Unemployed? Hate Your Crummy Job? Start Producing!

TGIF, ATS!

Remember back when that phrase had some significance? Before we lost our jobs, or had our hours cut? Or before we had to get that second job to pay the bills? Yes, for many of us, there was once a time when we put in our forty hours, and looked forward to Friday.


The good old days.

Like many of you, I am underemployed. Of my circle of friends, many of whom have perfectly good degrees, I can safely say that half are un/underemployed, and of the remaining half? Well, I bet most of them didn't shell out for four years of college just to be a line cook.

The most common complaint I hear is that they have too much idle time on their hands, and no money to spend. There is a solution, and I'd like to share it: make something.

Each and every person reading this post has something to offer. From growing food to crafting furniture, from making clothing to brewing beer; the possibilities are only limited by your imagination and inclination.



You can't just sit around and wait for someone to employ you. You can't Occupy anything and expect to have your job handed back to you. We are way beyond that point. The bankers aren't going to listen, Industry has left for greener shores, and the government can't even pay its own bills (let alone yours).

The biggest blunder we ever committed was sliding into a full-bore service economy.

America? It's time to start producing again. Let's kick it old school.

Um, ok, so who the heck is gonna BUY THE PRODUCT?? One of your unemployed friends? Or one of your line-cook friends who are paying off several tens of thousands in school loans?

If work is that SCARCE in your area, (or any other area for that matter) then nobody is gonna buy these home-made, old-school products. They are gonna buy the BARE-BONES NECESSITIES in life such as FOOD, and RENT, and GAS. If folks are all out of work or working low wage jobs with expensive degrees nobody will buy the product silly!

Bad economy, no jobs, people working minimum wage with EXPENSIVE degrees = WE'RE SCREWED!!!!! No little hand crafted nick-nack, or gadget, or gizmo is gonna cut it and make someone a success story. It wont even make them a success until the economy is good again and then you can get a REAL PAYING job instead of the little non-profiting HOBBY. Jeez, come on now!!

reply to post by HangTheTraitors


I'm so glad you asked.

No one, clearly, can buy the product.

However, we can trade for goods and services. Let me put it to you this way: if you could trade food for an Adirondack your neighbor knocked together, would you still go to Wallymart for a deck chair? Or, if you are, say, an unemployed teacher, wouldn't it be dandy to trade tutoring for that same Adirondack chair?

And that's the catch. Trade is the only way this really works, but what else do you have to do with all that free time?

ignore the other post! i think your ideas is excellent,for sanity,pride,education,self worth,and you may even be able to make a few bucks doing it!
you wouldn't believe how good you feel about yourself,and what you accomplished/created.
especially if another enjoys it as well!!!
i started drawing very young,and by high shcool i was painting and airbrushing jean jackets for people,at $25 a pop!
i started getting creative after that and i started painting native and cave art and symbols on rocks i found
here and there. people loved them!!! they were 'unique'. they go for $5 - $30 each, (size does matter!)
i've painted a variety ofdifferent themes on whole walls (any thing fom h.r.giger, to a hole smashed in the wall exposing the pyramids outside,in the distance!
this art makes you good money! i've spent up to and beyond 40 hours of work!
i'm also a tattoo artist.
the point is,everyone knows how to do something,even if it doesn't bring in cash,it will make you feel like your important,and feel good about yourself.
try painting symbols on some rocks to start. give a few away for gifts,you'll be surprised by the reaction!
peace

Originally posted by Eidolon23
reply to post by HangTheTraitors

 

I'm so glad you asked.

No one, clearly, can buy the product.

However, we can trade for goods and services. Let me put it to you this way: if you could trade food for an Adirondack your neighbor knocked together, would you still go to Wallymart for a deck chair? Or, if you are, say, an unemployed teacher, wouldn't it be dandy to trade tutoring for that same Adirondack chair?

And that's the catch. Trade is the only way this really works, but what else do you have to do with all that free time?

Then folks will barter FOOD, and FUEL and survival items such as bullets. NOBODY will care for little hand-made nick-nacks or gizmos or gadgets if it CAME to the point where it becomes that bad that we will be bartering!

Just keepin' it real!

reply to post by Eidolon23


You are right. I started my own home business going on one and a half years ago. Hand made goats milk soaps and organic creams, lotions, and now expanding into at least 6 new product lines. I started with 2 goats, now have a small herd.

I started selling to friends. Then did some craft fairs, and now have a regular weekly spot at my local farmer's market. Several shops are now carrying my products too. I went from making a few dollars a week, to now around $2,500. a month, and Christmas is just around the corner. I expect sales to double in the next 4 months. I am building my online store. Who knows what will happen after it's finished.

Yes, it's hard work, and long hours. But, I did build it myself, no matter what Obama says. I'm 61 years old, was retired. If I can do it...so can you!

I also use my goods for bartering for fresh veggies and fruit, and even a hand made quilt. The sky's the limit when it comes to bartering. I've bartered for goods I ended up selling for a lot of money.

Des

reply to post by HangTheTraitors


True enough, if we go all Mad Max soon. But for now, there are many possibilities beyond knickknackery. Here are a few resources for those who would like to start making instead of consuming:

www.diynetwork.com...
www.youtube.com...
www.moneycrashers.com...

And if I did not emphasize that small scale food production should be the basis of such a system, I'd like to do so in no uncertain terms now. Fortunately, growing food is something everyone can do.

Originally posted by Eidolon23
You can't just sit around and wait for someone to employ you. You can't Occupy anything and expect to have your job handed back to you. We are way beyond that point. The bankers aren't going to listen, Industry has left for greener shores, and the government can't even pay its own bills (let alone yours).

The biggest blunder we ever committed was sliding into a full-bore service economy.

America? It's time to start producing again. Let's kick it old school.

How wonderfully, marvelously wise you are, Eidolon.

I moved from city life to country life a few years ago to do some caregiving. I thought I would be bored out of my mind, but, no, I love it.

The folk around here are so resourceful. They make all kinds of stuff and they can take care of themselves. Some uninformed blokes call them "backwards."

I say "backwards" is where it's at. Occupy Yourself! Too Cool.

Originally posted by Destinyone
reply to post by Eidolon23

 

You are right. I started my own home business going on one and a half years ago. Hand made goats milk soaps and organic creams, lotions, and now expanding into at least 6 new product lines. I started with 2 goats, now have a small herd.

Hand-made goats! Is there a better sort? Des, you is one-of-a-kind. The good kind.

Originally posted by reficul
The point is,everyone knows how to do something,even if it doesn't bring in cash,it will make you feel like your important, and feel good about yourself.

Thank you for sharing, that was awesome. Even awesome-er (not a word, totally should be), is that quote above. Because it's true. The main side effect of unemployment, or even having a job which doesn't provide a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, is feeling crappy about yourself.

Making something is an instant boost to your self-esteem and well being.

Originally posted by Destinyone

That's fantastic, Des. You just outlined a direct path to small-scale success, and I'm very grateful. It's funny, but in one of the replies above, I almost said "personal care products" instead of "Adirondack chair".

I live in Vermont, and we have a vibrant network of local markets as well as a thriving trade web. It's a workable model that makes for happier people and better, more resilient communities.

If there is a need and there are people out of work then the two should cancel each other out.
We use the barter system here at our farm when ever possible.
Great post

Originally posted by criticalmindseed
If there is a need and there are people out of work then the two should cancel each other out.
We use the barter system here at our farm when ever possible.
Great post

That's awesome. I remember as a kid, trading live chickens and eggs for bushels of veggies. Helping a neighbor harvest a crop if they needed help, they in turn were there for you if you needed it.

A lot of people today think if it's not store bought, and they didn't pay a lot of money for it, it has less value. Those are the people I worry about if TSHTF. They haven't been raised with the concept of bartering....just looting...

Des

Originally posted by Eidolon23
reply to post by HangTheTraitors

 

I'm so glad you asked.

No one, clearly, can buy the product.

However, we can trade for goods and services. Let me put it to you this way: if you could trade food for an Adirondack your neighbor knocked together, would you still go to Wallymart for a deck chair? Or, if you are, say, an unemployed teacher, wouldn't it be dandy to trade tutoring for that same Adirondack chair?

And that's the catch. Trade is the only way this really works, but what else do you have to do with all that free time?

As a Theatrical Artisan, I can make most anything. however, I cannot convince my neighbors to fair trade for made goods. I bid out about a year ago some custom bar stools for my good friend who was remodeling his kitchen. He decided to go with a large supply store because the costs were so much lower. Even though I would be providing him with a product that would have better materials and would last generations. Independent artisans cannot sustainably compete with corporations

My old schoolmate has a hobby garden over the years he put in a watering system and such . This year he made $46k off 10 acres tax free. less than 5 months work

reply to post by Destinyone


I wonder about how far we've shifted, and how quickly.

Not too long ago, teens weren't having their development stalled in the glorified holding pens we like to call high schools. They were apprenticed to a master, and they learned a trade. Mostly, they learned how to make things, and their customers consisted of their neighbors and folks from other outlying communities.

Now that the only thing going are service jobs, people are being kept out of the workforce well into their twenties, and often into their thirties (institutions of higher learning being just another, more costly pen). This is an unsustainable model, for a variety of pretty straightforward reasons.

The revival of artisanal trade is the remedy, and it requires no outside authority to structure or administer it. It only requires that we support and take care of one another.

Originally posted by randomtangentsrme

As a Theatrical Artisan, I can make most anything. however, I cannot convince my neighbors to fair trade for made goods. I bid out about a year ago some custom bar stools for my good friend who was remodeling his kitchen. He decided to go with a large supply store because the costs were so much lower. Even though I would be providing him with a product that would have better materials and would last generations. Independent artisans cannot sustainably compete with corporations

I hear you, dude. I know several people who have run into difficulties negotiating a fair trade. And, unfortunately, there's gonna be some folk that can't take the long view and realize that buying cheap crap is more ultimately more expensive than buying artisanal.

But we can work all that out, if we all take a look at the larger picture and take account of the real costs of convenience. Millions are miserable so that we can have our cheap, shoddy goods. And the last time I checked, we aren't the happier for this bargain either.

reply to post by Eidolon23
This is an excellent idea, and one I've been thinking about for several years now--in terms of "how to fix the hole this country's/world's in", that is.

It had occurred to me that once upon a time in this country, people were their own "bosses". If we complain about outsourcing and losing our jobs, we allow ourselves and our destinies to be controlled by the big corporations. If we sit around and wait for "somebody else" to employ us and "save us", we will be royally screwed...and deserve what we get.

WE are the ones we've been waiting for.

WE can be our own bosses.
WE can make the rules and control our own destinies.
WE can rebuild this world--to OUR liking, not to theirs.


"War is peace.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
Ignorance is strength."
--George Orwell, 1984


Choose FREEDOM.

reply to post by randomtangentsrme


My heart breaks for you. Yes, I remember when artisan made furniture was highly prized. An heirloom passed down in the family, much sought after by siblings. Now it's mass produced press-board junk that is built to fall apart quickly. No pride in craftsmanship, nor ownership.

Des

reply to post by randomtangentsrme

 

...however, I cannot convince my neighbors to fair trade for made goods...Independent artisans cannot sustainably compete with corporations

I think many successful independent artisans can prove you wrong, including someone on this very thread, many who are everywhere online, and many whom I know in my own city.

Check out craigslist, trade shows, flea markets.

Find your niche and know how to work it; know your product(s) and where to market them.

Check out the post by reficul for tips.

The difference between success and failure depends on creativity, quality, innovation, hard work--but most of all, the willingness to keep trying until you get it right, rather than giving up after only a few times.

Many others have done it, you can, too!