Unless you have sufficient funds to take care of yourself or have another means of support, your best option for earning cash in your new location will probably be a good, old-fashioned thing called a “job.” If you need to get to work right away, I highly recommend temporary employ ment agencies, since you are only going to be there temporarily. “Temping” can be a fun way to make a living. I have worked for several agencies over the years, and most of my experiences have been positive ones. Look in the Yellow Pages for a listing of agencies under “Employment,” and set up appointments to visit several of them.

The agency will have you fill out one of its applications, give you a brief interview, and probably give you some basic employment tests. These are not hard for anyone of average intelligence to do well on. They are usually meant to measure your command of basic English and simple arithmetic. If you want to work in an office, the staff may give you a typing test as well as quiz you on your computer skills. Usually a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows is all they want.

References can be a challenge. It is important that you not list real places you worked; if the agency calls them your cover is blown. You should create a fictional work history that closely represents your actual level of skills, experience, and knowledge.Screeners can spot a resumé that greatly exaggerates an applicant’s past achievements. Don’t apply for a position you are not sure you can handle.

It used to be that agencies rarely checked references, but since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, they are being more diligent, especially if you are applying for office work.Applicants for blue-collar positions are not checked as thoroughly, especially if the work is of an unskilled nature. If you are trying to get a white-collar job, I suggest lying on your application and/or résumé, and, if possible, setting up a false reference to back up your deceit. This can be done in a couple of ways.

You can hire a secretarial/answering service to answer the phone in the name of a business you make up. The person from the agency will call the number you provide and state that he or she is trying to confirm your employment. The service will take a message and say that you will return the call. You or a confederate then call the agency back, pretending to be your “old” boss. Better be sure you are good at disguising your voice if you are the one who calls! Your “old boss” confirms the information you put on the application and says some positive things about what a good worker you were (don’t overdo it; this can arouse suspicions).

Another way of handling this is to have your “old boss” fax a letter of recommendation to the agency. Most remailing services will receive and forward faxes for you. Tell the agency that your old employer is hard to catch because of time constraints or whatever. Then inform them that you have his home number, but he gave it to you for emergencies only, so you cannot give it to them. But you will call him and have him fax a confirmation/ recommendation letter to them.

You then write your own letter, which will look something like this:

Fax it to your remailing service in your own town, and have them fax it to the agency where you applied for work. To make this as simple as possible, you want your false résumé/application data to say that you have worked at this same company for the past several years—the longer the better.The agency will love this. Be sure to apply at several different agencies to maximize your chances of being offered work. You should have employment soon.

These agencies pay by the week, and some offer health insurance and other benefits. You will need a phone number to give them. If nothing else, a phone number for a prepaid cellular phone will do.

When I was in refuge, I worked for an agency and had a very good time. I worked as a temp in a company’s sales department to get them through their busy season. I was paid a good hourly wage as well as commissions on my sales. A silver tongue can come in handy with opportunities like these. By the way, that is a very flattering outfit you have on.

You may want to use a bogus Social Security number while you work during your refuge. I did not and had no problems. The Social Security Administration and IRS will know where you really are, but unless your pursuers can access those databases (highly unlikely), then you will be fine. If this still concerns you, then it is possible to work for several months with an incorrect number.I do not advise it, but you may feel it is best. Refer to Appendix III in the back of the book to see how Social Security numbers are assigned. You are on your own with this.

There are ways of obtaining a new number, but they are beyond the scope of this book. If you ever decide to disappear permanently, this will be something you’ll need to investigate. I have been told it can be rather challenging, especially in these paranoid post-9/11 days.

You might have to settle for less-than-ideal employment while in refuge. Some jobs are easier to get than others.

Telephone work (telemarketing, phone surveys, customer service) is extremely easy to find. Nobody wants to do these jobs. If you have a good speaking voice and know how to handle people, then telemarketing can be a lucrative field. Most people are not overtly rude to you; they just hang up or say “no thanks” if they are not interested in your pitch. Bill collecting is another type of phone work that is easy to get and pays fairly well. You have to be something of an asshole to do well at this.

Janitorial, food service, and manual labor are all honest professions that need workers desperately. Convenience store clerks and security guards are in demand nationwide. You need to find out whether your employer will require a background check for these jobs. In many states, security workers are required to submit to extensive criminal records and other checks. Find out before you apply; even if your past is squeaky clean, the check itself can create a data trail right to you.

I worked as a guard for well over a year, and most of the time I was getting paid to read books and listen to the radio.Third shift positions can be very laid back. If your relief doesn’t show up when your shift is over, you are obliged to stay on duty until someone shows up to take over. This can be a good chance for overtime pay.

Maybe you are planning to be a nomad during your refuge, or perhaps you insist on being self-employed. There are ways to accommodate you. Virtually every town of any size has a corner where unemployed men gather early in the morning to try to obtain a day’s work. You can join them and probably find a position.Construction company owners will ride by and offer you a day’s work doing some sort of labor. You might be picking produce, cleaning up a work site, or whatever. Generally these deals pay cash at the end of the day. Working Man Jack did this for the first few days to get some immediate cash and to meet the owners of some of the local construction companies. He soon had a regular job with a local company, making a good hourly wage.

If you do work for yourself, painting and lawn work gigs are easiest to get. You can put an ad in the paper or just go door to door offering your services. Work for cash only if possible. Use your imagination to find work. Even collecting aluminum cans on the side of the road for recycling pays some money.

These days, it is vital that you have a marketable job skill if you don’t want to empty trash cans or flip burgers the rest of your days. There may be a vocational school nearby that you can attend; if not, there are many good correspondence schools that teach computer programming, small engine repair, floral design, and dozens of other good skills. Make sure the one you use is reputable.Consult the Web site www.detc.org for a listing of schools that are nationally accredited and have good reputations.

Work hard and keep a good attitude and you will be successful.America is still a land of opportunity, despite the best efforts of the politicians.

Everyone knows that all work and no play makes one a dull boy, so let’s look at the lighter side of taking a powder.