What to do in terms of job/education for this new economy?

October 27, 2008 7:37 PM

I am in Canada (BC) and with the economy slowing and such, what is the best way to protect myself? I am in an entry level job now and growing "old" but I want to know the best course of action. White collar jobs? learn a trade? Get a degree? I am open to ideas... Thanks!
posted by brinks to Work & Money (8 answers total)

This question is incredibly short on details, such that it may not be answerable.

What do you want to protect yourself from? Job loss? Devalue of currency? Bank failure? Collapse of civilization as we know it?

What is your entry-level job? Perhaps someone can suggest ways to advance yourself that are specific to your industry.

I'm 28 years old, unmarried with no kids. I have a small amount of savings, no debt, I'm employed and paid well. The thing I want to protect myself from first and foremost is losing my job. I've been with this company less than a year, in a job that has rapidly evolved from something I was very qualified to do but uninterested in, into something I am very inexperienced with but really driven to excel at. My boss and friend who hired me has quit, so I have no special protection or influence. My new boss values and appreciates me, and has set attainable goals for me for this quarter that, if I achieve them, will reflect very well on me.

We just had a round of layoffs, though, and although I have no reason to believe there will be another one, if there were I'm sure I would be on a short list for consideration. My primary objective right now is to get off that list as quickly as possible. I need to make myself more valuable, such that people beyond my immediate manager will say, "No, we can't let him go. He's too important." I directly asked my boss what more I could be doing along these lines, and I have some marching orders to follow.

I'm also making contact with old co-workers who are at other companies, so if I do get let go I'll have people I can turn to immediately for referrals. And I'm also trying hard to put away more savings, so I'll have a cushion in case I need it.

That's what I'M doing to protect myself during the current economic storm. I think it's good advice for anyone, at any time.
posted by autojack at 8:52 PM on October 27, 2008

Response by poster: hi,

ok, you're right. you probably need more information from me. I'm 31, working in a call center. Advancement in that company is bleek but they will pay for schooling. I was thinking of project management courses.

I have a small background in web design and a bit in php programming.

I want to protection myself in that, I can find another job in a sector that is not downsizing or is too saturated. Is that even possible? I an open to further education (night class, university, etc)

I am doing very well in my job but I find it a waste of my talents and energy. I want to get into IT or business (I realize both fields are opposite), maybe MIS ? but that sounds like everyone has those skills and I am unsure what the job market is like in Vancouver, BC. Getting certified is a big commitment, even after x years of schooling/getting certs, I might be fighting it with 10000s of other people with the exact skillset and 5-10 years younger.

I do think I need to network but I want to beef up my skillset first, but unsure how or what part of my skillset to beef up. I think this recession or slowdown will last at least 5 years.
posted by brinks at 9:19 PM on October 27, 2008

Unemployment in urban British Columbia is the lowest in the country (in Victoria, it's around 3%). The ugly truth about unemployment rates is that they don't measure the quality of employment. There are a lot of "entry-level" jobs (like the one you probably have). 'This downturn will probably not affect you very much, because you can always go down the street and get another entry-level job.

I have no idea how old you are, but it's never too late to go back to school to upgrade your training. Now may be a good time to go back to school for 18 months or so, because the economy should have picked up by 2010.

The question is, what do you want to do? How will you add value to an existing employer?
posted by KokuRyu at 9:20 PM on October 27, 2008

I did a career change in my mid-thirties. I went from being an ESL teacher to being a speechwriter to being a translator and copywriter to being an industrial policy researcher to being a manager in government. Age has nothing to do with it. Hard work does.

Project management courses are useful, especially in the IT space. If you adopt networking as your strategy rather than responding to job ads, you will not be competing against thousands of other people - just the people who knock on the door of your prospective clients or employers.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:24 PM on October 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

KoKoRyu- just a point of clarification- the unemployment rate in Van is indeed low but the participation rate is the lowest of any major city in the country (barely over 60%); by comparison, in Calgary we have about the same unemployment rate as Van but the participation rate here is 76%, highest in Canada and possibly highest in the world. What this means is that you do have a serious and deep labour shortage in Calgary; you simply do not in Vancouver, and one has to plan around that.

Naturally I'd recommend that anybody with working limbs (not even four needed) move here, but that's probably not the answer you're looking for.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 9:46 PM on October 27, 2008

Go back to school. Apply in January to start in September. I'm pushing 40, and that's what I'm doing, because I can't find decent work in Victoria or Vancouver. I could do data entry for $10/hour, sure, but I could also not do that, and I'd rather not. The number of job postings has dropped by as much as 75% since the beginning of the meltdown.

If Calgary weren't the most pedestrian-unfriendly city in the world outside Los Angeles, I'd move there. But I don't drive.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 9:56 PM on October 27, 2008

Response by poster: hey guys,

Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions. I will most likely enroll in a project management course first. After that, I am curious, what sectors or fields would be good to get into? I know that the investing sector, real estate is taking a hit now but what other sectors should I be looking into? Something in business and maybe specialize in supply chain management? Or be an accountant? or something in IT?

Thanks,
posted by brinks at 4:51 PM on October 31, 2008

I am curious, what sectors or fields would be good to get into?

It really depends what you would like to do.

As well, you should do some research into what the major sectors are in Vancouver, and what sorts of services and support those sectors need, and then either identify a company that provides those services and ask for a job, or create your own company or contracting opportunity.

Off the top of my head, the major sectors in Vancouver are (in order of revenues):

Construction
Shipping
Logistics and transportation
Government (local and regional)
Education (tertiary and K-12)
Manufacturing and aerospace
Software development and creative industries
Film
Tourism
posted by KokuRyu at 10:54 AM on March 3, 2009