1)    Do you think it would be a better time to learn some new skills or a new trade now, or wait (maybe doing nothing) until the economy turns and companies are ready to hire? If you wait until they are ready to hire you may end up hurting yourself because then you may need to wait until you complete your education or training program before you can get hired. If you get your education now by attending a trade school or college, in say 18 months or maybe two years or longer you will be ready when the economy does pick up.
2)    If you do not have a job, maybe you think you can not afford to get an education, right? That may not be true because if you do not have the resources to pay for an education there are many different alternative ways to help you fund your education. What you should do is contact all the schools of interest and talk to some counselors. At this point do not worry about the financing part of your education. Spend time figuring out what career you would like and one that will pay the bills to support you and your family. Then once you have found the schools with programs of interest seek out all financial assistant options available. Talk to the school to find out how they can help. Research online. You may be surprised by what you find.

Remember where there is a will there is a way. Never give up on your dream of bettering yourself. Now is a great time to learn new skills and trades. It is a great time to get your education, then when the economy turns you should be ready or more ready then you are now to land a new job and career.

Although no one knows the future there are things you can do if you are worried your job or career may be in danger. One thing is to upgrade your skills to make you a more valuable employee. This can be true whether you learn new skills in your existing line of work or trade or if you learn new skills for a new career.

Now can be an excellent time to return to school to learn needed skills for possible job advancement or to get the training needed for a new career altogether. If possible do not wait until it is too late to start figuring out your options. Since it is the New Year many people are in resolution mode and will be contacting or applying to schools and colleges to fill in some open class slots. If you wait it could push you back since some classes fill up quickly.

So sit down and make a list of careers you may be interested in. Then contact several different schools including both more traditional campus based trade schools and colleges as well as online or distance learning schools and colleges. Then find out all you can about the programs offering for a degree or career training.

Some questions to consider asking include when you can begin the program, how long programs take, how much they will cost, and what you can expect once you have completed the program. For example will you then have a degree, a diploma, or some type of certification? Not all programs of study take years, depending on your career interests some may be completed in just months.

Another thing to remember is some career fields offer both degree and diploma options. If this is the case with a career field you are interested in make sure to understand the difference in both length and cost of the programs but also in the different career opportunities available upon completion of the program. For example some job opportunities may not be available if you earn a diploma compared to a degree. The only way to know for sure is to do your homework during the process of talking with schools and to gain a full understanding of the career or job requirements and what employers are looking for.