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Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bentway who wrote (25200)	11/11/2004 2:50:00 PM
From: BWAC	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

<go back to junior college to learn a new skill, but I don't recall any specific recommendations as to a field of study. Maybe nursing? Perhaps the uninsured can get by taking care of the insured.> Noooo. Real Estate agent courses on Monday night. And Residential Building Contractor courses on Tuesday night. And How to Sell on EBAY on Wednesday night. Mortgage Broker courses on Thursday night. Get with the program. <lol>

To: bentway who wrote (25200)	11/11/2004 3:53:57 PM
From: GraceZ	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

About six years ago a cycling buddy of mine was facing job loss because he was a machinist and his whole shop was moving to CAM and he didn't know anything about computers. I helped him get a computer, set up the software (my sister teaches CAD/CAM) and find the right night school classes. As soon as he was in the CAM classes he realized he was in way over his head and he needed a basic class in computer use. These basic computer classes made him wonder if he was going to go through all the pain of learning computers, he might as well get paid more than a machinist (plus leave the noisy, dangerous world of the machine shop) by working in the computer field. So he borrowed some money, quit his job (his wife had a great job and they had no kids) and enrolled in an 18 month program to be an on-site computer tech. He graduated in time for the 2000 collapse, yet, since he was just starting out and his salary requirements were lower than those who were already in the biz he has done well. He has been employed continuously and gotten raises in the last 4 years which made his switch worthwhile. Especially so, since his old machine shop is now suffering declining biz and layoffs. Meanwhile my nephew went to college for computer science. He graduated around 4 years ago as well. In the ensuing collapse I've worried a lot about him, especially since my brother-in-law lost his high paid IT jobs three years ago and has been barely been able to make a third of what he used to make. I spoke with my nephew a few weeks ago and asked how work was going. He'd changed jobs recently and was now running the IT department of a office supply chain. He spent the next 20 minutes telling me how great his job was and how well he felt it was going and how great the pay was. These two stories remind me of my own industry which runs in extreme cycles due to the big extremes in the ad cycle. The point where people think they've paid all their dues and have reached the pinnacle of success is usually right around the start of the downside purge where everyone over 45 who doesn't own their own company gets let go, to be replaced a few years later by a completely new, younger, less experienced crop of entrants as the biz pulls out of it's down cycle. It became apparent to me after watching a couple of these cycles that the only way to avoid being 50 year old road kill in photography or design was to own the company because there is always a new crop of people willing to do what you do. People who will work harder and longer hours for less money because they're coming from below, a much more comfortable place to come from than above. With my little company, I try to avoid being a big line item in the expense category on someone's P/L statement. You want to be a profit center in a downturn (and let them know that you are), not an expense item that is large enough to significantly improve the bottom line when the bean counters get around to the inevitable panic to cut expenses.

To: bentway who wrote (25200)	11/11/2004 10:09:35 PM
From: John Chen	Respond to of 306849

J.ChrisParson,re:"maybe nursing". Demolition, re-construction, soldiers.

To: bentway who wrote (25200)	11/13/2004 1:37:37 PM
From: John Chen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

J.ChrisParson,re:"unemployment rate 30%". The other 70% are waiting to be slaughtered. I read that 1st lady of BornAgain President is a heavy smoker of cigarate. Could that be truth? rumor? Or left-wing conspiracy smear campaingn? Is 1st lady 'bornAgain'? She has that 'clean, perfect', southern, simple, naive IMAGEs being posted upon us. Can't believe a secret can be so well protected? But judging from the election, this is a mighty well oiled machine, scary.