What would you do if your main source of income went away? It’s something that can happen quickly, whether through reduction in force, worker replacement or platform changes. Today we are going to look at why you should have backup skills and how to get them.
Having backup skills means that you can pivot and have more opportunities for finding a job should the main source of income vanish.
TikTok, AI, RIFs, DOGE
I realized that this was a problem when the noise about banning TikTok in the US became a reality. All those people who relied on TikTok to make a living no longer had access to their platform, and their income went away.
(We will save the discussion about how you should not depend on someone else’s servers; once the content is on their servers, you no longer have control over it. But that’s for another time.)
I work in IT. Some places are moving towards replacing their programmers with AI. In some cases, it can probably be done, but what I’ve seen of AI generated code it is not going to be as efficient or effective as when a human is involved. But there will be a time when the majority of code will be generated, and there will be less call for humans to add the finishing touches.
A good friend of mine got laid off from a health insurance company last fall…along with 10,000 of her colleagues. There was no warning.
And whatever your feeling about DOGE is, the fact is that large numbers of people are being laid off without warning. I’m seeing in all over the place where I live…I live in an area with major bases for all military branches and NATO, and all the support/contractors that go along with it.
Your job or income stream can vanish very quickly, and without warning. What would you do if this happens to you?
Backup Skills Are Necessary
I have always felt it was a mistake for me to count on there being and IT job for me. I work as a contractor; I have been in a situation where my contract was canceled without notice and I was laid off the next day. And while IT seems to be a pretty solid field, one can never tell.
I have thought about this for years, It always seemed to me that I needed to have something else other than IT work in order to support myself.
That is one of the reasons that I obtained a teaching license. There will always be a need for teachers – and especially math teachers.
My accountant also has a secondary skill set. While he is a CPA and has made his career in accounting, he also was an electrician in the Navy. He keeps in practice by doing electrical jobs around his house – a skill his wife is very grateful for.
My daughter also came to this conclusion. She finished her undergrad and is planning on grad school, but is “recession proofing” (her words) by getting certified as a massage therapist.
Finding a Secondary Skill
Everyone has multiple skills. The trick to having a backup skill is having one that is necessary regardless of the economy, and being able to make a living at it. It might not be your ideal income level, but it should be enough to support the basics of your life. (Trust me, no one goes into teaching for the money)
For this, skills and interest inventories are very useful. The ubiquitous What Color Is Your Parachute* is still a well-regarded guide to find where your strengths are.
It may be as simple as reviewing your past jobs (like my accountant).
Or in my case, I had taught technology classes in my early career, and had spent most of my career mentoring young programmers. It wasn’t a huge jump into teaching. (In Virginia, in order to teach computers, you have to be a math teacher. That’s how that happened).
Making Sure Your Skill Is Marketable
The best types of secondary skills are the ones that support people’s everyday life and that require a person to do.
A robot is never going to be able to give massage, or teach math, or do basic electrical.
All three of these things are going to be needed regardless of what else is going on. People will seize up their muscles, need their children taught, and need basic repairs to their electrical systems.
Creating content or luxury items probably won’t cut it in a downturned economy.
Preparing The Secondary Skill
The best time to prepare that secondary skill is while you don’t need it.
My accountant didn’t need his electrical skills, but he completed the apprenticeship after discharge from the Navy, and knows the steps he would have to take to become a master electrician. (The apprenticeship is what spurred him to become an accountant)
My teacher training was done while I was working full time, and then I worked a year in the public schools in order to gain my permanent license. All I have to do to reactivate it is take a job in Virginia and complete my continuing education requirements.
My daughter is doing the massage therapist program while she is working out the graduate school details. It has the secondary advantage of being a good source of income while she is in school.
If you are stuck in the position where you have lost your primary source of income, the next best time to prepare the secondary skill is right now. Figure out what you want to have as your fallback, and work towards it.
In Conclusion
Having backup skills isn’t just about preparing for the worst – it’s about creating opportunities and building resilience. The world is changing rapidly, and the ability to pivot and adapt is becoming increasingly valuable. Whatever you choose as your other marketable skill, the important thing is to start now. Don’t wait until you need it. Take that first step today towards developing your backup plan, and give yourself the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have options, no matter what the future holds.