Can't find a job where you live? (advice)(Career Workshop)

Whether you go freelance, recarve your niche, travel or telecommute, you can still have a vibrant career no matter where you live

At least once a month, a client relates a familiar tale of woe: she can't get a job locally in her specialty and can't move to a location where it is in demand. What hope is there for the geographically challenged? We talked to people who've built satisfying careers in unlikely places, and here's what they told us.

Put Things Together

It's hard to work in the movie industry outside Los Angeles but it is possible to get freelance assignments and part-time jobs elsewhere. Ditto, policy research for branches of government in technical specialties.

What makes it possible for someone to practice her specialty is how intensively she researches the market for potential buyers. One trailing husband, a video producer, found himself in a university I town. His reel from his previous job was so good it didn't l take him long to pick up jobs from the university, television stations within a 300-mile radius, and several large companies. They were thrilled with the gloss he could bring to productions. He also sold some of his stories as features to a video syndicate. He's not , full time on anyone's payroll, but he is making almost as much money as he did before. He told us, "You have to sell. There's no way you'll get enough work unless you spend one day a week on the phone calling prospects and sending out materials."

Recarve your niche

If you think no one hires people with your skills, don't decide you need …