Looking back over the past years, America has experienced a lot. Starting with 9/11, going through three wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and on global terror, coping with climate change and the natural disasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Irene, and struggling to maintain a stable economy through global recession. Nonetheless, the horrific attacks on American soil ten years back holds many lessons to be learned, both for Americans and the greater global community. Standing together, united, in the face of anything thrown at them, Americans continue to find innovative and unique ways to keep their lives on track, politically, socially and economically.
9/11 undoubtedly scarred the American economy, and although it came eight years later, so did the global economic downturn. Companies downsized, federal, state and local governments cut spending, stocks fell, prices increased and Americans were forced to change the way they lived their lives. While extremely terrible, there is light at the end of the tunnel; there are things to be learned, and things to be admired about how the U.S. has dealt with all of the problems it has faced. Most importantly, Americans have both been resilient and perpetuated their intelligence, finding all possible ways to stay positive and weather the storm.
Although layoffs and spending cuts continue to take effect across the nation, people are getting second jobs and turning hobbies into money making ventures. Airlines have increased fares and have made passengers pay for checked luggage, so people are taking road trips and going camping, experiencing a completely new facet of the country they live in. Instead of moving into a new, larger house, many are remodeling their current ones and finding creative ways to inject life into it. The recession has devastated millions of Americans, they are forging their own paths and figuring out creative ways to handle tough times; they are inspiring invention and innovation in one another.
With the contested GOP candidate race heating up and the 2012 Presidential Election notably looming in the background, one of the biggest issues on the table is employment. Many have been laid off, their salaries have been cut, or they have had to take up a second job, but even through this, new opportunities are arising and being taken advantage of.
One of the biggest and most popular of these new opportunities is working form home. According to the US Census, there are over 38 million home-based businesses, and well over 36 million home office households. Additionally, stay at home jobs are on the rise because there are many opportunities that allow people to earn an income while saving money on expenses - like gas, car maintenance, work attire and so forth - and enable them to keep their previous commitments, which are especially popular among stay at home moms. The most popular and beneficial stay at home jobs today include virtual assistants, writers/editors, translators and transcriptionists, with the last two drastically increasing every month. People are indulging in these professions from the comfort of their homes because they are earning stable incomes, cutting expenses and learning new information everyday. Although the U.S. continues to face economic hardships, the nation is staying strong, tapping into new markets and finding shelter in new jobs some might not have considered before.