What’s the Difference Between You and A Coal Miner? ‣ Diverse Daily

Coal miner Lee Hipshire in 1976, shortly after emerging from a mine in Logan County, W.Va. at the end of his shift. At age 36, he had worked 26 years underground. A few years later, Lee took early retirement because of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. He died at 57.

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Coal miners work below ground in hazardous conditions where they rarely see daylight, extracting a substance used by people worldwide.

Since President Obama took office, and now, President Biden, coal mining shed thousands of jobs, halted new leases on federal lands, and treated the industry as a dying industry.

What’s the difference between you and a coal miner?

The miner knows he is becoming obsolete; you probably don’t.

You see, unless you are changing, evolving, following trends, and, generally staying ahead of the curve, you are just another “cog” or “slug” who can be eliminated when the economy sours.

From 2007 – 2009, 8.8 million jobs were lost in the US. You can’t convince me that those were all “dead wood,” losers, and other assorted “incompetents.” They were people who served their firms and did what they were told but who worked for firms that stopped making money.

They were doing the job they were hired for and probably doing it well but trusted their employer, their boss, and others who told them not to worry.

So they were fired, outsourced, RIF’d, laid off or whatever other acronym you want to use to describe losing their job.

Some of them eventually found work at lower salaries after being out of work for long periods of time, just like a coal miner.

These skilled workers have suffered in every recession since 2000. Coal miners have only suffered since President Obama took office.

So while there is still time to get ready for the next recession, start to figure out what you can learn, start a side business, learn to sell, and otherwise prepare.

Otherwise, you may find the above ground mine you work in shut down like the folks at Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and thousands like them discovered last time.

Build (or rebuild) your network not with fake relationships (connections in name only), but real helping relationships.

Get ready NOW.

Oh! One more thing. Your face is probably cleaner.

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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS job search coaching and career advice globally because he makes job search and succeeding in your career easier.

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He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3000 episodes over 14+ years.

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