I have been reading some very depressing things about the job market these days. It sounds like a lot of people are stuck — we just keep sending out resumes and job applications to no avail. It makes me feel like asking: Does one need to forge a relationship with an employer in advance to get a job? I do not know for sure, but it feels like the situation is desperate for so many of us - so please be patient with me as I try to suggest a creative solution. Now, notice I did not say “network” to get a job. By ‘forging a relationship,’ I am thinking of something different than what I usually think of as networking. When I think of networking, I usually think of a whole lot of people, often most of them jobseekers, meeting at a mixer of some kind and exchanging business cards. And, I suspect that most of them forget who they met minutes later. By 'forging a relationship', I think we would have to look to what my kid did to get their first job. I know, it may sound weird for grown adults to be learning job strategies from a child— but please hear me out. What my kid did is: First, they took sailing lessons for several summers at the sailing club at our local pond. They became skilled at sailing, forged a relationship with the sailing club, and proved that they had skills. They leveraged their relationship and reputation with the club to obtain a job as a sailing instructor there. I understand that they initially faced rejection. However, they did not take ‘no’ for an answer and just kept asking until they were accepted for a job. I wonder: could we extrapolate a job-seeking strategy from my kid’s experience? Don’t just send out resumes. #1. Find an employer you like and become active with them. Maybe take classes or some kind of other activities with them. #2. Learn skills relevant to that employer. #3. Prove your skills and worth to that employer. #4. Forge a relationship with the people at that employer who can actually give you a job. #5. Apply for a job and keep making your case until you (hopefully) get from ‘no’ to ‘yes’.

I got my start in IT the 1990s. I learned and grew into bigger roles. I ran endpoint security for a fortune 500 company. And then I moved up to a Fortune one company consulting to their endpoint security architectural update for 320,000 nodes. But then two years working for the world’s largest dedicated security company broke me. I sustained a serious back injury from working 100 hours a week to meet a deadline. Then that company got bought out by private equity and started laying off in droves. Luckily a friend of mine dusted me off and put me back to work and I got debt free. However that consulting work would end badly when I was terminated illegally. I had no idea how bad the white collar recession was until I had to try to find a job in it. 1000 applications and counting. The whole time I was working in IT I was also accumulating real estate. After my injury (that insurance would not cover) and workers comp had expired (in just one year in Texas), I was scared because I couldn’t take care of the buildings myself and with 25 units and having a property manager in each of three states was unwieldy. Especially when they steal from you. So I sold all of the real estate and luckily I have a small income. Still it’s not enough to properly provide for my wife and I which is embarrassing. So I’m probably leaving IT security for more passive income source. I found a property near me that is actually a six unit RV park. The price is right and since it is USDA rural I can get it with no money down. My banker was out on Friday because his wife is having a baby and it will be their third child. I think this approach is going to work better for me because sitting at a computer(standing, yoga ball) for so long has taken its toll. Thankfully I have the real estate investment experience and luckily somehow my credit is still quite good. So here’s to hoping. I think after expenses this property should bring in about $2000 per month. And that plus my small residual income should be enough for my wife and I to live comfortably in Bali if we want to. Absolutely fell in love with that place… And then with her :)

Thank you very much to Jason for adding these new categories, including 'preparing for retirement'! Now, I suppose some of you may be thinking, 'John, you ding-dong, I can't afford to prepare for retirement - I'm still stuck contracting/temping and looking for something permanent!' However, I have to say - I'm afraid that we may not be able to afford NOT to prepare for retirement. :-( I have heard that, for about an estimated 60% of Americans (apologies to those of you who may be living elsewhere), retirement is not a choice. :-( We may be forced into retirement by factors such as ill health, caregiving responsibilities, or corporate restructuring. :-( So, what to do about it? I am no financial expert, so I would have to default to the classic advice. Even if we are just scraping by, try to set aside 1 out of every 10 dollars for the future. More to add later; please anyone else jump in. Thank you very much for your time. PS: Again, I am no expert - but I have gotten the strong impression that preparing for retirement is one of those things that are easier to do the earlier you start - even if retirement may feel like a distant concern. This is in part simply because, in general, the earlier one begins to invest, the longer one's money has the time to compound. I think Albert Einstein is alleged to have said that the most powerful force in the universe is compound interest.

Dear Group: I had struggled with finding permanent employment for years, and so I identify with anyone who is still in that position. However, I would like to share some of my story and what (sort of) worked for me. After law school, I felt like I hit a wall trying to find permanent employment as an attorney. If this surprises you, I would say that job hunting as a new law graduate felt worse, not better, than applying as a non-graduate. To make a long story short, I tried starting my own law practice. Such practice was not successful from a business standpoint, but it was a learning experience and gave me something to put on my resume. Around about that time, I tried applying for jobs as a paralegal instead of an attorney. I got an interview, but I was not sure how it went. 2 things happened: My wife and an elder at our church said some special prayers for me, and, I dropped off a hand-written thank you note for the interview. And - I was extended and accepted an offer as a paralegal! Years later, that the firm had been thinking of not hiring me because I was an attorney - but when it received the hand-written thank you note, the firm changed its decision. And with that, I finally managed to get an 'in' to the employment market and have largely been working as a paralegal for different companies since. So, that was what partially worked for me. I have more to tell, but I think that that is enough for now. Best of luck to everyone in their searches!

Dear Group: I wish everyone a good Martin Luther King Day! We had an interesting concept come up in yesterday's coffee hour: the idea that many of us are introverts, so that may be a challenge for us. I imagine that, if some of us want to become influencers and post videos, or maybe even engage in public speaking events, that may also be an issue. I would like to offer a thought, in case it is helpful. Back in high school, some people were surprised that I used to act in middle school. They thought that I was too shy and quiet to perform on stage. What they did not realize was that acting on stage felt, paradoxically, like one of the most private things I ever did - because I felt like I was not exposing myself. I was playing a role, acting as a character. So, I wonder if that might help us if we want to do presentations or engage in public speaking? What if we were to play a role, present a character, instead of exposing ourselves? Having said that - I wonder if some people might want to rebel against what I am saying - and make an effort to be as authentic and themselves as much as possible! Thank you very much for your time and attention.