(1) Well-paying, available attorney jobs are so narrowly defined that, I theorize, only the person who most recently held the position would truly qualify for it. Those of us who have not had the luxury of “specializing” in our careers are all but left out from serious consideration, no matter how outstanding our skill sets and backgrounds.

(2) The time and effort required to jump through endless hoops of objectively questionable value in internet-based job applications. In many cases, I have found I must submit a resume and cover letter, then I must correct database information pulled incorrectly from my resume, then answer fifty fumbling, ill-focused questions.

(3) Employers routinely do not respond to applications with a thumbs up or down. In a word, although I could think of several others, this is rude. After hours of time, effort, and nuisance to submit an application, I expect the simple, business courtesy of a response, I do not care how many thousands of applicants have bid for the work.

And these are things that make me “a bit angry”.

And sure, there are a lot of jobs out there, and yes, most of them pay less. I just can’t have any of them, as I have a professional degree. Employers out of my field won’t touch me, as they readily admit that they won’t because they are sure I’ll leave the minute something better comes along. So while I’m willing to work for Lowes, they won’t hire me. I’d get another job in my area of expertise, however there isn’t one in my entire state.

My problem is that my work was so specialized that there are only about a dozen people in my state that do it, and only about 5 jobs, all of which are taken. So when some people say there are no jobs – it’s because for them, there aren’t any. So I’m changing fields at the age of 58 because it’s easier to start over than find anything else. And I understand that failure is a complete possibility, but hey, I’m addicted to eating, having clothes, and all that.

Did I mention I’m a lawyer? You made a big point about lawyers being able to get work if they will give people what they want. It’s not quite that easy. After all, you wouldn’t go to a throat doctor for a problem with your foot, any more than you would go to a bankruptcy attorney for advice on a DUI problem. Sure all attorneys have general legal knowledge, but so do half of the rest of the population out there.

So for me it’s a matter of getting reeducated, and working my way up from the bottom again. It’s just a little more difficult if you have practiced in the exact same area since the mid 90s, and are an expert in nothing else.

Thanks

One thing, though: It’s not as easy as you make it sound to “give the people what they want” and switch careers. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I believe your main point is that job seekers should be attuned to what to new job market demands. It’s easy for an entrepreneur to determine a market void and try to fill it. It’s not as easy for a professional to recognize a change in his/her profession and try to transition into another career. An entrepreneur works for himself. A job seeker likely is looking to work for someone else. That someone else decides who fills the void, and the job market is seemingly full of candidates exactly qualified for each job posted. What that means is (and I’ve had experience with this) the DMV is going to see a career professional just “trying to fill a void” and think that person is going to jump ship as soon as the job market opens up again.

Florida Unemployment Trends – August 2009

Florida Unemployment Situation in Heat Map form:
here is a map of Florida Unemployment in August 2009 (BLS data)
http://www.localetrends.com/st/fl_florida_unemployment.php?MAP_TYPE=curr_ue

versus Florida Unemployment Levels 1 year ago
http://www.localetrends.com/st/fl_florida_unemployment.php?MAP_TYPE=m12_ue