputation, I’m selling on the internet and getting good prices and good recommendations and I am taking care of my family. That’s what it was all about when I started out. The income tax department is pleased with me too which means that I’m showing a profit.

Posted in Economy, Finance | No Comments »

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