The GuyJean Chronicles

Last week, comedy conquered mainstream media. Or more specifically, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart thoroughly fried CNBC, represented by Mad Money’s Jim Cramer. What started out as a little satirical expose’ of CNBC’s financial advice track record on Comedy Channel’s The Daily Show quickly became a debate around journalistic responsibility. In the end, it turns out the comedy show became the serious journalist and the financial news network the joke.

Go to The Daily Show to see all the clips, including the full unedited interview.

I thought I’d lighten things up a bit. My past few posts have been about the economy, unemployment, blah, blah. Very sad stuff. Although I’ve tried to put some hope in there, it’s still difficult considering we’re constantly bombarded by all of this bad news everyday.

Well, fortunately, I came across a really cool website that just brightened my day. It’s called Etsy. It’s a website where you can buy and sell all things handmade. Although I don’t make anything myself (wish I did), I’m inspired whenever I see something beautiful, cute or cool that someone else made, putting their whole heart and soul into their craft.

But not only is Etsy fun and inspiring, it creates new opportunities for people to work, be creative, and share their craft with the whole world. I guess Etsy’s been around only a few years, but they’ve already got something like 200,000 sellers listing 3 million products. Now that’s what I call a huge craft show!

So if you’re looking for some inspiration, or maybe that special one-of-a-kind present, or just a little treat for yourself, check out Etsy.

President Obama has been very busy. Last week he signed the economic recovery bill into law and he announced plans to help homeowners facing foreclosure. This past week he addressed the joint session of Congress and introduced sweeping changes in the FY2010 budget.

There’s no doubt that Obama is a man of action. And during this incredible time in history that we’re living in, America certainly needs a leader who inspires hope and provides direction for the country and the world. However, there’s a lot of debate as to how these bills and government actions will really help individuals. In my day-to-day work as a Recruiter, I’m faced with the reality of this economic downturn. I continue to hear stories of struggle to find work. When there are more people seeking employment than there are jobs, the odds continue to stack higher against them.

So what is the solution? Can Obama save us?

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Several years ago, I came across a book called, Rich Dad, Poor Dad written by Robert Kiyosaki. I really connected to the book because Kiyosaki’s story was very similar to mine. I grew up with a father who was very intelligent and educated, but knew very little about money, business, investing, and creating wealth. My Dad also grew up in Hawaii where Kiyosaki grew up so I could visualize many of the stories. Although I’m still learning to apply the principles I learned in the book, it has greatly affected my point of view with respect to work, money, and life.

The other day, I got an email that mentioned a new book that Robert Kiyosaki is writing called, Conspiracy of the Rich. What’s unique about this book is that you can read it as Kiyosaki is writing it. Every few weeks, Kiyosaki releases a new chapter for everyone to read online. You can also provide feedback and even contribute stories or comments which might be included in the final print version.

Chapter One is titled, “Can Obama Save the World?” Kiyosaki digs into the world of banking, governments, and the games that are played at levels beyond the common person’s reach. It’s a bit conspiracy theory-ish, but that’s the gist of the book. But what Kiyosaki does say is quite thought-provoking. In this Chapter, he provides this insight:

Can Obama save us? The correct question should be: How can we save ourselves? The answer, and the key to our freedom from the tyranny of our economy, is knowledge. By educating yourself about money and how it works, you unlock the potential within yourself to break free from the mentality of scarcity and see the abundance all around you.”

In other words, knowledge about money is the key to dealing with this economic crisis.

If you haven’t read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I highly recommend it. It was a paradigm-shifting book for me. I also recommend signing up to read Kiyosaki’s new book, Conspiracy of the Rich. The first couple chapters have reminded me that I am in charge of my financial destiny no matter what may be happening in the world.

In upcoming posts, I’ll be sharing more resources about money, investing, and business.

Physical Therapists in High Demand

…really, really tough.

As most of you know by now, I’m a Recruiter by day. The past several months have been a literal nightmare for millions of people who have lost jobs in the U.S. It’s been heartbreaking to see and speak with so many people who are out of work not by their own choice. These people are all hard-working and industrious, but because of the greed and poor decisions of others, they are now struggling to survive.

Today I spoke with a candidate who studied business in college, worked in sales for many years, but was laid off last year and is struggling to find a new job in a state with a depressed economy. Because I do a lot of recruiting in the healthcare industry, he asked me if it was a good idea to maybe go back to school to pursue a degree in some field of healthcare. I suggested that if he had a real interest in this field, there certainly are many job opportunities in certain areas of healthcare.

Although there are no guarantees of anything lasting forever, I can say that the healthcare field, in general, will always be an area that will be in high demand for, well…as long as we live. And as a front lines Recruiter, I can clearly see there is a huge shortage of healthcare workers, particularly in the fields of nursing, rehabilitation therapy (i.e, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Language Pathology), and healthcare informatics / technology.

But more than the need for healthcare workers is the need for healthcare workers in rural areas. Many of the facilities that I work with are in rural parts of the United States. Here is where the true demand is. While many cities that grew too fast and are now faced with a down economy, the healthcare needs in rural America still remain.

Perhaps a down economy and a shift away from consumerism will help this need. Maybe some healthcare workers who are finding the job market in the cities no longer desirable will consider relocating to areas that are a bit slower-paced, but where perhaps their skills will be valued more.

There’s no doubt that 2009 will be a year of changes for many. But amidst the cutbacks, downsizing, and layoffs, there are windows of opportunity. These windows may be small at times, but if we are vigilant, we can find them.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes by Mark Victor Hansen, the Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker and Chicken Soup for the Soul Author:

It doesn’t matter what is happening to the economy, government or your industry; it matters what is going on in your imagination. If you’ve got a rich imagination you’re going to have a rich experience.

May we all have a rich experience in 2009.

One of my favorite shows on television right now is DAMAGES on the FX Network. If you’re into legal dramas and murder mysteries, DAMAGES is all of that and more.

The show stars Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, the all-powerful attorney with a mysterious past, and Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons, the young, smart attorney whose personal life gets caught up in the complex world of high-stakes litigation. In addition, the ensemble includes a whole host of intriguing characters played by excellent actors including Ted Danson and Tate Donovan. The second season adds William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant, and Marcia Gay Harden.

When the show ran its first season last year, it had me hooked from the opening sequence. An eerie score combined with haunting images immediately gives this sense of impending doom. Using a story structure that jumps back and forth in time, you are shown what has happened and what led to that point. The many questions that run through your mind as the story unfolds are answered only to have more questions pop up while you’re watching. It’s like reading a good mystery novel.

Now here’s the good news. Thanks to the Internet, you can catch up on all 13 episodes from Season One. And you can watch the current Season Two episodes a week after they’ve aired. The full episodes can be seen on the FX website or on Hulu.

Here’s a clip recapping Season One (warning: some graphic images and a commercial).

[2009/10/08 Update: Removed the previous clip since it was no longer available on hulu.com. Replaced it with the Season 2 trailer. The 3rd and final season will most likely start in January 2010. Here's a recent article about new cast members.]