I know the feelings that Happy Lendervedder is experiencing. I found employment, but not before going through what he’s going through. Laying awake at night wondering what’s going to happen. Watching your bank accounts get lower every month. Counting the days till they hit zero, and not having a clue what happens after that. “Terror” is not too strong a word for those feelings.
I can’t imagine that there are many people who relish the situation or are willing to remain in it simply because of unemployment payments that slow (not stop) the descent to bankruptcy. The idea that such payments discourage large numbers of people from finding work is difficult for me to accept.
And that’s a perfect example of a logical fallacy. Two fallacies, actually.
The idea that people should think about self-employment is neither unique to nor essential to Libertarian thinking.
I never said everyone else can. I offered it as an alternative. But frankly, I do think it’s a good idea for every to consider at some point in their lives. I never liked the idea of being a corporate drone. YMMV.
Self-employment is the riskiest option out there, though. You not only have to have a marketable skill to sell, but you also have to have great business acumen, start-up capital, business contacts, and the ability to weather the vagaries of the market. None of this is easy for a single person. It’s really hard for a person who is supporting a family.
There is a much better alternative to being a corporate drone. Like being a civil servant. Our pockets aren’t fat, but we do (as of today) enjoy some job security. But I imagine the OP has already considered this, because anyone who has been unemployed for a long time and has two brain cells to rub together has no doubt researched every avenue out there. Including self-employment.
What makes you think the OP has not heard “be your own boss!” a million times before? That’s really not original, earth-shattering advice, you know. That is what the rich and fortunate love to tell the not-so-rich and less fortunate so that they can brag about themselves on the sly. It makes for a good soundbite, but it’s really not practical advice for most people.
Well, the OP has told us he has a college degree and 13 years of experience in a professional position. Sounds like he’s a very good candidate. Besides, he’s talking about learning a trade, and I can guarantee you there are thousands of tradesmen out there who are self-employed and who have had little or no training in business, and little or no capital start with. Do you think Jack the Plumber is a business whiz?
I pay someone to keep my books. I could do it myself, I suppose, but really don’t care to. The woman who does this for me is 25 years old, no college degree, but she knows QuickBooks inside and out. And she’s 100% dependable. Trust me, though, she isn’t Jack Welch. The lady I pay to clean my house once a week can’t speak English. But you want to hire her, too? Forget it-- she’s fully booked, as one of my acquaintances found out last month when I referred her to him. She gets $15 - 20/hour, mostly cash.
But again, it’s one alternative to consider.
I won’t argue with that. It’s another alternative.
Well, I was responding a post, typical in this thread, bemoaning the lack of good paying jobs being created by corporations. I guess you can bitch and moan about that if it makes you (the generic you) feel better, or you can try and take your fate more in your own hands.
My husband just got laid off on Friday. Unemployment will pay him less than half what he was earning, so he does not plan to sit around and lap up the luxury, especially since we were pretty much existing paycheck to paycheck as it was. I have no idea what else I can cut.
Lousy timing with Christmas in two weeks.
I hear ya Happy and I’m with you. The income disparity and lack of decent jobs is terribly disheartening.
A professional could mean anything, though. There are plenty of professionals that don’t have skills that lend themselves to self-employment.
Yeah, and most of them are struggling right now. A lot of them are saying “fuck it” and closing down shop so they can go back to working for someone else. For lots of reasons.
Whiz? Not necessarily. But is it easier to be Jack the Independent Plumber or Jack Who Works for a Plumbing Company? The answer must be yes, since there are a lot more of the latter than the former.
If there are no jobs at Plumbing Company, that suggests there’s not a high demand for plumbers or plumbing. So I would seriously consider whether or not I wanted to keep doing the plumbing thing.
I certainly wouldn’t consider opening my own plumbing business. Not when I have kids to feed. Are we supposed to sacrifice groceries and utilities so I can have enough money to get started? I could forgo these things if it were just myself. It just wouldn’t be a smart decision if I had kids in the mix. Poverty resulting from failed entrepreneurial endeavors isn’t any less miserable than poverty due to laziness.
Who said he should open a plumbing business? Maybe he learns to be an electrician.
You can always think of 1,000 reasons not to do something, but when push comes to shove, and you have no alternatives, then it’s time to be creative. And if every job is taken in your area, then it’s time to move. But it’s never time to give up. YMMV.
Who pays for electrician school? Uncle Sam, or the (hypothetical) guy out of work?
How does (hypothetical unemployed guy) feed his kids while he’s at electrician school?
Well, I’m not a plumber, so I don’t exactly know. But, unless I misunderstood your question it was something along the lines of, “what is a plumber to do if he can’t get a job as a plumber?” And despite the fact that he could, “just create his own job (somehow)” as you’ve done, I’ve concluded his only recourse is the un-American Unemployment Insurance option, or not feeding his children, losing his house and dying. Buy your mileage may also vary.
Would you be in support of extending unemployment insurance payments to people who are re-training themselves?
I’m not at all averse to people thinking big and being creative. But you can’t possibly expect people to do this if they are just hanging by a thread, like the OP is.
You misunderstood my question. Probably because there is a tendency here to focus on the negative.
And yet we’ve established that said unemployment insurance is simply not available. What do you do? Focus on all the things that you can’t do, or put your efforts towards focusing of the things you can do?