We keep hearing that this is a tight job market, with some people out of work for as long as two years.

I agree that things don’t look great. But that’s as far as I’m going. You can call me a Pollyanna but I will stand firm on the message I have been giving for the last eight years in this column: There are jobs out there and you can get one.

Even if you accept this rule, there’s a chance you won’t like its corollary: If you don’t have a job, it’s your fault.

Ouch. Keep reading and you may agree with at least part of my thinking.

Before I opened my job search company in 1985, I worked at more than 50 jobs and started and closed two solo businesses. Most of the jobs were part time, and I needed two or three at a time to make an income. Some ended well, but I was also fired from some and laid off from others.

Sometimes, readers who don’t know this background write to say that I don’t understand how difficult it is to make ends meet or to look for work. They’re wrong on that point, but they are right when they say I don’t know what it’s like to be unemployed.

I have never been unemployed. Through a combination of poor advice and my own ignorance I didn’t know about unemployment payments when I was struggling to make ends meet. Without that option, I was forced to find a new job immediately each time I lost a job. This was during the early 1980s, when, I have since learned, the national unemployment rate hit 10 percent.

How did I do it? By not being choosy. By streamlining my expenses so I could afford to not be choosy. By partnering with others to share housing and food costs and by buying used clothes and cars. I couldn’t get a credit card, though I tried many times.

I had two huge advantages that you may not have: I had no dependents.

And I had good health. With these assets, I could work on the third shift, I could do physical labor and I could bike between jobs when my car was down.

The point isn’t that I was tougher than people who are currently out of work. Rather, I was more focused.

That might be counted as a third advantage. So, what are your advantages? Perhaps you have patience and a good voice – there’s a telemarketing job waiting for you. Maybe you have a good throwing arm and a reliable car – how about a paper route? If you’re meticulous and physically fit, you can clean houses.

Am I kidding? Absolutely not. If you absolutely can’t get a job, stop trying and earn money some other way. Mow lawns, take neighbors on errands, make crafts. Just don’t give up. The only wrong answer is to ignore the problem.

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you. It’s not easy to be taken to task when you’re already struggling. Next week I’ll go over some strategies to help you move forward from here.

Amy Lindgren is the owner of a career-consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn.

can be reached at alindgrenpioneerpress.com.)

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AP-NY-09-30-03 0619EDT