Let me ask you something. Are you prepared in case:
Another recession hits?
You get laid off?
The company you work at becomes bankrupt?
If not, you are part of the 63% of people in the US that are making a fatal mistake right now!
The truth is that a "stable job" is not actually stable. Nearly every industry is affected by a change in the economy.
Take, for example, the low gas prices. The price of gas has dropped by 70% compared to 2014! Sounds great for everybody doesn’t it? You save a lot of cash that is usually spent at the pump. And the price of everything delivered by truck goes down too!
Actually, there are a lot of industries negatively affected by the drop in oil prices. For example, the renewable energy industry; low gas prices means that nobody wants to spend their money on "expensive" solar panels or wind turbines. The same goes for industries such as lumber, mining, and construction where prices are based on oil prices.
The people who work in the oil industry are hit the hardest! 104,514 people have been laid off nationwide last year! The low oil prices mean fewer profits, so cuts had to be made.
Since last year, 3000 people in Bakersfield are out of work because of the low price of oil! The budget for Kern County is expected to decrease by $40 million dollars compared to last year! And plenty of unrelated businesses (and their employees) that rely on the money from oil workers are feeling the effects of this too!
All this from a drop in the price of oil, something that most people see as a good thing!
So what can you do to protect yourself from these problems? The answer is pretty simple; learn a few skills that are guaranteed to help you.
Here what you need to do:
Step One: Save up some cash and manage your money.
If you are out of work for any reason or you have an emergency, a "rainy day fund" will help support you (and your family). For some strange reason, not a lot of people do this.
In fact, according to one study, "Approximately 63% of Americans have no emergency savings for things such as a $1,000 emergency room visit or a $500 car repair".
This along with a "stable" job is a massive mistake that most working people make! Out of those 3,000 people who lost their jobs from the drop in oil prices, 1,890 of them didn’t have a way to pay next month’s bills!
Take some time to learn about managing your money. Save some money for an emergency. And cut any unnecessary costs.
Step Two: Learn new skills or even a new profession.
The most important skill to learn (after money managing) is communicating with people effectively. This falls under the categories of salesmanship, entrepreneurship, and psychology. These skills will help you no matter what you choose to do.
Other skills that you should learn are those that are in high demand such as computer programming, engineering, etc.
Having knowledge in these areas gives you an upper hand compared to most of the population! And it’s an insurance policy against an economy that constantly changes.
Step Three: Get into the mindset of helping people (without asking for anything in return).
If you truly want to be someone who is appreciated in all walks of life, here is what you have to do.
Go help out at a charity event. Help out a family member with chores. Help a stranger with a flat tire. People will appreciate you and you'll feel better about yourself.
And when you apply this mindset to a job or business, they will appreciate you and pay you!
Step Four: Find work independently or start a business.
If you already have a job, create a business as a side project and work on it during your free time. Or freelance (work independently) and build a portfolio based on your new skill.
Just make sure that it is something that people want because it helps them, they are willing to spend money on it, and you like doing it.
Summary:
Most people aren't prepared for emergencies such as a recession or a hospital bill. The best way to fix this is to:
- Learn how to manage your money.
- Learn some new skills that are in demand, you enjoy, and pay well.
- Help people.
- Work on a new business project or work independently with a new skill.
You may be wondering where you can go to learn all of this; where to go to start learning.
Well, you have a few options.
- College Classes: They are useful but incredibly expensive. An introductory class on one topic at a community college will usually cost $100 or more! If you want a degree, it will cost you $7,000 for a 2-year degree!
- Library & Self-Study: The library is a great place to learn things for free. But the one major flaw is that there is no guidance from experts and mentors.
- Take advantage of resources provided by people who are following "Step 3":
For example, "Mesh Cowork" organizes free meetings so that people can learn about different topics such as computer programming and entrepreneurship. Plenty of entrepreneurs and experienced freelancers attend these meetings.
The local library sponsors a few volunteer organized events; though it is not specifically towards entrepreneurship. It does offer some resources, but it’s limited to self-study and with no guidance.
Get started right now! If something as simple as a low gas price can negatively affect industries that millions of people work in, a recession will affect a lot more people! This isn’t just about self-improvement; it’s a preventative measure for any unexpected problems down the road!