Frustrated with their job searches these workers decided to stop looking for traditional jobs. Some retired, while others are reinventing themselves.
Renato Amarena has been unemployed for five long years, after losing his job training real estate professionals. Employers seemed to focus on what he didn't have, he said. Amarena tried to make ends meet by getting part-time gigs teaching courses on oral communications at small local colleges. He stopped looking for full-time work after a couple of years after losing his job and launched his own training and coaching business Success Factor, which offers workshops and one-on-one public speaking lessons to help business owners win more customers. He's had to use up savings to get the business going. It's not quite full-time work yet, but he has a new start and is hopeful rather than dispirited.
