Employment can be key to recovering both financial health and self-esteem. Whether you've lost your job, need a better one or are considering taking on a second job, finding work when unemployment is so high can be daunting, but it also can be done. Reid Lennertz, director of Career Development Services at Florida Gulf Coast University, says circumstances often dictate our choices.
"Sometimes taking a lower-paying job is simply a means to an end, such as ensuring the bills are paid," Lennertz says.
Less prestige and lower pay don't have to last forever. Future employers will understand brutal times often call for difficult decisions. Lennertz says job hunting can be challenging, but people are getting hired. If possible, seek out continuing education to make landing a good job more feasible. For the present, he recommends sites such as Indeed.com as job-hunting starting points.