A lot of the retired people I meet say they never really worked until they retired. Many have left their lifetime of toil for pay for a retirement filled with entrepreneurship, education, fulfillment and reward. I got to thinking about these people and started wondering if the same thing couldn't be true of those who have lost jobs while still in their prime. What is it that separates them from the retirees? Why can't the unemployed feel the benefits of being free to do their own thing? Why can't they educate, train, devote, improve themselves by doing what they can while looking for a new job?

I suppose many will say they are spending full time looking for a job. Are they really? Do they spend the same hours looking as they would be required to spend by an employer? Do they do what they can to improve their chances in the job market? Do they go to school? Do they gain new skills or improve on the ones they have? I would suggest that a large percentage of the people who spend their time preparing for a new job or using their skills in DIY tasks are back to work before the person who sits at home and waits for the Employment Agency to call. I know I come from an old school that no longer exists or even should. On the other hand when my Dad tried to whip my butt the first time I collected unemployment it gave me the incentive to start doing what ever I could and I never again drew unemployment compensation. I am not saying such compensation is a bad thing. On the contrary. If it helps someone realize they need to find work or make work and realize the job will follow then the cost to taxpayers for unemployment insurance is negligible.

At the risk of being thought of as self promoting and verging on commercially benefiting from my news columns, I intend to publish a series of articles about what one person can and is doing to create jobs. I am selling nothing other than the notion that we can all benefit from work that we can do for ourselves. I am promoting the idea that becoming aware, being educated, spending effort, communicating desires and ideas, can all lead to better jobs through DIY work.

Although this article and those to come will center on the future of alternative energy, specifically solar, the idea of DIY jobs is not confined to that area. If you are unemployed from a job you must have some skill, some knowledge, some assets that can be applied on your own while awaiting a new boss. Who knows, you might end up being that boss.

For me, solar energy is the future. Everything we currently use for energy comes from the Sun in one way or another. Why go through all those middle men if we can get that energy directly in our own back yard? There are ways that each of us can go solar, Go Green, without waiting on massive government incentives to do so. In doing so we may just discover aptitudes, skills and inclinations we didn't realize we had. My next article will deal with the actual construction of a solar panel. Solar panels are the first step in creating a DIY energy system and can be manufactured on your kitchen table. The articles in themselves are just me cheerleading a coming industry that I feel we can all take part in. I will also provide links to educational and informational sites but it will be up to the reader to dig in and get educated. If you are looking for a job why not give this series a chance to outline a method and attitude that can lead to success for you?

The attached photo provides a look at what got me started. It was made in China. It was sold on eBay by an American entrepreneur who I suppose made a profit on it. It is available now in a store near you and for those interested I will provide that source by email. There is no reason it couldn't have been made in the US and more are now being produce here. Production in the US on these items is stepping up. Or you can DIY. Later article will describe the necessary steps in producing your own panels.

Watch for updates in coming weeks. Thanks.