Hey Jobcasers,

I just want to talk about something that I feel isn't really understood by a lot of people looking for their next employment opportunity. It's a simple idea, but it may seem radical, even contradictory to everything we've been taught: Opportunity isn't scarce.

You may be thinking that I'm a fool and that's a valid reaction, but just listen to what I have to say. Economically speaking, everything from our allotment of time on Earth to the number of jobs on the market is scarce and that's not what I'm disputing. I'm disputing the idea that we're limited in opportunities by the field we're in.

I've seen it frequently that a lot of highly qualified people are unable to find work in their field, sometimes due to no fault of their own.

Most people say keep looking, keep looking, keep looking, you'll break in somehow.

I disagree.

Quit looking for work in your field if you can't find it.

Start looking for work in an adjoining field or look for a lower-level position. Let me give an example:

You're 22 years old, you've got a BBA in Operations Management, and no work experience.

You're not finding much in the way of Management-level positions in Supply Chain Management.

So you've got two choices: Either look for something in an adjoining field or look for a lower-level position.

So let's say you do both, because you're a proactive go-getter hungry to cut your teeth in the workforce and you have two positions available:

I. Purchasing Assistant - You'd be in Supply Chain Management, but at the bottom rung of the ladder.

II. Account Manager - You'd be in the Sales Department and also at the bottom rung of the ladder.

So which do you choose?

It really depends on what you're looking for. With the former, you're going to refine and hone your skills in Operations and eventually move up from Purchasing Assistant into more senior roles. With the latter, you're going to diversify your skillset and learn how to handle clients and to generate revenue for the company.

Whoever you are, wherever you are in your professional career, you can always learn more and while there is a scarcity of jobs in the world (especially in single fields when we target them), we can always learn from whatever employment opportunity we currently are engaged in.

I say this as someone who has worked Retail and Hospitality and is looking to move into Human Resources. One may think that my previous work experience is irrelevant and while it's true that it's highly unlikely I'll be offering my advice on wine pairings in a professional setting once I complete the transition, that doesn't mean that my time was wasted. It was just utilized in a different way and it offered me different opportunities to learn and develop myself.

Don't ever be afraid to humble yourself and start at the bottom of a field you have no experience in (even if you have a degree in it) and equally so, don't ever be afraid to explore new opportunities to diversify your skillset and develop new lenses through which to look at problems you're facing and will face in the future.

Opportunity is the one thing I can say isn't scarce, as long as we're humble enough to look for it even in places we wouldn't otherwise give a second thought.

Thanks for reading,

Gage Cherry