Surviving a recession in Seattle

Robert Scoble is posting his helpful hints on how to survive 2008 if there is a recession, given the markets, sub prime issues, and a declining dollar, there is a real chance that growth will stall in 2008. If you feel like reading some sobering headlines check here.

Seattle though has some companies, and circumstances that make it easier to ride out a recession, even though we have a high cost of living, there are some ways to cut back, down size, and take refuge within the contracting groups here in Seattle.

There are four major contractor groups here in Seattle, VMC/Volt, HP, Robert Half, and TEKSystems that work with just about everyone. More contractors hold the keys to Microsoft, Nintendo, and a host of other companies in the area. Might be time to be a contractor while working on the projects that you know and love, and at the very least, this is one way to bring in an income if your web 2.0 project or startup is having difficulties.

Major Telecom companies from Clear Wire, ATT and T-Mobile are all here, it is unlikely that there will be a decrease in cell phone usage, and it most likely will increase as people cut their landlines.

Health Care will always be looking for good people, Premera Blue Cross, Group Health and Regents are the major insurers, while Swedish, Harbor view, Overlake, and other hospitals directly will be looking for people. As a recession hits, health care is unlikely to go away any time soon, and will remain a booming business as the baby boomers continue to age for the next 20-40 years.

Teaching is always a valid standby as people who are laid off go back to schools to retool or retrain on new technology or just finish a degree that they did not finish because that job they just got laid off from beckons. CityU, ITT Tech, DeVry, University of Washington System, Seattle Pacific, Evergreen and a host of other colleges working off state budgets will be looking for people.

Volunteer your time, the group NPower is the most visible technology support group for non-profits. If you find you have time, non-profits can always use the help. They are geared towards the details kind of IT, but sometimes get the occasional developers requirement as well.

Free Lance is also an option, elancer and other B2B groups that bring together companies looking for consulting/free lance work and free lancers are always handy.

Blog, write, research are also viable things to do if you have the opportunity and time to actually do this. A blog is a good way to get noticed, and could land you another job. However, it can also keep you from continued employment if you stray off the course and blog about everything but what you do best, program, manage, or other IT kinds of work. Blogging will not make you rich, but it might bring in enough money to offset some costs. For fewer than 200 dollars, you can set up a blog for 2 years, or 100 dollars a year of actual costs. Blogging can pay itself back quickly.

There is a lot of opportunity here in Seattle to get into government, with King, Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond governments all looking for good talent. It is one option to riding out a recession and one that has good benefits in case you need them.

Riding out a recession in Seattle is most likely easier than it will be in other parts of the country. Even if you choose not to stay in IT, there are many options to choose from, and career paths to choose. Well worth visiting Robert’s blog for some good general details, then print this one out and hang it over your PC.