This post is not intended to be a criticism of life in rural America. Nor am I pretending to be an expert on the economic fortunes of people living there. But I’ve driven long distances through remote rural areas, and it’s hard to ignore the often obvious economic distress of many who live there… Continue Reading

Do you hate your job? A lot of people do, maybe even the majority. I remember Ken, a former co-worker of mine who was nearly 40 years my senior. Ken was a curmudgeonly man with a full head of silver-gray hair, black horn-rimmed glasses, and a wicked sense of humor. He had worked in the auto parts bu… Continue Reading

This is a trend I’ve been watching from a distance. I personally have no interest in going into farming, but my sister and brother-in-law have done just that. And low and behold, it turns out to be a quiet but rising trend. In particular, it involves young people becoming farmers. It doesn’t … Continue Reading

In It’s Time to Roll Out the Alt-Retirement Movement I outlined the reality that most people will not be able to retire, at least not completely. One of the main points I tried to emphasize was that most people are going to need to continue working, if even at a reduced capacity. As is often th… Continue Reading

Recently I was digging through some of my “digital clutter” (hard to believe that term didn’t exist a couple of decades ago!) when I came across this gem: “Differences Between You and Your Boss”. I have no idea who was the original source for this, but if your boss or supervisor or other s… Continue Reading

There probably isn’t a soul in the workforce who hasn’t dreamed of the possibility of a comfy work-at-home arrangement. Today I want to play devil’s advocate on this topic. There are so many incredible benefits to work-at-home, but it’s important to understand the limitations as well. Not to… Continue Reading

If you feel stuck in your job, it can be exhausting just staying motivated every day. Now might not be the best time to make a job or career change, but does that mean you have to sit where you’re at and just tough it out until the skies open up and a better opportunity comes along? Don’t go qui… Continue Reading

Have you ever applied for a job that you were perfectly qualified for, but got no response? That’s become the new normal – jobs advertised but no jobs. Not only is this a practical problem – that you need an income from the job – but it also hits on a personal level. If you send out enough r… Continue Reading

When you spend half the day battling the heat, the humidity (or the snow and ice) and the heavy rush of traffic just to commute to work every day, work from home seems like a wonderful idea. You can lounge around all day indoors in your PJs and make a living! However, that’s not all, a freelanc… Continue Reading

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the government in general, economists and industry leaders have been proudly proclaiming the “low” 4.something percent unemployment rate. To hear the official dogma, unemployment is a non-problem. And they may be right. Because the real job market problem is under… Continue Reading