So you wear a uniform?

While some would say the uniform for a blogger is pajamas, which to be honest is probably my usual attire when I am able to work from home, many of you have to wear some sort of uniform as a part of your employment. A favorite brand for many is cherokee workwear, it's marketed for it's price and it's durability. They have a variety of uniform items, including the popular scrub wear.

Theil says New Zealand is a utopia

Libertarian Peter Thiel, famous for making billions off Facebok, said he finally found "utopia" – New Zealand.

Thiel has been investing heavily in the country. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

He's already made two noteworthy venture investments there in the space of a few months. In October 2010, he invested $3 million in online accounting firm Xero, which is based (and publicly traded) in New Zealand. Then he invested $4 million in Pacific Fiber, an ambitious company that is building a fiber-optic cable from Australia to New Zealand to the US and is raising $300-400 million more to do so.

These investments aren't just one-offs. Thiel has set up a local venture firm called Valar Ventures. Valar Ventures LP was registered in New Zealand in July 2009, more than a year before Thiel's first known New Zealand investment, and is managed by Valar Capital Management LLC, based in San Francisco, according to official records. Valar Ventures LP's offices are at prominent New Zealand law firm Bell Gully, which suggests it doesn't have full time staff yet. Peter Thiel founded two other companies in New Zealand: Second Star Limited, where he is sole shareholder, and Silverarc Advisors.

Perhaps there will be accounting jobs galore in New Zealand. :-)

Imagine imaging

It used to be you'd have to have an employee, sometimes more than one employee that would be in charge of copying and storing all of your documents. Now, with technology and the Internet, there are firms that specialize in document imaging so that you can outsource that to them. In many cases it's less expensive than having your own staff and it also cuts down on you having to purchase equipment that becomes obsolete in a matter of years.

Small businesses still alive...

Some of those I know who have lost their jobs have turned to home based businesses or small businesses as a way to survive economically. Whether you are looking for a franchise or a merchant account reseller opportunity, the internet can be a great place to start. You can not only find places to get you started, but lots of tips and information to help you be successful. I highly recommend checking out the Small Business Association and see if they have a chapter in your area...

Looking for jobs in all the wrong places...

The job market is tough out there, especially in my area where there are hundreds of applicants for every advertised job. This can make your job search a bit more challenging. It means you have to do more than just the traditional looking at the classifieds to find the right job, you should take advantage of the internet and the vast number of job listing websites and don't forget to check out what your state offers. Ohio as an example has a website of job listings that many times end up on their service before they are anywhere else.

Want to work in the Big Apple?

If your dream has included a New York Job Search it's possible to search for a job online that may just make your Big Apple dreams come true. Before the internet, job searching in a location where you did not live was not quite as easy. There were of course job agencies, and it was possible to get copies of a New York newspapers, but now you can share your resume and easily be able to communicate with a perspective employer without having to travel there first...Many times initial interviews are done via phone or through web chats, creating a scenario where you know you are a serious candidate when you are asked to travel...

Something my father was right about...

For as long as I can remember my father always told me that I should learn some type of a skill that would always be needed in the job market. I listened to him and got an associate degree in "Secretarial Sciences" and it has worked out to be exactly what he has said. Not only has the typing speed and other skills helped me with my blogging but I know that should I not be able to work from home anymore that I could get a job in anything from the data center services industry to actually going back and being an administrative assistant again. While technology changes, some of the same basic skills I learned in the late 70s still are needed...