Keep Your Skills Sharp!

During tough economic times many folks look for alternative income methods whether by finding a second or third job or creating their own opportunities. Times such as these are ripe for those that have always wanted to run their own business. Create work instead of looking for work! Just another way of thinking positive and being part of the solution.
One other method such as the alternative method mentioned above would be to start creating business transactions through portals such as Ebay.com, Craigslist, Etsy, etc. This serves several purposes. One which is to keep you in tune with business ethics and creating and maintaining a business frame of mind. Some other advantages include the creation of future opportunities as well as automating the habit of being in the know or up-to-date as far as your personal businesses are concerned. Efforts such as these are so important that the lack of it has been used by hiring companies as the reason why they don't want to hire the long-term unemployed. Many hiring companies feel people loose their edge and motivation over time as they sit at home (being denied opportunity after opportunity or like many others sitting at home awaiting job responses that never come). Well if that is the case you can say well, even though there were no jobs available for me I decided to go out and create my own opportunities by volunteering, starting "this" project, selling and trading "here", staying informed and studying "there".
Speaking of studying that is one effort in my opinion that everyone should continue to invest as much of their energy as possible after structured schooling is done. Remember that most schools are in the business of making money and educating. The marketing makes you feel like any other education would be inferior, but ask anyone who has succeeded without a college education or experience and they will tell you that there is no better teacher than yourself. Search for what YOU Love or have a passion for. Search any University of your liking, find their accredited degrees' syllabus and book list. Head to the library or search online, read the books and find the answers to questions you have. The best method for that is to search and save (bookmark) several trusted sources online as well as having trusted like minded folks that you can share and use as a resource. Keep reading, researching, asking questions and applying that knowledge. Now, that's an education! Share the love and you can become the shining beacon or business of your wildest dreams!
Check out these links:
Steve Jobs did it: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220515
You can do it: http://hbr.org/2011/10/making-yourself-indispensable/ar/1?cm_sp=most_widget-_-hbr_articles-_-Making%20Yourself%20Indispensable