This year, I worked part-time at six different places. Living gig-to-gig requires an energetic, strategic, optimistic survival philosophy that amounts to this: “My real job is looking for the next job.” I got that quote from my good friend Bill Reeve, a full-time graphic artist who spent many years as a jazz drummer.

“I heard it from a drummer friend, who heard it from somebody in the theater,” he recalls. In his own experience, Bill says that once you get the job, only then do you finally “get to do the work you love. And that’s the fun part.”

These are words to live by as more of us get out there job hunting. After all, the national unemployment rate is at a 26-year high and climbing. Still, it’s possible to find work during a recession. I know, because I added two new gigs this past year -- even though we’ve officially been in a recession since December 2007, according to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. So that means I managed to score against the odds. Here’s how I did it:  

--Be prepared to walk into anything and count on nothing. 

Depending on my employer, job benefits range from absolutely zero to health insurance, a retirement plan and tuition discounts for classes that I want to take. Some gigs withhold taxes, some don’t. Then there are the somewhat hidden costs to ask about -- if the gig requires driving or commuting, will I be reimbursed for train fare, gas, parking or tolls? (The answer is usually “no.”) Will I need equipment? (I always hook up my own laptop for classroom audio/visual presentations.) 

--Landing a gig is not the same as working the gig. Or, keeping the gig.

No customers = no job. Even when my class is packed, I might not work that job again -- like my “steady” 2009 summer gig that didn’t survive budget cuts. So to protect myself, I juggle multiple jobs simultaneously and constantly brainstorm ideas -- what unmet need can I fill and where can I do it? Btw, it can be easier to find part-time options because many cost-cutting companies that “aren’t hiring” still use consultants, freelancers and permalancers.

--Promoting myself is the primary job.

When I first started teaching and my classes didn’t fill, I felt like a victim. Then, I figured out that I had to market myself. So I rewrote my catalogue course descriptions. Next month, I’ll be handing out fliers about my upcoming kids’ cooking classes. Starting this blog is another way of getting my name out there.

--Getting involved in causes or groups I care about creates good energy.

I’ve always done volunteer work. It’s about giving back, making new friends and seeing the world in new ways. Plus, it beats sitting around worrying, talking to my cats and watching TV. Volunteering looks good on the resume too.

--Working in the new world can be humbling.

Up until I started teaching kids’ cooking classes at the local elementary school, I was just a parent. But one afternoon, one of my little students stepped off the curb just as his mom’s car was pulling up. Well, she had a fit and yelled at me for not watching her son, that he could’ve gotten hit by her car -- on and on.

Of course, she was out of her mind. But in that instant, I realized that I had dropped a few notches on the food chain. Icky -- I worked for her now. Thankfully, nothing like that has happened since. I like to think that I’ve gotten my bearings. Which leads to my last point.

--Working in the new world can be a real confidence builder.

The scrambling I’ve had to do this past year has taught me so much about stamina, self-reliance and the power of being creative. Like our friend Bill says, the payoff isn’t only the paycheck, but getting to do the work we love. Just get out there and try stuff. There’s nothing to lose.

Note:  To read my post about making cold calls, click here. And good luck!