Writing, Recession, Lemons, and Life Lessons

A pair of sort-of-news articles:

"The Doors that Opened Because of Associated Content After Loss of Job"
Amanda M. Rose, Associated Content (July 23, 2009)

" 'At least people will always need daycare providers'

"These are words that echo in my ears to this day. I first heard this statement when a young couple was coming to tour my house with their 11-month old son back in March, in hopes to find a fit for their son for a home daycare. In December I had had a full house of children - 5 little ones running around, along with my own 18-month old son, who I had decided to run a home daycare for, so that I could stay home with him. In January, four of the children that I had cared for had at least one parent that was laid off, working at GM or at one of the local factories that supplied parts for the bigger companies...."

"Finding a Job You Love-Writing for AC"
Linda Col, Associated Content (July 23, 2009)

"Following a Passion and a Dream

"Like so many others, I was hit in early 2008 by the growing recession. I was causally informed that because business was down and it didn't look like it would be recovering anytime soon, my job was being eliminated. A year and five months later, I'm still searching for a job where none seem to be. Millions of people are walking in my shoes. Trying to find any job will do, but it sure would be nice to find a job you love to do...."

Both articles are a sort of text equivalent of infomercials for Associated Content: engaging pieces intended to show what a good idea it is to start working for Associated Content. They're also pretty good looks at how people can deal with change.

Amanda M. Rose's opening quote struck a chord with me, since I've seen a few fail-safe occupations and businesses go the way of flint knapping.¹

Odds are, you don't remember when there was a gas station on just about every corner. I don't remember the meltdown in middle-management careers, as an early wave of info tech replaced people with a knack for doing arithmetic in their heads with machines that did the same job: faster and more reliably. But I do remember the cultural echoes bouncing around after the implosion.

Where was I? Amanda M. Rose and 'there'll always be a daycare.' Right.

She discovered, first-hand, that the demand for daycare providers was linked, rather tightly, to a particular combination of social and economic factors. Change those factors, and the demand for daycare services changes.

And, she discovered that writing for Associated Content was a pretty good way of satisfying her desire to write, sharing what she knew about Walt Disney World, and paying off a trip she took their with her son.

Her article is well-written, and worth reading both from a human-interest angle, and as an example of how economic bad times can be made into an opportunity.

Linda Cole's article is pretty much the same thing: how to make lemonade, when life hands you lemons.

The details are different: no trip to Walt Disney World to pay for, and a more conventional job-loss situation. Linda Cole's account reminded me of my own experiences again, though:

"...A year and five months later, I'm still searching for a job where none seem to be. Millions of people are walking in my shoes...."

Back in the early seventies, I'd become a bit weary of hearing people say 'anybody who really wants to work, can get a job.' The person saying that was generally a WWII vet who'd gotten a GI loan for his house, found a job during the post-war boom, and been working in a nice, stable, industry ever since.

I've no problem with someone being born in the right place, at the right time, and enjoying the benefits that go along with it. My issue is with people in that position, who assume that everyone enjoys the same situation. And no, I don't have anything against WWII vets: they experienced very real hardships; but they also returned to a grateful nation which rewarded them with praise, economic help, and many job opportunities.

But that's another topic.

Back to Linda Cole's article.

This article is the one which seems more practical, since Linda Cole's situation and approach is more nearly similar to mine.

"...Writing career is exactly how I view AC. Sure, it'll take some time to develop as any job does, but AC has also opened up doors for me that would never have been there had I not felt desperate enough to consider options online....

"...I do consider writing for AC as a career change and I am perfectly willing to downsize my lifestyle in order to pursue my dream of working at a job I love which is writing. ... Not to be afraid to take a chance and do something you've always dreamed of doing to make money."

One of Linda Cole's specialties seems to be pet-related articles: That's not 'me' so much. My oldest daughter's pet rabbit is nice to have around - but 'rabbits don't do much.'

The point, though, is that apparently writing can be a viable career choice. You're not likely to get rich doing it: but it sure beats chopping beets - which I've done.

Bottom line: these articles are pretty good examples of how people can make money by writing online. I'm not convinced that writing for Associated Content is for me, since my approach at this time is to develop my own blogs: but after reading these articles I'll probably give A.C. a once-over.

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A tip of the hat to acnews, on Twitter, for the heads-up on these two articles.

¹ Flint knapping, the craft of making stone tools like arrowheads, projectile points, or hand axes out of flint or similar stone, hasn't been a prudent career option for several thousand years: ever since metalworking knocked the bottom out of the flint market.