Idea for unemployed DUers:

[Brigid]

Have you considered HVAC training? I don't know how long it takes, but I do know this: I had a new AC installed today, and the HVAC tech says they are extremely busy.

[Shagbark Hickory]

1. Training costs monay.

bay bay.

[rucky]

2. Check the Community Colleges

They all have certification programs - in my area, at least.

[Horse with no Name]

3. If you are receiving unemployment in Texas anyway

This is one of the programs they will pay for retraining in.

[JuniperLea]

4. That really is a brilliant idea!

Anything climate related is going to go gangbusters over the next few years!

Drought resistant gardens and yards... insulation... windows and doors... this list is just off the top of my head. I'm sure we could all come up with dozens of things.

Heating a swimming pool will become a thing of the past... there may be other industries that need to find a new direction.

[demmiblue]

5. Last year, the heating and cooling company I relied on for almost two decades folded.

A couple years before this, they reduced their workforce dramatically due to the economy.

:shrug:

[elocs]

6. Good idea, but with only 3 years left to retirement I'm not interested in training for anything.

I'm going to coast the best I can to the finish line.

[zalinda]

7. My son can't drive

which knocks out many, many jobs. His vision is just good enough that he can't be declared legally blind. He has only one eye that he can see out of, which moves in a figure 8 motion. He has to concentrate to be able to stop the motion, but that is difficult to do. Needless to say, he has problems with his fine and gross motor skills too.

Because of the back lighting, the only thing that is easy to read is a computer screen. He did computer support for a while until it went bye-bye. He has done some web sites, but these are few and far between. I'm not even sure he could do some types of physical labor since he doesn't have good balance, because of his eyes.

zalinda

[Fumesucker]

8. HVAC service is a young person's game to a big extent..

If you have heat tolerance issues like a lot of older people it's physically very stressful to work where the AC is always broken. Around here the AC is often in the attic which can be 120F or more easily, not to mention you're often crawling in fiberglass insulation.

Also too, electromechanical troubleshooting is not something you're going to pick up in a few months, it really takes a certain mindset and a great deal of experience to be truly good at it.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. But JuniperLea's idea strikes me as a good one--

Green energy, insulation, water capture, etc. Like maybe just getting used plastic food-grade bbls & making rain bbls out of them. I just bought 2 like that for $50 apiece, since I think it's gonna be a dry summer for our garden and I want to even out the seasonal distribution of water a little. Not that 110 gallons will amount to much, but I don't have a lot of time to fool with stuff like that just now & at least it's a start.

[Historic NY]

9. Damn you "global warming".

:fistbump: