The Feds move towards more efficient defense operations means someone isn't going to get paid. Despite the stiff defense budget cuts Boeing is still flying high. Still innovating. Still visionary. And still hiring. At least shuffling people around to make sure people keep their jobs. Boeing's superior position in aviation has earned them the reputation among everyday American flyers, "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going." That's a great reputation indeed but it doesn't stop there. Boeing, up until Obama's announcement, just the other day, produced B-52 bombers and tanks out of plant in Wichita. Now, wave bye bye to that plant. It is no more.

Like most companies, Boeing could have used the Defense Department's budget cuts as an excuse to get rid of jobs and sweeten the pot for the big bosses. Nope, not Boeing. Instead, Boeing decided to move some people around from the Wichita, KS plant to the Oklahoma City, OK location. On top of many workers keeping their jobs, the move to Oklahoma City will undoubtedly be a huge boost to the local economy there. Soon to be, Oklahoma City residents, employed by Boeing, have been spotted talking to realtors for new home purchases.

For those of you that don't know, this kind of cash influx typically has a trickle-down effect, in that additional service jobs are created. Think about it, the house sitter, dog sitter, landscaping and gardening, house cleaning, HVAC service, and so and so on. Moreover, young workers can fill some of these offspring jobs, which is a good thing considering young workers (under the age 30) are the hardest hit by the current economic situation. So needless to say young workers and the local Oklahoma City community altogether is glad to know Boeing is still flying high even in the face of Defense budget cuts. Bravo. Bravo. Well done Boeing.

Who doesn't like fun in the sun right? Well maybe it's time to resolve, for the New Year, to head east for sunny South Carolina in search of new job opportunities. Manufacturing is amongst the leading industries for the state and the trend is expected to continue for the New Year. Tourism is, also, big in the Grand Strand area which incidentally is looking up for 2012. Granted, we aren't talking about 100,000 new jobs to the area, but hey every job counts these days. Besides, you only need one job anyway, unless of course you're married, in which case the extra spousal income would really be helpful.

In the Grand Strand area, an above average wage is in the $15 - $20 dollar range. With wages in that range, it's a little hard to purchase a home without the extra spousal income. For those that are married and both can find work in the area, there are some really great real estate deals right about now. The local real estate market is slumped and not looking to make any significant surge during 2012. That's good news for new home buyers. Not so good news for preexisting homeowners. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes. In any event, for the adventurous job seeker, looking to make a move, manufacturing jobs are heading east to sunny SC. This is in addition to a strong tourism industry already. That translates into job opportunities, priced to sell real estate, and fun in the sun. Sounds like a good time, to me, for investing in that beach bungalow. What else is there...are you on your way yet?

If you're in one of the many states with an unemployment rate at or above 9% maybe it’s time to try something new. Maybe it's time to try Virginia. Why Virginia? Well for starters how a relatively low unemployment rate just over 6%. How about the fact that Virginia has the top four counties in the country as far as median household income is concerned -- Falls Church, Fairfax, Hunterdon and Loudoun. That translates into high paying jobs. Each of the counties mentioned has median household incomes above $100k.

As far as economics goes the big money industry is service. Jobs in services include engineers, research and development, consultants, computer programming, health care and hospitality. Let us not forget about huge government presence in Virginia. You know the place where lots of politicians and lobbyist reside. Those are the people with the six figure salaries many of which don't see a need to "put your money where your mouth is"" when it comes to getting Americans back on the job. Anyway, getting a job in the Virginia metro area should be a snap for the adventurous looking for something new and worthwhile. Gas and go...just make sure it's a four cylinder car, gas is still too high. When you get there you might run into Bush's buddies who you can thank for the high gas prices.

In the increasing digital age, continue to expect to see less people and more bots. For those of you that watched Transformers 3 you probably think that is a good idea. Optimus is the man right? Ok true, when it comes to the big screen but what about your local grocery store? I'm not entirely sure it would go over well to see less people working these front line people jobs and more automation via robots. Of course we are already seeing some of that now with with automated checkout counters at Safeway and Kroger. Of course you know all of the automation in banking with ATMs, online banking and automated bill pay. Now let's fast forward that to include when you go to get your car serviced, the dry cleaners or the post office.

So with all of these automated services, where do the people go that used to fill those jobs? We hear a lot about retraining and retooling but no specifics. It's probably a stretch of the imagination to think that people in these service jobs could simply change over to technical jobs supporting all the automating in banking, retail, etc. So with all of the positions that robots will continue to eliminate, the bottom line is - it will likely lead to a touchy situation - sooner versus later. Touchy in the sense of where will these people go and even more so, are we ready to have discussions with bots at the grocery store? Cost cutting has it's pros and cons, so we'll have to wait and see which side wins as more automated bots find there way into our daily lives. With the exception of Optimus and Bumblebee less people and more bots is still a question mark. Optimus for President!