If you have decided to start reading this article, please do me a favor and note the date. I’m writing this in 2014. Can I safely assume it is 2014 where you are living as well?
This question may seem a little strange to you, but in now almost 14 years of working with foreigners who want help with a way to legitimately support themselves in the Philippines, so they can come here and live happily,I have found that a HUGE percentage of the folks I talk to are somehow in a “time warp” or living somewhere where the calendar is still stuck back in the last millennium.
Let me tell you about a few examples I have been contacted about and what I suggest. None of these examples might actually fit you personally, but perhaps they will give you some ideas that can help you somehow “time travel” from wherever the heck you are “stuck” into the present.
Dilemma One: Finding a Job When You’re Over 55
Let’s say there is a fellow named Joe. Joe is a degreed engineer. In fact he holds two different masters degrees in the engineering field and has held down engineering jobs for over 35 years. He was planning on retiring from his very nicely paid job come about 2014 or 2015 and moving to the Philippines to live on his (expected) generous pension.
Well, last year Joe’s company lost a big contract, they are now in bankruptcy court and one of the ways they chose to help cut essences was to give Joe and many of his workmates their “walking papers”.
Wow. 55+ years old, no job and now, quite likely, no pension at all or a greatly reduced pension … pennies on the dollar. Here’s kind of a synopsis/composite of the fictional person I am calling Joe and some of the things he told me:
- At my age, who is going to hire me? I have applied for over a thousand jobs in the last two years and once they review my employment history, it stops there.
- Now at age 55 I am having a hard time getting an interview.
- I have well over 25 years experience and probably forgot more than most college graduates will ever know. I have a hard time even getting an interview. I find my age (58) to be the biggest problem.
- I have worked all my life since the age of 15. I served my country during the Vietnam War, earned my Bachelor’s Degree and two Master’s degrees and I can’t find work now.
Just recently I received a message from Joe that sent a chill up and down my spine, he signed off with this line:
“It becomes more and more obvious that death is the only way out of unemployment.”
My goodness, Joe, that’s scary as hell. You don’t need a suicide prevention hot line, you need a dose of reality.
Joe, You Don’t NEED to be Employed! You Have Value Far, Far Beyond Whatever Job Someone May Offer You!
The experiences Joe detailed above are all too real and all too true in 2014. People are going to take one look at Joes education and employment history and be, at the least, intimidated.
I mean, seriously, if you were a 40-something mid-level exec and had Joe’s resume land on your desk, would you jump at the chance to hire him?
Laws or no laws regarding age discrimination (remember I’m very close to turning 69 myself), I wouldn’t touch Joe with a ten foot pole for a corporate job at a level below mine.
I’d have to be crazy.
- Either his performance is going to so far exceed my won that I’m going to wind up losing my job to him,
- Or, (very likely),Joe will be one of my most troublesome, least productive employees, because every time I give an instruction I am going to have to listen to a mini-dissertation about “How e did it back in the Apollo Space Program days.
Sorry. Been there, done that, ain’t gonna happen.
Take a look again at Joe’s first bullet point:
….. I have applied for over a thousand jobs in the last two years and once they review my employment history, it stops there. …..
An engineer should be familiar with a famous quote that has long been attributed to Albert Einstein:
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
Enough already. Start doing something that works Joe.
You have a lifetime of knowledge locked up in that brain of yours and you are desperately trying to get people who are way below your level of expertise to be able to recognize it.
One Possible Solution (not even Internet-based):
Read the article I published a few days ago about a legitimate, legal business for sale here in the Philippines. It’s netting about $7,000 USD a month without even any effort to improve it or make it grow. If this particular one isn’t up to your standards, keep looking, there are others for sure.
- No resumes
- No interviews and best of all,
- No “begging”.
This model can be repeated over and over by anyone who understands business, hiring, supervision, corporate requirements, etc. Many Americans will literally “fly off the handle” when someone mentions outsourcing jobs overseas.
Well, why not be the one who outsources them instead of bitching about what is, after all, the realities of life today?
As I mentioned earlier, this business isn’t even computer or internet-based. If you can mange people and accomplish work you have contracted for,you can get by with nothing more than a telephone, email and a fax machine.
Another Easy To Understand Example:
A blogging colleague of mine, Pat Flynn, was a bright young architect, just out of grad school (with who knows how many thousands and thousands of student loans to pay back), when his brand new, top-tier architectural firm laid him off. Bang. Surprise. What to do now.
Well Pat wasn’t even thirty at the time the hammer dropped on him, so he could be forgiven if he had starred wearing out shoes and started “begging” for a job.
But Pat had something gong for him aside from his degree. He had taken an industry specific “green” exam called the “LEED Exam” and Pat’s classmates and friend often asked to borrow Pat’s well written notes to study from.
So Pat, hearing about this thing called the Internet, put up a very simple website and started selling these notes to people who wanted to sit for the exam.
Pat now makes a rather substantial six-figure income from another internet-based business which he runs, but this “Green Exam” site has been earning a steady $3,000 plus USD per month for 4 or 5 years now.
Maybe You Have No Technical Knowledge
You’d be surprised how many people I am in contact with who are in their ‘50’s or even ‘60’s, like our friend Joe, above, who say to me, essentially, “I don’t know anything”. In other words, they finished school, perhaps served time in the military, got a job, got married, bought a home, lived a life of some degree of success, and are now entering their “Golden Years” … and they know nothing?
Come on, folks, give yourself some credit, please?
This article is getting long already, so let’s look at a relatively simple example. It _IS_ Internet-based, but don’t let that throw you off, you can start something like this almost from free, turn-key programs. The money isn’t being made from computer or Internet skills, it’s being made by relating to and interfacing with people who have interest in a hobby. (and a hint to my Filipino readers, this site is 100% Filipino owned and operated).
Take a look at http://www.motorcyclephilippines.com/ . It’s kind of like a special-interest Facebook for motorcycle geeks, right. There’s no “rocket science” involved.
And, although the current owner is a very technically oriented guy, he doesn’t work on the site much at all. He has some other, much bigger properties that occupy him, and he hires out the running of this motorcycle site to a small team of Filipino enthusiasts.
I’m showing you this site because the story behind it is so interesting. The present owner operates a small hosting business, one of those sites where you can buy server space to start your own web site.
One of his clients, (a Norwegian fellow I believe), rented server space and started “Motor Cycles Philippines” some years ago … mainly because he was a foreigner living in the Philippines and he happened to love motorcycles.
After operating the site for some years, he had thousands and thousands of visitors per day but he wasn’t interested in making money from his hobby, so one day when his server subscription was due, he told the hosting service owner, “hey I’m tired of running this site, just take it down when the lease expires.”
After double checking to be sure the site founder really meant to give it up, my Filipino friend just transferred ownership to himself and started selling advertising (eyeballs viewing ads) and building out the site exactly as you might build out a real-world motorcycle shop or club.
The rest Is history. By independent valuation methods, I believe this site nets … profit that is … at least $200 USD per day. That’s around $70,000 USD per year, folks. Most foreigners (not to mention Filipinos I know) could do very nicely living here on $70k USD per year. I know I certainly could.
And what would you have to do to earn this? Well talk about motorcycles, argue about motorcycles,write about things to do with motorcycles … and send eyeballs to advertisers.
You still think you know nothing?
There Are Many, Many More Way To Share Your Knowledge. Consider Your Worth Before You Roll Over and Play Dead:
How many exams and special designations related to the engineering field do you suppose Joe knows about, and knows well. Instead of a “jobless” 60-year-old Joe could be making decent coin off his specialty knowledge and he could be doing it back in the USA, or here in the Philippines just as well.
Don’t sell yourself short, my friends, especially my older friends. You do NOT need a job to move to, live in , and be happy in the Philippines.
Dave. I’m managing to pay my own bills by doing remote development and consulting work with US-based clients and so far, it’s working out fine. All the same, I really appreciate your encouragement to folks like us – and those seeking more answers to this dilemma.
Too often, we think too small, because we were raised to be modest in our expectations of life. Meanwhile, others (usually jerks, it seems) with a fraction of the talent and insight but full of moxie grab for the gold ring and get it time and again! Action counts more than talent every time, but it’s a tough lesson to learn for a “more experienced” generation.
This insight doesn’t just apply here in the Philippines, but also back “home” wherever that may be. The economy has changed and will continue to do so – and it’s to our advantage if we only adapt our internal dialog and expectations. It’s nice to get a reminder for the sake of my own motivation that the world is full of opportunity and there is no time like the present to take charge of our own lives. Cheers!
@ John Weeks
Thanks for sharing, John. And let me know if I can help you in any way with marketing/expanding your “remote consulting” efforts. I was so glad to see this comment come in first, as my whole purpose was not to promote any one strategy, but to make people who are “stuck” in the last century “wake up”, whatever their age, and move their lives (and their hopes) forward. Best of luck to you and all others who are moving forward rather than wearing out shoe leather to no purpose.
Wow! Truly challenging realistic points.
@ Arjho Carino Turner
Thanks for the kind words. But if you really want to pay me a complement, don’t just read, DO.
Where do I sign up???
@ Thom Sisson
I don’t quite follow, Thom. People should be signing up with you. Don’t “sign up” to follow, stick your neck out and take the lead.
As always Dave, your rock!
@ Jamie
Thanks, but actually I basically predate rock and roll ;-). But be the youngest MIND in the room, and actual age becomes just a number on the calendar
Hey Dave,
This article is spot on. I love it!
Riley Jackson
Thanks for the kind words, Riley, but if you really want to give pay me complement, take action and tell me about it. That would be worth a word of kind words world to me. Only the lead dog ever gets a new view
Hmm… Did you read the article, Thom Sisson?
Yes I read it. I actually said that with some sarcasm. Thats why I put multiple ???. LOL
I see… Maybe a smiley face or wink would have been more understandable. For me anyway.
Sorry bout that, I forget that my style of sarcasm isn’t read the same way in other parts of the world. I will have to do better.
@ Thom Sisson
Now that I have had a few days to let the sting go away, perhaps you will share with me why the article prompted you to sarcasm?
If you have an honest disagreement with one or more of my points, then have the courtesy to bring it up .. I’ll be happy to discuss points raised and even make corrections or retractions if I made any errors of fact.
But to ridicule me via (clumsy) sarcasm … well, I’m really mystified? If you didn’t like the article, why didn’t you just hit and leave it at that? What did I ever do to insult you or ridicule you? Surely you can contribute more to the discussion than that? Yes?
Dave
I can sympathise with Joe as I am a 50 year old engineer currently seeking work but enjoying an extended break in PI.
One thing that gets me in engineering these days, probably true for many industries, is that it is run by inexperienced graduate engineers who leave college one day then get placed on one project and the next project they are project manager.
Life is very frustrating when I am called to meetings by these “project managers” to give the benefit of my 30+ years experience and they shoot you down because you don’t give the answer that they or the budget demands. We then do study upon study wasting the budget further to prove that I was right in the first place on a problem that could have been solved in 5 minutes if they had listened.
I love my job because it takes me to some wonderful parts of the world but frustration fills an ever longer part of each day. Some say that I should just toe the line and take the money but I am one weird individual in that I have pride in my work, do my job with a passion and care about the results and my reputation.
Another frustration is that agencies always put “degree qualified” in the adverts, even for the more remedial engineering jobs. Accepted that some countries have this as a visa requirement but only a few in my experience and mainly in the Middle East. Perhaps I should get a certificate printed at Tibungo market!
There now, that feels better. Rant over!
Come on Manny.
Cheers
AJ UK
@ AJ UK
I could have written your rant myself, a few years ago when I got smart and gave up the corporate/government political battle. The good part about moving into 21st century thinking is, one never has to worry about the last century “project manager” types. Fighting that sort of a battle is nothing but swindling yourself .. or so this old man opines.
“Come on Manny.”
Yes, indeed! Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao!
Once again, you have the Filipino people whole-heartedly abuzzed of joy and to celebrate for sure with that win last night against Timothy Bradley! Bring out that karaoke machine and San Miguel! Awesome! Haha! LOL!
excellent article
Hi Dave
Despite the “optimistic” rhetoric coming strait from the top, it’s becoming harder and harder to get by for most Americans. I didn’t mean impossible, just VERY HARD! Therefore I must congratulate you for trying to encourage those who are seeking work.
The situation is indeed very bleak. No progress since the depression of 2008!
STAGNATION would be the best word to use to describe it but realistically we all know that instead of improving the economy has deeply deteriorated.
Unfortunately, very few people are interested to know the roots of the problems, that’s why I wish Bob would have the COURAGE to write a honest article about it.
THE WAKE-UP ARTICLE.
Don’t get me wrong Bob, I am very much aware of what’s going-on and what’s coming,
It’s for your readers, I believe that many would benefit.
Wow!
You read this as encouraging job seekers? Nothing could be farther from the truth … my message is STOP lowering yourselves seeking those “good jobs” with “good pay” that are not there any more … and are not coming back,either. A 50 or 60 year old man should build his own income rather than relying on last century’s life model .. that way is dead and gone.
I must have really hit a new low in clarity .. or maybe you just skimmed through it?. Give it another try and see if it reads differently to you. One way or the other, we did NOT “connect” at all. Sorry for any part of that which I caused.
Palawan Bob, frankly I feel insulted for you to say that I lack the courage to write a certain article. If you are so passionate and knowledgeable on the topic, why don’t YOU write an article? Maybe it is you who lacks the courage?
@PalawanBob “situation is indeed very bleak” really? Why? Are you looking for a job? Bob writes clear and honest articles on how you and anybody else can earn a living here in the Philippines. Same goes for Dave.
Thanks, Sugar.
Yes, thanks for the kind words as well
Hi Dave,
I found your article very clear. You were talking about making money by thinking outside the box. I don’t think you really even talked about working a job. My understanding is foreigners are not allowed to work unless it is a job that a Filipino could not do.
Jay
yes it’s true that Filipino jobs are to a;large degree not available to foreigners. But that should be the least of anyone’s worries.
This article was written as much for my Filipino friends and readers as for the foreigners in the audience.
That’s why one of my examples is a 100% Filipino founded and operated money-making business … but NOT a job. Jobs are a sucker bet … like being addicted to crack. They basically can only end badly.
Reference: http://philfaqs.com/10-reasons-you-dont-want-a-job-in-the-philippines/
Good article, but I have to disagree with you on that last comment. “Jobs are a sucker bet … like being addicted to crack. They basically can only end badly”
I have a good job with benefits in Manila. Yes it may end, but so may being self employed. Saying my work is for suckers is demeaning to me and countless others who do live and work in the Philippines.
@ Don
Well I am sorry you chose to take personally what was commentary on the way the world (n my view) has changed. That’s a hazard one faces when voicing an opinion ,,, someone will always take offence.
You are certainly free to write an opposing view … especially if you are going to talk about “good jobs in Manila with benefits” … a goal which seems so unattainable to so many.
But be sure to address my main point … whatever you are making in salary, your employer is making approximately three times as much … or s/he wouldn’t have hired you. If your feel is that being paid 1/3 of what you are worth makes good sense, I’m certainly happy to listen to your reasoning.
I apologize for suing the word “sucker”, but I still say your math is unsound.
As they say about exceptions, they prove the rule. You are in an exceptional position indeed, and I wish you well, but I’m still going to counsel the “Joe’s” of the world who have pounded the pavement for two years “seeking the Unicorn” that they are pursuing last century’s dream. They may. occasionally, win the lottery, but ..
The fact that Doyle Brunson won two WSOP Main Events with a 10-2 starting hand does not change the fact that odds-wise, the 10-2 was a very poor bet.
Be well
“I apologize for suing the word “sucker”, but I still say your math is unsound.”
You replied that my math is unsound? Where did I put any numbers up?
I actually work for a development agency, we do not make loads of money off the staff but pass it through to the borrowers as low cost loans and/or grants. We have over 2000 staff, about a 1/3 are expats. I came over 3 years ago and we are constantly hiring. Hardest part is giving up a career in commercial to do work in development and try to make good in the world. So in Manila, there are many jobs if you have the right background, but I know Manila is a turn off for many.
Don – To work in Manila is not a turn off for me. I think it’s an adventure. I would LOVE to work there if I could. Btw, a regular writer for LiP works for a company that employs expats. And, you, as I understand, is a supervisor for a company that employs expats. Same company?
As far as I know there is no “regular writer” on LiP who is employed in any type of job in the Philippines. We have had writers in the past who had jobs, but none that I can think of who were employed by companies in the Philippines.
The numbers I was referring to are the odds .. the odds of success in following the last century plan of seeking a job versus earning what you’re worth.
But I see now that we are dealing with apples and oranges here. You are working for an organization that is transferring wealth to entities less fortunate … nothing at all wrong with that, in fact it is most likely commendable .. but, as you state yourself, it is outside the realm of the commercial world which most of us live in.
Also, as a general comment on working in Makati. I have nothing at all against Makati … my wife worked there for years with a very good firm, and I have many friends there … but to work in Makati and not live there … as we choose not to … you likely spend 60 pus hours a week in order to get 40 hours of work in.
I’m also going to make a wild guess that you are not the target of the article … a fellow like “Joe”, 55 plus with no other income except the “job” he desperately searches for.
Like everything else in life, what you do and what I do are a matter of choice … don’t take things which are not directed personally at you so personal. Just because you had a winning ticket in the “job lottery” does not make basing one’s life on winning such a lottery a “bad bet”, mathematically .. especially for those over 50 who have been working in the same industry (often for the same employer) for 30 or 40 years and then are thrown out on the street.
I was thinking of Sugar. I picked up bits and pieces of her posts, and I came to understand that she is employed by a company that employs expats, same as Don.
Hi John,
I got the impression that Sugar worked at a Filipino version of Sam’s Club or Costco. That is my memory although I am not sure.
Don’t get insulted Bob, that’s not my intention.
These days it takes BIG COURAGE in capital letters to explain what’s going on.
Open YouTube and watch Gerald Calente talk for a few minutes and you’ll quickly understand how much COURAGE it takes.
If that is not enough, there are other people as well, Alex Jones, Paul Craig Roberts, Duff Gordon etc….
There are plenty of articles as well.
Internet is flooded daily by what’s happening in your country. Events that are seldom talked about on CNN or FOX news.
your article was interesting,clear,concise and interesting. not to repeat myself,but thank you very much.
Excellent well written article Dave.
Thanks, Steve
Good points Dave. I’m coming around to your way of thinking. There once was a time when a comfortable future could be had by working for someone else for a long term career. I’m pretty sure those days are gone.
I have a pension to live on, but I won’t turn down extra money. I suspect that most of mine will come from the more 19th century method of selling off my weanling cattle. But, I have Bobs’ book on blogging for money, and will give that a shot.
Take care,
Pete
@ Pete
Like you I have pension income. Actually, quite decent .. so good that Congress discontinued the program I’m under some years ago. pensions are another aspect of the whole “J*OB*” belief system that are going away rapidly.
But to me, even more importantly as we all “the lucky ones, anyway” make it into “retirement age” is the aspect of keeping occupied with something useful. That’s the main reason I have a bunch of on-line activities. I don’t make much money … mainly because I don’t care to work that hard, but it gives me something to look forward to and gets me up in the morning.
I recommend, strongly, that whatever the retirement income one might have, they should do something to “empower” their retirement. One of the most depressing aspects of my (rare) trips back to the USA is the mindset that being older means one is no longer capable. A hundred thousand Americans per month enter the “Baby Boomer” ranks .. and a huge percentage of them have the “:hobby” of whining about how little the government hands out and how hard it is to live well as a ‘senior citizen”.
My answer is simple, but not necessarily easy .. Don’t Despair, Do Something. Personally I will never be retired sitting in a rocker doing nothing. As I age I obviously will get more and more infirm .. and illness may rob me of certain functions, but as long as I can sit p and take nourishment, I’m going to have things to do. IMO. more people should follow that idea. This idea that when we hit a certain age a “switch” turns off and we suddenly become useless and powerless is an artificial construct which is provably wrong.
You are well advised IMO to seek to build up something worthwhile in the cattle business. Beef is ridiculously over-priced here and far too few people ever look into it. There is way, way too little beef being produced to fill the needs of a population of ~100,000,000 people. And I’m going to mention one word .. Beefmaster” and see if it piques your interest.
Bob’s book on blogging is excellent as are most all of his books, but I’ll offer one caution. To start blogging with the goal of making money from blogging itself is probably the most difficult way I can think of to make money through your own efforts on line. In truth, very few people make anything but a pittance from it. BUT to use a blog to promote and advance another business? Ah, then you are on to something my friend.
“Grass fed organic beef custom cut to order, flash frozen and shipped anywhere in the Philippines overnight”?
There’s something to blog about 😉
“You are well advised IMO to seek to build up something worthwhile in the cattle business. Beef is ridiculously over-priced here and far too few people ever look into it. There is way, way too little beef being produced to fill the needs of a population of ~100,000,000 people. And I’m going to mention one word .. Beefmaster” and see if it piques your interest.”
We’re thinking on the same lines here Dave. First thing I noticed was that beef on the hoof cost the same in the Philippines as in Virginia. I’ll need to depend on natural increase to make any profit. I’ve been leaning more toward a Native (Chinese yellow) / Brahman cross. Both are readily available. It could be a chore to keep the genetics strong with a 3 way cross like the Beefmaster, but it is a very interesting possibility. Do you know of any breeding stock available?
“Grass fed organic beef custom cut to order, flash frozen and shipped anywhere in the Philippines overnight”?
There’s something to blog about 😉
At this stage of the game, I’d rather stay on the producer end of that equation. But I’m happy to provide beef to anyone who wants to get into the custom cutting, packing and shipping end of it. And to write all about it of course!
One nickname I have for my wife is “The Eternal Entrepreneur”. She is full of business ideas.
She seems to think that the horses + tourist + mountain trails holds more prospects than the beef cattle. We will see what develops!
Take care,
Pete
If the days of “working for someone else” are truly gone, than the vast majority of the world’s population is screwed. While it is nice to think that anyone with ambition, a business plan, and a bit of smarts can start their own business, I just don’t see how that is realistically sustainable. This would mean the world is comprised of billions of sole-proprietorships. In my opinion, the realistic solution for most people, even professionals is to keep on top of the skills and technologies that are most needed at any given time as to be both employable and indispensable at the same time.
Some excellent thoughts there, Brent. In fact your comment was so good I made a whole article out of it. It will be out in a week or two. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Your article “appeared” in my path today. It is both very interesting and timely, Your articles always challenge me. This time my intention is to do something about it. Even took a look at PhilFaqs and will certainly become a regular.. if for nothing more than the encouragement. Thank you for what you do!
Thanks Roy, that means a lot to me. I am often clumsy with my writing and unfortunately rub some people the wrong way, but I received a lot of positive feedback on this article .. apparently the”I give up, I can’t do it” crowd is not as pervasive as I thought. As we say here in the Philippines, More Power.