All over the world hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs in the last quarter of 2008.
 In the first part of 2009 hundreds of thousands more will lose theirs.
 There are going to be far fewer new jobs being created and far fewer existing positions being filled.
 Every one of those jobs advertised in any newspaper or on any notice board; every vacancy posted on any website is going to have more people, many times more, looking at it and competing for it than would have been the case up to the middle of 2008.
 Nailing down one of that dwindling number of positions is going to be a challenge.
Faced with the choice of an unending search for a new job or relying on social security (if you are lucky enough to live in one of the countries that has social security at a level that can almost support you), some people are going to be trying to find ways to make a living for themselves, to break their dependence on others to employ them, to get away from the tedious daily routines they have been trapped in for years.
 For some people, probably a very small proportion, this enforced change in their lives is going to turn into a new beginning that they will look back on as the best thing that ever happened to them.
 Others, sadly probably far more, will give up after a few months and fall back into patterns of depression and dependency.
The difference between succeeding in making a new beginning on the one hand and struggling to get back into the race at the back of the field on the other, arises from many factors.
 Some of these are:

• Preparation: Look out for trouble coming.
   If you are in a threatened sector (who is not?) start thinking and planning long before the notice arrives on your desk.
  
• Attitude: Nothing is going to happen by accident.
   Nor is it going to happen quickly or easily.
   You have to believe in the possibility of making it happen and be prepared to work at it and keep working at it and accept setbacks and be patient.
  
• Caution: There are dozens of people wanting to take your money (one small payment at a time).
   Chances are very good that one or two will do so before you find something that works for you.
   Don't be crushed by the realisation that you have been caught.
   Learn from your mistakes and try the next thing.
  
• Self-knowledge: If enjoying the vibe with your friends at work was important to you don't try to sit at home over a computer by yourself all day.
   On the other hand, if you are an independent loner don't try something that depends on "relationship marketing".
  
• Realistic Budgeting: There is no such thing as a free lunch.
   Whatever the web site says you are not going to get started for nothing.
   But be very careful to find out what sort of capital you are really going to need.
   Nothing more frustrating than to start getting into something and then run out of money.
  
• Support: Whatever you do, its going to take time and hard work, and to begin with there is not going to be much to show for it.
   Try to get your partner and your family to understand what you are going to do and support you even if it looks as if you are wasting your time on something that is not bringing in much return.
  

There are plenty of examples of people who have succeeded in all sorts of new ventures from multilevel marketing to forex and derivative trading and home based internet businesses.
 Starting off in the right way on one of these will turn disaster into success and a setback into a new beginning.