“Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?”, was a hit song during the Great Depression. This song was popularized by Bing Crosby and Rudy Valle when it was released shortly before Franklin Roosevelt was elected to the presidency. It actually served as an anthem during this difficult period in American history with lyrics that asked why the men who built the nation and fought its war could find themselves without work and in breadlines. No, I’m not trying to depress you. Just read on.
We need a new paradigm.
Seth Godin, author and recognized authority on business in the new economy was interviewed by Brandon Murray in 2012 on the changing face of the economy. In that interview he talked about the demise of the industrial economy. Godin made the case that after an eighty year reign the industrial age had collapsed and that we were in the midst on a new age; an economic revolution that the vast majority of us are not prepared for. That world is gone and we live a new reality, a reality where there is no job security or stability. He actually went further. In this new world our only security is in our ability to adapt to what the customer wants.
But before you despair, he gave one bit of advice. What he said is “pick yourself, don’t wait for someone to pick you.”
His message is that the old system of finding work doesn’t work. In fact, we need to change the way we think about work. We can follow two different approaches to working. On the one hand you can be self employed. On the other you can work for an employer. The key is to get paid for your work whether the payment is from an employer or a customer.
You have a choice – you can follow the well worn path of seeking employment by applying for a job – or you can take the path less traveled – go out and do something and then find someone to pay you for it. The great news is that this second option doesn’t preclude the first … and it is even likely that pursuit of this second option increases your chance of success with the first.
work in the real world 