Which One of These is Not Like the Other?

Right now, in the midst of a giant world economic recession, many people don't really feel it is a good time to go back to school or switch careers. But if the current economic trend continues, and the economy shrinks further, people are going to need to do just that to survive the big squeeze.

As more and more of the labor market overseas is tapped, and less and less is produced here in the US, the demand for qualified, talented workers rises by the minute. Anything that can help set a potential employee apart from other applicants, like specialized training or continuing education, will benefit them and perhaps land them a job in a place where unemployment is quickly rising.

By the time a person completes an associate's or bachelor's degree, assuming they start now, the economy will likely either be starting to pick back up, or reorganized in a way that the newly-trained potential employee will have an easier time understanding and mastering. The economic and employment landscapes are changing fast, especially here in the United States. Anything a person can do to stay one step ahead will pay off quite well in the near future.

Companies are now, more than ever, looking to do more with less. That means that many jobs will be consolidated into just a few, and those people who can multitask and manage people and resources well will be the winners. It's the old survival of the fittest argument, and right now a lot of Americans are not fit enough to avoid the coming reorganization of wealth and resources.

If American workers are going to survive this economic crisis in large numbers, they will need to cut out the fat and build more muscle. To translate, they will need to ditch their bad working habits and find more opportunities to build upon their resume. Whether that means they need to seek out new employment or training experiences depends on the person, job, and sector they are employed in, but these things will need to happen. America can no longer compete in any real way labor market wise with countries like China and India. For too long we have outsourced American jobs to save corporations and ultimately the consumer money, but this choice has come at a heavy cost.

Once China and India's labor resource pool caught up with the US's willingness to outsource, or essentially when supply caught up with demand, it put Americans at risk for not being able to compete with these labor-rich economies. We can no longer make money hand over fist though paper changing, the time has now come where resource-rich countries like China and India will thrive since labor is now one of the most important resources a country can possess.

It will be interesting and likely quite painful over the next few years for many American workers and families. It will also be very interesting to see exactly how the global economy and resource markets shift to take on the burden of an economic recovery. I'm curious to see exactly how the new economic landscape will look when this mess is cleaned up. Until then, keep learning and look for any opportunity to help differentiate yourself as a valuable and versatile employee, your time is running out.