Health, Wealth, & Wellness

 If you are one of the millions of Americans feeling underpaid in your current job, then you are likely also being underutilized in your current job.  If you are being underutilized in your current job, then chances are that you're also unappreciated at your current job.  If you are unappreciated at your job, then you are also EXPENDABLE. This means that if and when your employer should decide to make cuts, yours will be one of the first positions to go. Do I have your attention now? Great. Let's proceed.

Employees who find themselves being underpaid, underutilized, unappreciated, and EXPENDABLE in their current positions are really left with one of three options, and later on in this blog, I will cover each of these options in a more thorough fashion. The options are as follows:

1. Maintain the current course until your number (for downsizing) is officially called
2. Go to work IMMEDIATELY obtaining certifications, and/or JOB SPECIFIC skills that will enable you to be more marketable, and qualified to serve in positions that add value to the company
3. Join a home based business opportunity that allows you to build passive income that matches your job income, and can serve as a "Plan B" in the event of a lay-off.

I will now address each of these three options, and to attempt to present information that may prove to be valuable as you are navigating the decision making process.



At the base of these factual figures, lies an issue of much greater concern.  Individuals who live check-to-check are in essence, one or two missed paychecks away from being homeless. I am sure that by now you've heard of a game called Russian Roulette. This is a game where participants take turns placing a gun to their heads, and pulling the trigger, HOPING that the bullet does not exit the chamber, resulting in the immediate loss of life.

As you can probably imagine, in choosing option #1, this is precisely the case for the millions of Americans, who sit idly by, placing all of their stock and security in the coming November elections.  The question then becomes: Are you willing to risk the security of your children and your future, by simply showing up to your job each day, where you are clearly viewed and perhaps even treated as the weak link; knowing that at any point, your number could be drawn, and your job could be eliminated? This naturally leads us to option #2.



Acquire New Job Specific Skills

We are currently living in a very technological age. As a result, many of the opportunities being posted with your current employer for job advancement will require job specific skills. These skills may include using computer programs such as: Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, SAP, Lotus Notes, etc, along with various drafting programs, and/or advanced machinery, depending upon your particular occupation.

Our country currently has millions of unemployed college graduates.  There are an unlimited number of factors that could potentially be impacting the unemployment numbers for college graduates, but one of the bigger factors is the lack of "job specific training." It is no longer enough to simply possess a college degree.  Employers are now looking for "specific" skills that can be transferred into the work place.

In order to go with the option of adding to your marketability, and/or job skills, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration. Factors such as: target occupation, location of training, cost of training, time needed to complete training, job outlook for newly acquired certifications, degrees, etc.

If after conducting research in this area, you should find that your training can be completed in an easily accessible fashion, you are able to cover the cost of the training, and there is a high probability of your landing a more advanced position upon the completion of your training; then this would certainly be a very viable option. This leaves us with one last choice to consider, and that is option #3.