Many are Taking Up the Challenge Thrown by Foreclosures and Finding New Avenues
Many are not wallowing in depression and self-pity but taking up the challenge thrown by the foreclosure crisis and finding new avenues. Some say that it has actually been a boom that has pulled them out of the groove. Economic necessity has now become the mother of new invention.
Jay Kverno previously had a job oiling machines in a lumber factory. Today in spotless scrubs in a dialysis unit he thinks about the heat, fumes and dust of his old workplace. Bemidji Minn has turned 50. He muses, “I used to be filthy. Now I’m sterile.” Three years ago he had been laid off from Ainsworth Lumber and now he is a registered nurse. At the lumber factory he had toiled for quarter of a century earning $40,000 to $50,000 annually. With a guaranteed overtime he did not know any other world existed.
Availing of the help offered by Dislocated Workers Program he financed the tuition fees in the nursing school. It cost him $20,000. Finally he pulled through with flying colours and now likes his job. For him it is a new life as he interacts with patients.
His other colleagues however were not so fortunate. One had to go job hunting to Afghanistan but with no success.
Another success story is that of Caroline Blake. She lost the job she did not like but turned to find one dealing with animals – a field much to her liking. She took up pet care. Previously about a year ago 29 year old Blake residing in Kenilworth, New Jersey worked in a consulting firm. She quit when the weather turned foul. Not to sit idle she became a franchise of Pet Care after investing $10.000 to buy it. Many were doubtful of her success and asked her whether it was worth giving up a paying job to take dogs for walks. Starting early she works all the days of the week. The last walk is over at 11 pm. She continued for three months without even a Sunday break. Now pet care is part of her daily life no matter where she is – sunbathing or sitting before the television. Jogging with a dog is her passion. Her charges are $18 for a visit of 30 minutes and $55 per night to be overnight dog sitter in her own home. She is earning well – nearly 75% of her previous salary packet. She said with a grin, “Smartest thing I’ve ever done – every day, a different dog.”
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