Recession-proof skill / trade to make a little income. Ideas?

edcopp · #21 10/26/12, 10:03 AM

Butcher/meat cutter. Do a custom job when cash or good barter is needed.Hold a workshop once or twice a year for a fee or barter, to teach others.

farmgal · #22 10/26/12, 10:08 AM

Small engine repair isnt great. People can buy a new lawn mower cheaper than your 600$ bill to fix the old one. As for teacher, good grief your talking 4 years of college, 6 if you live in new york. By the time you pay off college on a teacher salary, you could be rich with some other job. Ask me how I know...lol

I would ask myself what will everyone still need if tshtf? I say food. Growing food will always be a necessity. I cant keep up with egg sales and I grow my own feed, so they really dont cost me much, especially in summer when they free range. Or build a greenhouse to start garden veggy plants.

I believe soon shipping costs will be so much that our local growers will finally be able to compete with big producers.

simi-steading · #23 10/26/12, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmgal

Small engine repair isnt great. People can buy a new lawn mower cheaper than your 600$ bill to fix the old one.

That's a huge part of the reason I gout out of that business. I was one of the highest paid mechanics in the area, and I was barely scraping by... If it wasn't for all the warranty work we did for all the big box stores in the area, we wouldn't have been much of a shop... not many could survive without a lot of warranty work.

CountryWannabe · #24 10/26/12, 10:16 AM

Second vote here for a Jack of all Trades. I am older and my DH works out of town periodically, so sometimes I need something done I am not able to do on my own. I used to have an older gentleman who would do all sorts of odd jobs when needed. Anything from helping string an electric fence to fixing plumbing. He was invaluable. He also knew who could be relied on to do other jobs that he couldn't do. I called him "Mr. Honey-do"

Also - if you have a tractor and implements - I cannot justify buying either, but would love to have a neighbor who would move round bales or brushog places if needed.

Mary

hippygirl · #25 10/26/12, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharton

Regrettably, it becomes a bit of a situation of intellectual inbreding as some of these places fall further behind, as a result of carefully shield themselves from people that "don't think like us". In particular, I'm thinking of some of the local old hard coal mining towns, where the towns stopped growing in 1950, and the mindset of the community hasn't evolved too much since then.

It's a double-edged sword, isn't it?

While the very thing you describe is a large part of what preserves that "rural, small town feel" sought after by so many fed-up city dwellers, it also strangles just about all growth and opportunity for all that live within them.

Sure, in some communities, it can be taken to the extreme, but I believe subconsciously it's a collective effort to preserve a rapidly disappearing way of life that, once gone, cannot be reclaimed.

thesedays · #26 10/26/12, 10:22 AM

Around here? Tattooing and body piercing.

Awnry Abe · #27 10/26/12, 10:28 AM

I can't ever seem to get enough time for routine equipment maintenance. I would be willing to pay someone a premium to come out equipped with lube, oil, and correct filters for my varied machines just so that I have peace of mind that it got done and that I didn't have to hassle with it myself.

wharton · #28 10/26/12, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simi-steading

That's a huge part of the reason I gout out of that business. I was one of the highest paid mechanics in the area, and I was barely scraping by... If it wasn't for all the warranty work we did for all the big box stores in the area, we wouldn't have been much of a shop... not many could survive without a lot of warranty work.

My local small engine dealer is having a bear of a time with the whole big box store situation. A new big box store opened a few miles away last year. Not only do they sell the same brands, but obviously they undercut him severely on price. Now it comes time for warranty. A brand new snow blower shows up at his shop with the control cables reversed, and a chute that was assembled wrong, and missing parts. The unit was obviously assembled by a minimum wage kid who didn't have a clue, and it isn't even functional. The owner states that the big box store manager told him that it wasn't their problem, he need to take it to a factory service center, and there just happens to be one, a few miles away. My repair guy calls the manufacturer for a warranty authorization and get denied as the issue has nothing to do with repairing or replacing defective parts, it needs to be broken down and reassembled by a competent mechanic. At this point the small engine guy has somebody else's customer screaming at him and calling him a thief for wanting to be paid to do the work correctly. This is not an isolated incident, and the end result is that local small dealers are dropping lines simply because they are no longer worth the headache. This is why I stick with Stihl and Honda for my smaller equipment. Once I see a name brand migrate from my local independent shop to the front sidewalk at Lowe's, I know that it's all downhill from there.

sandc · #29 10/26/12, 10:30 AM

I think the best way to be more recession proof as far as work goes is to have several talents to fall back on.

I am a welder. Having a welder in the back of the truck and knowing how to weld pipe can always net you a little cash in your area. Farmers break stuff, and they either fix it themselves or will call up the local guy that can come out and weld it for them. I also do ornamental and structural so I can almost always find metal that someone wants stuck together.

I have turned wrenches in the past quite a bit, so I am always willing to come out and fix something for someone. Don't overcharge, be courteous and helpful. It will lead to more calls.

In January I am returning to school to finish my fine woodworking degree so I can play around in my own shop more and make some stuff to sell when I find the time, or even use the skills to repair or refinish furniture.

Have a chainsaw and a trailer and I am not afraid to use either.

The more skills you have that you can fall back on that others are willing to pay you for, the less chance you have of getting pigeonholed and not having work of some kind. In a rural area, being willing, dependable and giving an honest amount of work for your pay will get you noted by the person that has to open the purse strings to pay you.

Heritagefarm · #30 10/26/12, 10:41 AM

Nothing except farming is truly recession proof. People will figure out how to do the rest themselves.

hiddensprings · #31 10/26/12, 10:50 AM

I would suggest small engine repair and even the ability to work on farm equipment (i.e. balers, bushhogs, tractors, etc) I know in our little community, we have 1 gentleman that does small engine repair and he has a back-log a mile long. And the only gentleman in the area that specializes in farm equipment is 70 years old.

fordy · #32 10/26/12, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharton

Here in the northeast we are seeing teachers with 5-10 years on the job being let go. Whole specialty areas of teaching are in trouble from music, and art, to anything else that isn't a government mandate. My son is graduting as an engineer. He is friends with many young future teachers that are deeply regretting the career path they choose. In many areas of the country there simply are no jobs, and a whole bunch of laid off teachers who have the right to take the next available spot, any time a position opens. The other thing about rural teaching opportunities is that it can be simply impossible to get your foot in the door if you are not from the community. There are nearby communities here, where even in the best of times, a resume from an outsider was simply a waste of paper. Regrettably, it becomes a bit of a situation of intellectual inbreding as some of these places fall further behind, as a result of carefully shield themselves from people that "don't think like us". In particular, I'm thinking of some of the local old hard coal mining towns, where the towns stopped growing in 1950, and the mindset of the community hasn't evolved too much since then.

..............All engineers can become teachers , but not all teachers , can become , engineers !!!!! , fordy

pistolsmom · #33 10/26/12, 01:48 PM

HVAC. My Son has been doing it since he was 18 and he could work 24 hours a day if he wanted. There is always a need for heat and cold....and they can't shut it down and send it to mexico.

**highlands** · #34 10/26/12, 02:37 PM

Farmer.

As a farmer I raise fruits, vegetables and livestock. I have carpentry skills, do welding, concrete work, metal work, mechanic work, etc. I also do math and marketing to run our family business. I also do forestry. We raise livestock on pasture from breeding through finishing with direct sales to stores, restaurants and individuals. We are in the process of building our own USDA inspected on-farm meat processing facility which will give us control over the final step as well as keeping about 64% more of the sales in our pocket rather than paying it out to a hired butcher.

This all gives us a lot of control over our costs and our income. We always have food, fuel, shelter from what we produce. In the worst of times we get along okay. In the best of times we do even better.

What ever you do, don't be a commodities farmer. That is the worst of all possible worlds.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Sugar Mountain Farm | All Natural Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids in the mountains of Vermont

stockdogtta · #35 10/26/12, 03:51 PM

taxidermist

Nancy · #36 10/26/12, 04:26 PM

My DH can fix just about anything. He seems to always have something to do. He is a remodeler by trade but when jobs for that are scarce he will remake furniture is someone is wanting that. He's done quite a few rocking chairs, rebuilding the broken pieces etc. He also takes apart things to recycle metals and makes money that way. Luckily he has a nice big shop he built out of materials he's saved. Only thing he had to pay for was the concrete he had poured for the floor. He has a nice wood burning furnace in it and we live on an acreage so we have wood to burn from downed trees. If you can fix things you can make money or save money so you don't need to spend so much.

Dusky Beauty · #37 10/26/12, 04:35 PM

Depending on how rural the area... AI technician.
I had a *&%$& of a time finding anyone who could or would AI my cow where I live--- my dairy plans would have been a pipe dream if I didn't meet someone who owned a bull of the breed I needed and was willing to share him. Even that is a short term fix-- I can't breed to the same bull forever, especially if I keep any of my heifers.

My vet doesn't have the equipment, and all the referrals he gave me flat refused to come to me for less than 10 cows.

If you're relocated to an aggy area... people will just about always prefer AI for their family cows, and they'll need it done every year. Even goat and horse customers avail those services.

If you're a short drive into city limits, I've always thought offering "farm boarding" was a great idea. They provide the food and the "rent"-- default on any and they forfeit the critter if they don't pick up promptly. No need to offer to do people's milking, but you might hand them their box of eggs when they bring by the feed sack or the check. Some people make a comfortable sum on that endeavor.

emdeengee · #38 10/26/12, 04:48 PM

Water Quality Technologist. This is knowledge that is needed everywhere from the well in your back yard to filtration plants to mines to agriculture to construction.

woodsy · #39 10/26/12, 06:21 PM

Since the economic downturn we've seen a boom in home auto mechanic start ups, to the point where there isn't enough work to go around. I can count at least 5 mechanic shops within 5 miles of me.

Al Von · #40 10/26/12, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MushCreek

Undertaker?

That's what I was going to suggest! OR barber/cosmetologist!