Finding USA jobs in challenging times can be as hard or as easy as we make it. If folks are on the ball and flexible, jobs exist. Our economy is undergoing change on a vast scale. This is partly due to the new worldwide economy and the undeniable reality of the Internet. In fact, the United States is moving from having a mostly manufacturing environment to one that’s more service-based.

People shouldn’t make the mistake of assuming “service-based” means low-paying burger joint employment. The reality is quite different. Truthfully, a wealth of new “online” jobs exists, from document preparation and medical billing at home to attorneys who bid out their services to sundry and various employers. “Service-based” is that amorphous a term, in reality.

To be brutally honest, the days of the blue-collar assembly line worker in America have been coming to an end for the last quarter-century, ever since the Apple computer and Microsoft came into existence. There’ll always be jobs of this type, but not in the huge numbers that once existed. So workers will by necessity have to undergo retraining for the new service reality.

In the USA, certain regions and areas are affected by the loss of jobs more than in others. The Midwest zone, home of the auto manufacturing base, has been hit the hardest. The number of jobs lost in the last ten years has been staggering. In fact, at least two of the car companies are in danger of permanently dying off. Will workers at these companies find similar jobs elsewhere? That answer should be obvious. So, what to do?

What USA jobs that’ll be created will depend on how willing we are in our minds to come to grips with the need to adapt. If we find that we really aren’t, then we may end up fulfilling Darwin’s observations on the failure of species to survive over the long run.

Let’s all concede that people don’t like change, and they generally dislike uprooting either themselves or their families. But if you have to make a choice between working and starving, then it’s pretty clear what the steps are that you should be taking in order to keep food on the table. Job retraining and a willingness to move around will be key.

There are a myriad of job or career building websites out there, and folks who don’t or won’t accept the power of the Internet could fail if they don’t “get it.” They need to take rapid measures to ensure that doesn’t happen. Their children can help with the cause by assisting them in their online search. Also, plenty of CD-ROM based tools exist which can also help in the hunt.

If we collectively fall as a people, it’ll be due to our own failure and lack of willpower to adapt and overcome. The history books are full of civilizations that once dominated but which eventually fell into ruin. Are we one of those civilizations? We should be working very hard to ensure the answer is a hearty “no!