THE Post Peak Employment Thread (merged)

[Granny-May]

[quote="Trab"]I've thought of a new industry that will likely be in high demand for the coming decades: deconstruction.[quote="Trab"]

I love this idea, but it's already in full swing with deconstructing old manufacturing facilities to reclaim old growth timber, deconstructing old farm facilities to reclaim old barn board and timbers, pulling old growth logs from rivers, deconstructing old over-grown summer homes in the NE to salvage architecural items to be resold to embelish modern homes that have no heart. It is being done now with lots of competition.

Demolition and salvage is not a new industry, but it can be a lucrative one. Just think of auto junk yards; they charge you to haul away the heap then sell parts from the wreck then crush the wreck and sell it for scap metal

I still think this is a vocation of the future. So many more things will fall into neglect that it is inevitable that someone will pickup the pieces. The questions are when and how to set up to make the most of the opportunity.

Continuing on this idea is that you could work in deconstructing bad buildings and reconstruct to buildings that work in the new world.

Please forgive me for being a scavenger by nature/nurture.

-Charlotte

[yeti]

My work is related to hydropower (where we get 99% of our
electricity from here).
I'm staying put

[Pops]

Bump (02)

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

I found out there is a course here in my new home town for traditional chinese medicine (acupuncture and herbology) I am thinking aobut seeing if I can get the funding to go back to school. Its either that or I am thinking about going back into corrections.... Either will probably be good Peak occupations.

Instead of their being jails up here they will probably go to probation officers supervising clients in the town instead of sending them to jails elsewhere.

[macchendra]

Hemp Fiber Production
-------->Decorticator Equipment Manufacturing
-------->Paper manufacturing
-------->-------->windmill for ozone bleach
-------->-------->fungi to clean dioxin
-------->Printing
-------->-------->P.O. Printing Equipment
-------->Publishing
-------->-------->Pens (the inkwell variety)
-------->-------->Ink Source
-------->-------->Shorthand Recording
-------->Library
-------->-------->Accessible to all, near publishers.
-------->-------->Originals and copies for all manuscripts.
-------->Textile manufacturing
Operating a Fruit Orchard
-------->Solar Powered Dehydrators
Operating Winery
Operating Nut Orchard
Fungi Farm
-------->Edible Mushrooms
-------->"Spore Bank"
-------->Innoculating Medium
-------->Mychorrizal Fungi
-------->Solar Compost Sterilizer
Many Many Farms
-------->Mini Seed Banks
-------->Developers of Strains
-------->Diversity is key
Fish Farming?
BeeKeeping
-------->Wax
-------->Honey
-------->Candles
Soap Making
Blacksmithing
-------->Tools
-------->Replacement Parts
Charcoal Production (for water purification)
-------->Solar Oven
Concrete manufacturing
-------->Solar Tube Oven (in parabola of mirrors)
-------->Limestone quarry
-------->Rail transportation
Masonry
Biodiversity University
-------->Biology
-------->Biochemistry
-------->Chemistry
-------->Farming/Permaculture
-------->Seed Bank
-------->"Spore Bank"
-------->Johhy Appleseed Projects
-------->Reforestation Projects
-------->Refungalization Projects
-------->Myco Remediation Projects
-------->Hazardous Waste Mapping
-------->Resource Mapping
-------->Resource Monitoring
Banking/Minting
-------->Record Keeping
-------->Administration
-------->Safekeeping
Lumber Mill
-------->Requires Woodworking Tools
Furniture Production
Boat Production
Wooden Tools and Tool-Parts
-------->Wheelbarrows
-------->Barrels
Rail Transportation Connecting "Heavy" (at least for P.O.) Industry
-------->Horse paths on either side
Public Canal System Interrconnecting Farms
Flea Market Hub
Consignment Facilities
Hemp Flower Production
Hemp Oil Production
Electrical Manufacturing
-------->Motor Repair
-------->Generator Repair
-------->Copper Wire Supplies/Scavenging
-------->Permanent Magnet Supplies/Scavenging
-------->Tungsten Heating Elements/Scavenging
Glassworks
-------->Jars
-------->Bottles
Metalurgy?
Ironworks
-------->Railcar wheels
-------->Parts for tools.
-------->barrel bands
-------->nail production
-------->Cookware
-------->Large bells important

Bicycle Maintanence/Scavenging

Road production
Census and Mapping

[Bytesmiths]

Hemp Fiber Production... Paper manufacturing... Library... Operating a Fruit Orchard... Fungi Farm... BeeKeeping... Charcoal Production... Concrete manufacturing... Biodiversity University... Boat Production... Electrical Manufacturing... Glassworks... Ironworks... Bicycle Maintanence/Scavenging... Census and Mapping... <i>[much good stuff left out]</i>

Hey David, is this your resume? If so, want to join an ecovillage? :-)

[IslandCrow]

Medical Doctor for sure.

???? Years ago the British Medical Profession did a report on what might be needed after a Nuclear War. To their credit, the doctors said that they would be quite useless as they would not have the facilites that they were used to. They rated nursed and abulance workers as being more useful than doctors post nuclear. I guess the same would apply if there was a hard crash.

[Pops]

Update no. 4 (I think)

Not really sure where to put this but since I always say to diversify your income I’ll stick it here. It dawned on me that today was the example of what I was trying to accomplish in that direction.

Early today (in bed keeping warm) I though about what I would do today and the first thing was to work on the big steer's water. I have a line going to the fence with a freeze-proof spigot installed and have sunk a trough about 18” down to help keep the water warm, so I decided to make a short hose with a quick connect to hook to the float valve. Now I can leave it hooked to the valve when the weather is nice and easily disconnect from the valve and just use the hose when its cold.

As I did that Susan did outside chores.

Income from feeder cattle – job one.


Then I came into the office and made arrangements to have a proof of a brochure delivered to a client – the printer and client are 1500 miles away.

As I did that Susan did inside chores.

Income from graphics – job two.


So then I fiddled around a while and then went off to do a little remodel job we have going. Nothing big, just a couple of rooms in an old Victorian – Susan and I finished hanging drywall today; we’ll start taping tomorrow.

Income from odd jobs – job three.


So then we came home and while Susan again feed and watered the critters – and as it was getting dark, I built some raised beds in the garden using an old corn planter I jiggered with, pulled behind the tractor.

Income (or at least less expenses) from the garden – job four.


Finally when I got in the house I took a few more whacks at a neighbors computer that ain’t computing.

Income (or at least a favor) from fixing computers – job five.


I guess that's kind of what I mean when I say learning new skills ain't a bad thing.

[dbarberic]

There is always the "worlds oldest profession".....

If you know what I mean....

[foodnotlawns]

Turning crops into Likker is going to be a good job. I got a packet of sugar beet seeds adn some Turbo yeast.

One of my heroes is Joe Kennedy, along with Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford. Joe made his fortune from turning crops into Likker and selling it to rich people.

[Doly]

What's likker?

[skyemoor]

What's likker?

liquor

[PrairieMule]

I'm still weekend warrioring one weekend a month as a ranch hand. I got a 14"Poulan Gas Chainsaw for Christmas. Even if Gas or Deisel goes up to $20 a gallon I would pay it. I am still amazed how much work 3 gallons of deisel and a John Deer tractor will do. I have been stuck out in the sticks twice in my life during icestorms, the chainsaw is one of a ranchers best tools.

[WanderingArcher]

Well, I guess my current job as a consultant would go down the toilet with PO.

If I had a choice, the best PO jobs would be the following:

1. Landlord

2. Weapons Manufacturer


Both jobs would have relatively high pay-offs, plus a great deal of social status.

[handforged]

basicly if you can provide items that fill basic needs requirements: food, shelter, clothing, entertainment (music, drugs or alcohol, "companionship", ect) or items that enhance or enrich these basic needs you have a more secure future. don't think in terms of being employed, think of being self-employed.

i suggest having multiple job skills. perhaps planning on a job for the decline (such as the wind engineer), and something post collapse such as a broom maker/soap maker/ect. a lot of the decline jobs require some sort of manufacturing base and modern equipment. they also require a desire and need to continue our present lifestyles uninterrupted. that trend will continue for a while but it'll be phased out as our only-made-to-past the warantee-and-then-break manufacturing philosophy comes back to haunt us. i feel we should use what we can from our present society, but have the wisdom to abandon it when it is no longer an advantage.

post-collapse, any tax collectors, regulators, politicians, or other societal leeches should be disregarded as compost. i, personally, have had more than enough of our government, its hangers on, and its constant regulation of me. i am the adult of our species, dang it! if i am not hurting anyone or anything else then leave me alone.

if you have a usefull skill or the ability to learn a skill, i want to be your neighbor. if you have no skills and no desire/ability to learn any, you are a threat to my survival as you are depleting tenuous resources. i admit i'm a tad militant, but i also feel that a candid look at the people around you will make you realize how useless and stupid most people are. cold and harsh, i know, but justified. FAR too many people are only good at managing managers, shuffling paper, and kissing butt. they won't be able to make the mental leap back a century or 5. and not everyone can survive anyway, so it makes logical sense to help anyone who can help you.

personally, i'm a horticulturalist by vocation, but a farmer, blacksmith, and general handyman/laborer by advocation.

but i do believe that after the turmoil settles down, a risky but profitable job is a trader. being near a navagatable river allows you the opportunity to trade with distant people. certain items will only be able to be gotten this way. it'll be risky, but profitable.

[NoOilinTarHeels]

Any thoughts on how the recycling industry might fair. I own a recyling collection and processing facility. We collect plastic,glass & metal bottles and cans; cardboard, mix paper and newspaper. We seperate and bail the stuff and ship out tractor trailer loads usually within 200 miles of our facility. We employee around 40 people and process around 1,000 tons of material a month.
On face value I think this may be a business to be in, however if there is a major economic meltdown there may not be any materials left to collect. ie If the grocery stores are empty there won't be any containers to collect. Same kind of thing for paper.
I guess it might be different it was a relatively slow decline. I'm not sure it will happen that. I kind of picture a domino effect that occurs rather quickly.
I'm wondering if I should cash my chips in and take the money and prepare for the worst. I have another business that I spend most of my time in. I audit electric bills for potential rate changes that reduce customers expenses and market a load management system for residences.
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this scenario.
Anyone know how quick things happened in the Great Depression?
Wasn't it literally overnight?

[Pops]

Seems like you have several good business NoO – especially in light of PO. I try not to forecast the future and certainly would not presume to advise you on business plans but I do not believe (on most days anyway) that things will just up and stop overnight.

I see lots of public service announcements on how to save energy already; our electric co-op has articles in their newsletter every month on the same. Seems you are set up to profit well from increased rates.

As far as recycling, it seems that the more expensive oil gets, the more valuable recycled plastic will be – I could be wrong, as I know nothing about the business.

[truecougarblue]

When my grandfather 4 generations back came out west from Illinois to the wilderness of the great basin one of the first things he did to earn hard cash was making charcoal. This was before the transcontinental railroad and virtually everthing used in the territory was made there.

He leased a timber lot from an aquaintance and set up a large oven. I think he even paid the landlord in charcoal. If memory serves me correct they would process about 1 cord weekly this way. I believe the profit comes from the effect of increasing the energy density of the wood.

He earned enough from this to sustain his family through 2 winters and then had cash to purchase a better farm in a more hospitable valley.

I agree with those who say that one should learn a broad scope of skills while being carefull to avoid the trap of "jack of all trades, master of none". As I've stated on other threads the most valuable member of any community is the one who can help other people progress. The people who become survivalist hermits will most likely be seen by the community as dangerous and will be shunned and/or hated.

Make what is left of your life a mission to help others succeed and you will succeed, peak oil or no. That especially goes for the yutes on this thread that bitch and moan about lack of opportunity. Get off the couch, step away from the computer, put down your doobie, and do something usefull. Today!!!

[MadMarcus]

In the short to medium term I'd say teaching is a very good career / job.

1. Its portable - pick your location
2. It seems likely that our Western society will attempt to stay "normal" as long as possible. Government will not give up quickly on education - the salaries might not be terrific but I expect it will stay in existance
3. Summers off currently allowing time to work on other projects.

In all but the worst scenarios I expect there to be a continued feeling that education (reading, writing, math, science, some history) is a good thing.

[ThePostman]

Best job would probably be an electrician or mechanic who has the skill set required to create or maintain alternative energy sources, especially PV and wind.
I like the professional trader idea too, someone with connections to find you what you need, sort of the human version of Ebay.
That's what I'd try to be in a post PO world, it would help assure you get what you need too. Maybe used car sales people would be good at that.

I think being a fishermen might be better than a farmer. Of course you'd probably have to do it either on shore or with a sailboat but what value can you place on bringing home the best protein possible?

Hmmm, worst job? How about Astronaut, Airline Pilot or Race car driver, (or any professional driver for that matter).