Many are Taking Up the Challenge Thrown by Foreclosures and Finding New Avenues
Many are not wallowing in self-pity but are actually taking up the challenge thrown by the foreclosure crisis and finding new avenues through which to benefit from. Some say that it was actually been the boom that pulled them out of the business. Economic necessity has now become the mother of new invention.
Jay Kverno previously had a job oiling machines in a lumber factory. Today, wearing spotless scrubs, he works in a dialysis unit while 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 was laid off from Ainsworth Lumber and now is a registered nurse. At the lumber factory, he toiled for a quarter of a century earning $40,000 to $50,000 annually. With a guaranteed overtime, he did not know any other world existed.
Availing from the help offered by the Dislocated Workers Program, he financed the tuition fees he would need for nursing school. It fees amounted to $20,000. Thankfully, Bemidiji passed nursing school with flying colors and now likes his job. For him, it is the start of a new life.
His other colleagues,however, were not so fortunate. One went job hunting in Afghanistan but achieved no success.
Another success story is that of Caroline Blake. She lost the job she disliked but turned to find one dealing with animals – a field much to her liking. She took up pet care. About a year ago, 29 year old Blake resided in Kenilworth, New Jersey worked for a consulting firm. She quit when the atmosphere at her job turned foul. Not one to sit idle, she purchased a franchise of Pet Care after raising $10.000 in order 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 in the morning, she would work all days of the week. The last walk for her was usually at 11 pm. She continued for three months without ever taking a day off. 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 as an 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.”
