It’s no secret. The economy and job market is unstable. From inflation at the grocery store to struggling to find a job, the economy is not doing well and we are all feeling the pinch.

I know that you’ve been wondering…

• How is all of this going to affect me?
• Will I have to go back home without a job?
• How do I pay off my student loans?
• Will I have to end up taking a job that I don’t really want?

All of these questions are valid. I’m no economist, but from what the experts see to be saying is that while things have slowed down, there is stable growth. If you love to get into the details of all the charts and graphs, here are a few articles that you can nerd out on.

• ​The Effect of the Job Market on the Economy​
• ​Understanding America’s Labor Shortage​
• ​Healed from the pandemic, U.S. job market may face fresh wounds from the Fed​

I want to encourage you that not all hope is lost. Making it in America is absolutely possible.

It’s going to take some more work and a different strategy than you might think.

Look, you can’t control world economies. Waiting when everything is perfect is never going to happen. You can only do what you can control.

How do you beat an unstable economy? How do you find a job when everyone around you is struggling?

As a coach that has seen many people like yourself go through this process, hear some ideas that will help you.

🤝 1) Press into community: Networking is now more important than ever. While a good degree from a good school could get you into a lot of places, that’s not the reality anymore. In America, friends hire friends so it’s time to join a club or group where you can meet the people you want to be like.

🎁 2) Give more than you take: Nobody likes being asked for a job. When you do this it seems desperate and weak. Instead, find ways to offer value to the people you want to work with. Share things that you’ve been learning, host a live webinar, give presentations, or volunteer your time for experience. When people are your friend and see what you are able to do, they want to help.

🧠 3) Learn a new skill: There are so many resources, courses, and certifications out there that you can take for free and with little time investment. Is there something that you’ve always wanted to learn, but have been putting off? It’s time to lean into a new passion or skillset. These new skills will open up doors into new communities, companies, and opportunities.

Last year, my friend Vivek landed his dream job at Amazon.

Unfortunately, in the wake of the layoffs, he too was let go. But, just recently he was hired at Walmart! I’ve been following his journey on Linkedin and it's been so encouraging to see how he didn’t give up, pressed into his network, and found a new job.

Here are a handful of things that he did that made a difference:

• Built a supportive community of peers who were also going through the same phase in life.
• Reached out to people in my network and the larger LinkedIn community for advice and support.
• Solved more than 600 business cases in product design, strategy, estimation, market sizing, and consulting.
• Created case frameworks that suited my thought process and personality, which helped me stand out from the competition.
• Took care of his mental health by going for walks across the Lake from his house, doing evening workouts, spending time with friends and family, and weekend hikes with meetup communities across the Pacific Northwest.

Vivek didn’t just sit inside all day by himself but made himself useful, connected with others, and got hired.

There is hope for you and your journey.

Come to America and don’t burden yourself with all the rumors. Work hard, do what you know is right, and press into the Chai & Coaching community.

We’re always here to help!

Cheers ☕

P.S. Do you have worries about your visa and need to talk to a pro? Schedule a conversation with my friends at Argo and they can answer all your visa questions!