Former "Dirty Jobs" host Mike Rowe has a tip for the more than 100 million Americans out of work amid the Covid pandemic: Don't listen to the "cookie cutter" advice out there.

"I wish I could just say something" to help people out, Rowe tells CNBC Make It. But there is no one piece of career advice that would be useful to everyone, he says.

Though so many are out of work or underemployed thanks to the pandemic, "we're not [all] in the same boat," Rowe says. "We're in the same storm, but our boats are different and how we navigate these waters are different too."

However, Rowe, who's new series, "Six Degrees with Mike Rowe," is airing on Discovery+, does believe people need to be adpatable during the pandemic.

"Some people need to retool. Some people need to retrain and some need to completely reimagine their vocation," he says.

Rowe suggests those who are out of work should look at their "tool box," or the skills they already have that they can use in different ways, in ways that can be useful across different jobs, fields or industries.

In fact, during the pandemic, Rowe himself had to do things a little differently by going out on his own to create a TV series. He found a sponsor and invested some of his own money and shot episodes for "Six Degrees with Mike Rowe," where he proves that everything in the world is connected. He then sold it to Discovery+. "That's the only way you can sell a show right now" amid the pandemic, he says.

"But look, that's just me and that's me staying in my own lane trying to figure out a way to function in my chosen field given a new set of circumstances." Rowe knows that for many, retooling can be easier said than done. Some may have to learn new skills, he says, or even figure out a way to earn a living with the "cards you've been dealt."

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