What preparations are you making to peak-proof your job?

[brasso]

Why do ppl think IT would become dead as we go down the down slope? I could be a boom industry as companies encourage teleworking to cut down of ppls fuel costs. More computer and new software would be required, thus more jobs.

I doubt that IT will disappear in the near future. Just less demand. Less demand for turnover of new PC's, less demand for the latest + greatest networking hardware... Overall less demand for IT personnell (sorry is that Human Resource or Livestock or something?). Open source is the way forward with software (man I love open source!).

I guess, following the bust 6 yrs ago, it has put a bearish mindset on people in the industry.

The factors I can see affecting the IT trade are:

1/ Telecommuting: both a blessing and a curse. Blessing - I can work for any company in the world. I am now in competition with people who are willing to work for a tenth of what I am

2/ Downward drag of PO: cost of raw materials for manufacture of PCs as well as energy to run them. Certain sectors will probably survive (although it is a matter of debate which ones!), but I can see an awfully big drop off...

3/ Importance of communications: to balance this, if travel becomes very costly, the internet and web applications may become yet more essential to link distant entities.

I guess it all depends on how hard and fast the crash comes...

[RevdTess]

Don't give up your day job but start another one at the same time.

Start small. Don't risk too much. I have started 3 businesses. We started our building business without spending a single penny before our first contract!

Keep to your principles without screwing others or yourself. Aim to have recommendations as your primary advertisement.

Also don't worry too much about formal qualifications; who's going to ask for them? These days people are far more worried about conforming to regulations - just satisfy them as far as you need to whether thats tax and vat regs or legislation surrounding your chosen profession. If you need a certificate get it (in the least possible time you can). Work out what the rules are and you're off! Customers want to know how to get what they want for the best price, understand that and you can make a living - at least for now anyhow! Who can predict the future?

Good advice. Would like to hear more along these lines from people who successfully switched to small business, especially their experience of getting that first contract or sale and bootstrapping the process.

[Bozzio]

Good advice. Would like to hear more along these lines from people who successfully switched to small business, especially their experience of getting that first contract or sale and bootstrapping the process.

I'm a self-employed plumbing & heating engineer. I am a sole trader employing the occassional sub-contractor. I have more work than I can handle and have been trading for about 6 years now.

I trained to be an architect and was in practice for a couple of years. Ultimately I decided that architecture and office work wasn't for me, besides, I qualified in the early 90's when the profession was struggling with a major recession and I was sick and tired of the constant threat of redundancy, (in fact it looks like there is a recession looming now and already some of my architecture friends are facing job cuts).

After trying several jobs, I focussed on plumbing and loved it. I gained my qualifications alongside on-the-job training in the shortest possible time (1 year instead of 2 including my gas exams) then started out on my own. I am lucky in that my wife has a very good job so money wasn't an issue at first which was just as well because I made lots of mistakes. Initially it was very hard work but after a couple of years everything clicked in place and now my business is booming. Just turning up at a job will usually yield more work usually from neighbours or builders I work with. I don't need to advertise.

If there is one thing I have learned from this it is that if you are willing to try anything then there is always something that someone wants doing and will pay for (often for cash!). People do prefer to use local where they can and often are turned off by big companies. They like the bond between small company and themselves and if you can produce results they will remain extremely loyal. I think nearly all my work last year was for existing customers and it was all within a 10 mile radius of home.

Pippa is also right, don't worry about qualifications, people just don't care about them. Of course you will need some if you are to keep within the law and for insurance purposes, but otherwise common sense is your most useful asset.

[Pippa]

Just for the record (my last post sounded like the big "I am") I am not so sure that becoming self employed is the right way to preserve your job (ie livelihood) post peak.

Perhaps the best proofing can be done by getting yourself nicely embeded in the civil service or any type of government jobs. TPTB have got to keep the unemployment figures as low as they can for as long as they can, this can be done by keeping people at school (very clever as now university students take on the debt which neatly keeps down government spending and helps the unemployment figures), government jobs and emprisonment!

I think we all need a good amount of luck too. I really worry about how we are personally going to proof our income. Historically, the building trade has suffered hughly in times of recession. I personally think that what we are currently doing, as far as building is concerned, is highly imoral. As the moment I see that we are colluding with people to get themselves into huge amounts of debt by putting extensions onto their houses, re-doing their kitchens, ripping out perfectly functional bathrooms, putting down block paving driveways or stone patios on their nice earth gardens.

Just my current thoughts but probably the best thing we can do is concentrate on doing smaller and smaller jobs and to be perceived at "the experts" and "the good guys" when it comes to these tasks. At least by doing small works people have a greater chance of being able to afford it and probably they will to a greater extent need the service rather than just fancying it! Also we should have a greater probability of collecting the money as things get harder and if we can't we have lost less!

One thing has changed massively though since the 1970's and that is that the construction industry is a very significant part of the GDP whereas back in the 70's we had a much more diverse economy and alot more industry. Just what will happen to the UK economy when the building industry, most importantly large construction projects, catch a cold I dread to think. No wonder Gordon Brown is so hell bent on keeping the houses coming! (you can get some of the figures at www.geohive.com and www.cia.gov - just for fun compare the UK with China)

People like me should be shot because I am part of the problem (please don't come round and do it anyone ).

It sure is a mess!

Now let us pray......

p.s Bloody hell! I've just followed my own link and gasped when I realised I'd ended up on the CIA (american) website! Anyway, you need to click on The Factbook link to find the statistics!

[grinu]

I often wonder if the current splurge of new hospital building, new road building, new school building, new housing regeneration schemes, new college building, airport expansion etc. etc. is to help keep the construction industry going and the economy afloat. Often the construction industry is one of the first to go down in a recession as people curtail their spending and investing, so it makes sense to keep it afloat artifically if you're in power and want to present a rosy economic picture. Construction industry is currently providing something for people to invest in, something for people to use as collateral for debt, many many jobs (designers, quantity surveyors, engineers, builders, factory workers, ecologists, artists, IT specialists, joiners, plumbers, roofers, H&S supervisors, project managers, laywers, contractors, accountants etc.) keeping other industries afloat (aggregates, extraction, machinery, textiles, tools, plant nurseries, chemicals, building materials etc.).

Massive industry with so much relying on it, consumer confidence being a major player. When the construction industry slows down there will be major trouble. Setting interest rates must be such a headache at present.

[clv101]

I'm a self-employed plumbing & heating engineer.

I didn't meet you at the CAT members conference last year did I?

[Bozzio]

No it wasn't me.

My family and I have just gained CAT membership but have not been so far. Looking forward to it in a few weeks time.

[Joe]

I really worry about how we are personally going to proof our income.

Joining a LETS scheme is one way of reducing your reliance on the increasingly unstable global economy while helping to develop a stronger sense of community cohesion. Here are details of some in your area: http://www.letslinkuk.net/east/cambridgeshire.htm

[Max]

I reckon computers and IT will become redundant and I have also had the idea of working in RE (and the inevitable failure in securing a job - even with a PhD and Degree in Chemical Engineering!)

I have decided to start my own business - (not been successful in securing any sort of Peak Oil proof job) - that will actually thrive as Peak Oil presses home and will hopefully help other businesses survive as well.

Anybody with experience in QA /QC , energy auditing, supply chain and logistics, accountant auditing, business - energy research who is interested in developing solutions for business please get in touch.

[Max]

I have a nice little powerpoint presentation that shows how pharmaceuticals / computers and supply chains of businesses in general will be messed up by Peak Oil.

I'll try to get it online once I am back in the UK in september.