[jjm2111]

The trick is to learn new skills WHILE working. Even someone who does fast food can do that. Offer to help the mgr. with the paperwork, show a willingness to learn and put in some extra time w/out complaining.

People muddle along, whining and complaining w/out realizing that many opportunities are at their fingertips.

[Conservative til I die]

I totally agree with you. I've got a degree in Marketing. I like marketing, but working for agencies or managing accounts is tough, because employment tends to rise and fall with accounts and more importantly, accounts' budgets. I'm planning to go back and get my MBA in market research. Pay is better, I like doing it, and there's always a demand for research and polling (just check about 50 threads a day here on Gallup, Quinnipeac, Zogby, Nielsen, Gartner etc. for evidence). I'm doing this whether or not I'm working.

[Tokhtamish]

Sure. Learn new skills. Like the spanking new Visual Basic programmers who are being turned out by technical schools looking for jobs that don't exist.

You see, given pervasive unemployment there will be lots of experienced people out of work in any given field. And experience is to be preferred over any certification. That is what college graduates now are discovering