What an interesting question, Ataratus.

I don't think that HR is dying. I think that HR has significantly changed in the past 3-5 years.

Gone are the days where a full HR staff would be hired (and valued) to recruit, interview, train and "work with people". Today, this is a job that is commonly outsourced.

Here are my suggestions:

1)
Work in a freelance capacity for a big HR firm while starting your own niche firm.

2)
10 years experience is a lot. Are there any HR books that haven't been wrote?

3)
Can you teach? HR is a popular course in many college / university programs.

4)
Have you thought about developing a lecture and going "on tour?". Many upper managers that realize the value in HR but don't want to hire a dedicated person would likely be open to a (paid) group meeting where over 1-2 mornings you teach middle managers basic HR.

5)
My last idea isn't so much of an idea.... Don't get discouraged. Spend some quiet introspective time thinking positively. I'm not a "crazy hippie" but I know that when people think clearly and positively about their direction that good things happen. This isn't some sort of "The Secret" type of thing. It's just about clearing your head, thinking about what you know and where you want to be. The middle (what you need to do) fills the silence of this dedicated time of introspection.

Hope this helps, even just a little.

I don't necessarily think HR is dying, but it's changing. You could consider employment at a business school or a college or university and work as a career counselor! I used to do career counseling at an international business school chain, and it was a blast working with the students and helping them do internships, preparing to look for work, preparing their resumes, etc.

You might also consider starting your own side business to help people create resumes, including the new-age technology in it, and help people create video resumes, online portfolios and resumes, paper resumes, and information on how to apply for jobs! You have done interviews with people or reviewed resumes if you're in the HR field, so this time, instead of being on one side of the desk to hire or work with the prospective employer, get on the other side of the desk and help them. With the economy the way it is, more people need to compete with fiercer competition now than ever before to get a job, so they need that edge that a professional HR person can give.

You might consider building some information websites and blogs about HR, hiring procedures, job standards, etc. Hire yourself out to write employee and company handbooks! I made decent money doing this for a couple years while I was freelancing.

There are options... and the largest companies will ALWAYS need good HR people. It might be a dying field for new college grads, but for someone with experience, I think there will always be a need for good HR folks.

I would definitely not hire someone who used text-messaging style, because it is not only difficult to read, thus making the writer, potentially, incomprehensible to me and my staff, but it also shows that the individual is lazy (it would have taken you no more than a few extra seconds to write the question thoroughly and correctly). Yes, it matters!