Recently, I’ve become unemployed. Did I feel shitty about it?
Yes. Was it my own choice? Also yes. The company I’ve joined four years ago,
decided to quit and downscale. There was an opportunity
to keep my job and perform my work in a smaller and different environment, but I decided for myself that I wasn’t happy at that place anymore. I hadn’t been happy for a long period of time.
So I decided to quit.
At first I kinda panicked, what am I gonna do now? How am I gonna pay my rent?
What do I really search for in my career and in life? All questions a lot of
millennial’s and 20 somethings cope with every day. Since the day I quit and even
before that, I’ve been searching for a new job like a maniac. Browsing through
vacancies on every employment board out there, going on interview after interview,
hustling through qualification tests, even
doing Skype calls while I was on vacation.
All my effort resulted in one sentence: “Thank you so much for applying on “enter job title”,
unfortunately we decided to continue with another candidate, good luck with your job search”.
Honestly, it’s a tough world out there for a wannabe career woman.
Especially living in the capital of Holland, Amsterdam, the competition is brutal and you really have to put yourself and your resume out there. I’ve noticed I’m becoming just a little ‘job-hunt-tired’, this is
really a thing by the way. And since I don’t want to become even more depressed, I’ve decided to take a look
on the bright side of not having a job.
Take a look with me if you’re in the same position or contemplating about leaving your current job.
4 cool things about being in between jobs
1 You finally have the TIME to dig deep and do some hard thinking about what it is you really want to do in life.
Everyone has a passion, a hobby they wish to execute on a daily basis
and get paid for. Even if you don’t know what your passion is, you always know, deep down. Take your TIME to do
some soul searching, what did you like to do as a child?
What did you dream of becoming as a teenager? What is it you do, when you have a night off? (doing dishes and vacuuming don’t count)
It’s been said and wrote about a lot of times, but mindfulness and yoga seem to help clear your head and regain a fresh sense of prospective. I still need to work on that, it’s on my to do list.
At least I have more than enough TIME to practice these skills now.
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
2 There’s finally more than enough opportunity to plan a short get away.
Having a full time job secures you with enough money to pay rent, groceries,,
bills, cocktails on a Saturday and vacations.
What it doesn’t give you is time.
So you have enough dollars to go snorkeling in Aruba, petting camels in Morocco and
even plan a quick citytrip to Barcelona.
But due to only so many days’ leave, conflicted schedules
with your partner/children and hesitating to take the dog to the pound, you
might end up going on zero trips. So now is the time to finally go on that well deserved holiday.
Funny thing is, for me at least, now that I finally have the time to travel,
I don’t have the funds. When I had a job,
I had the funds, but not the time. Isn’t it ironic? Alanis Morissette was right.
I’m sure you have some savings, which of course you need as a buffer to overcome the
period in between jobs, but a weekendtrip abroad doesn’t have to cost much.
Praise the lord for Ryanair and Airbnb.
I’m going to Porto next weekend. (insert palmtree emoji)
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
3 No more alarms in the morning!
Who doesn’t dream about sleeping in, all day, every day? I know I do.
I decided for myself, that I deserve some quality time, this includes
finally sleeping the much needed 8 hours .
When I was working fulltime, my sleep cycle was a complete nightmare,
I never slept for more than 6 hours and I was chronically tired. Of course
you also need to reserve time to look for job offers, go on and prepare for interviews.
But it’s very important to also take some time out of your day to relax and unwind.
This way you will have more motivation to find the right job,
because looking for a new job consumes a lot of your energy and time.
Take a moment and enjoy not having to get up in the morning,
because you’ll be back at work before you know it,
reminiscing the days without alarms.
4 Get out of your comfort zone and pick up a cool, new hobby.
Now is the time to get off your ass and finally pick up that salsa
dancing workshop, barbecue class or start teaching photography to your friends.
As long as your new hobby is totally out of your comfort zone. It’s good to relax, but it’s even
greater to mix quality-you-time with an exciting new activity that gets
your blood and braincells pumping.
It might be scary at first,
meeting new people and questioning if you’re good enough,
but your mind and soul will thank me later.
Who knows, you might become the new Jennifer lopez or Mario Testino.
If you never try, you will never know.
Plus it’s good to get out of the house for something else than
your weekly groceries and job interviews.
Exciting opportunities and new friends are waiting just behind your doorstep.
I just applied for a job as a scare actor in a haunted mansion,
speaking of out of your comfort zone!
I hope these few tips will help you get through that uneasy “in between jobs” zone,
or at least put a little glitter and brightness in your day. Just remember:
you can only go up from here.
And in case of emergency, there’s always wine!
Stay positive!
Love,
Lina
