The Best Blacksmith in Town 

In addition to most aspects in life, being able to "roll with the punches" during a career search can give you a great advantage.

Attitudes have changed dramatically. Expectations have changed as well. Going to work to simply pay the bills is not a typical agenda anymore. Employees want job satisfaction. People soul search with regard to job search. They attend special classes and seminars and they hire employment counselors and headhunters. They hire image consultants to alter or polish the impression they make. The hire agents to locate the "perfect" job situation, something that means more to them than simply punching in and punching out. A career with benefits. A career with a future.

It wasn't that long ago that clients would feel awkward or guilty if they had worked for more than a couple of different companies during a lifetime career. "How will a change look on my resume?" they asked. Today's graduates will likely have as many as ten different employers throughout the duration of their careers.

Working in America has changed dramatically. There are new job opportunities opening all the time. Entire categories of workers have to redefine and/or re-hone their skills. There are many jobs that simply don't exist anymore. How many blacksmiths do you know? Or typewriter repair people? Or file clerks?

Creativity is key. In order to find a job, sometimes you have to look at the "less popular" avenues. Look at the people you know. Think about where they work and their job titles. Now, take it one step further. What job were they actually going after? What job or career did they think they wanted when they began their search? Some people decide at 16 years old what they want to do for the next 50 years. Others pick, choose and change along the way. The idea of a career path is not set in stone as it once was. Working people do not remain strictly in the legal, medical, education, sales, repair or hospitality industries anymore.

Maybe some of these real jobs will get your creative juices flowing:

• A Wrinkle Chaser irons the wrinkles from shoes as they are being made to ensure they are perfectly smooth when you buy them).
• A Chicken Sexer sorts through baby chicks to find out if they are male or female).
• A Citrus Fruit Colorer gives citrus fruit a more natural coloring (with the help of steam and chemicals), because fruit is often picked before it is has a chance to fully ripen.
• A Celluloid Trimmer shaves down a golf club and adds celluloid bands onto the clubs to make the leather grip stay put.
• Cowpunchers herd, castrate and brand cattle on ranches. They are also in charge of repairing fences, watering troughs and other maintenance work on the ranch.
• Odor Judgers are the people who smell armpits all day to help them to make deodorants that will properly mask the smell of sweat.

So even when you think you've run out of every idea imaginable, take it one (or several) steps further.