The economy is weak, policy is in flux and unemployment is high, what should you do? Go back to school, maybe, or skip the college degree and go for the OJT (on the job training)? Depending on who you're talking to the answers may support each of the questions asked - mutually exclusive of course. So which one is which? The right answer depends on the situation. For a spotty career track or just recently getting started on a career journey, it may be a good idea to head back to the blackboard and get some schooling in while you can. This of course is especially true if you're currently out of work. What do you have to lose?

For some, the OJT route is a better option. Why? well for starters the cost of going back to school for a degree. Last i heard, it wasn't free, despite all the ads almost suggesting that the Feds are giving away money to go back to school. Make no mistake about it, considering the student loan aspect is a wise decision. This of course, is why OJT is in a lot of times more valuable - both in terms of money and time. You get real world experience doing it -- versus the classroom which is often well behind what the workplace is actually doing. On the flip side, it almost like a conundrum, you need to gain the experience "on the job" but you need to have the experience to "get the job." Yep - that's a classic catch 22, that apparently is even worse these days as employers get more and more leery of hiring the long time unemployed. Now to throw one more monkey wrench in the equation, even if you started work on a college degree today, would the economy be better 4 years from now? Who knows. It's a gamble - not quite like Vegas but a gamble none the less. Bottom line is that you're going to have to sit down and weigh the pros and cons (for your situation) as far as skipping a college degree and going for training on the job. That's perhaps the best way to see what's what rather than a knee jerk reaction to unemployment or paying for school.

The votes are in and the talley suggests that the housing market is a bust, again. So maybe it's time to go back to school and start a new career track. This is especially true for all the fly by night real estate agents that entered the field with the expectation of flipping houses fast and for big paydays. So, sorry it looks like those days are behind us...at least for now. For the rest of those whose job is tied directly to the housing market, the writing is on the wall. Get out while you still have a chance. The current double dip in the housing market, is a sign that the ten year accelerated growth of the housing industry, and underlined jobs created, is way over inflated and simply can not be sustained. Of course, you can wait it out and play Russian Roulette is you like but the fact of the matter is that it's going to take a while.

How many billions of dollars has Congress spent since 2008 to hold up the economy? Over $700 billion and closer to a trillion big ones and still the markets are struggling. The markets are struggling and consumers simply don't have the income levels or faith in the economy to make big ticket purchases, especially homes, when so many people are under water on their homes. After all, you buy a home for it to appreciate not depreciate. When home values and sales depreciate, it's time to rent or find a new job if your income is tied to selling homes for a profit. Maybe this double dip situation with the housing market is proof of the adage, "haste makes waste." Maybe, maybe not. What is certain is the housing market is a bust, again, which makes going back to school a big attraction. So maybe the next market bubble will be the back to school bubble? We'll see.