Written By Kate Knowles
The Highs and Lows of Unemployment
When I graduated college, I started the inevitable “job search” with a plan of action; a plan I was certain would guarantee my success. I tried all different approaches but nevertheless, I reached the same outcome; no job, and no money.
The unemployment world is full of false starts, long waits and rejections. There have been times when I have been in the valleys and mountains of unemployment and I have learned valuable lessons with both experiences:
Valleys:
- You are broke. Your savings is wiped out, the unemployment check you receive each week is just enough to cover gas and your groceries. Mom and dad keep giving you loans the likeability of which to be paid off is nil. Forget going out with your friends; you can barely afford a PB&J sandwich let alone a cocktail.
- You become jaded at the good will of humanity. You think everyone is out to get you. Somehow corporate America has a vendetta against you.
- The sense of being overwhelmed and depressed is upon you and all you want to do is watch tv, eat the proverbial bon bon and cry at how you never imagined your life would be this way at the ripe old age of 25!
- You become annoyed and irritable with the suggestions from family, friends, significant others, siblings. It is hard to look at the bigger picture.
- You have to report to the unemployment office once a month. Not only is it bad enough that you have to face yourself in the mirror each morning, but now you have to sit with 30-50 other people in a dank dark room and fill out meaningless paperwork all so you can receive your benefits the next week.
Mountains:
- You learn (albeit the hard way) the value of a dollar. You appreciate your parent’s contributions and realize that without them, your situation could be a whole lot worse. Instead of going out with your friends, you concentrate on finding a job, which will secure your financial stability.
- Amidst the trials and tribulations that you believe humanity has afforded you, you know that there are still good people out there and this is evident when you receive a phone call back, an employment offer, a conversation that elicits understanding and connections that will help expand your network.
- You start to embrace your emotions and realize that time waits for no man. You start to utilize time management (you know that skill that was evasive in college?) and you pound the pavement; ensuring that those execs know you and your face so that you’re not just a name on a piece of paper.
- You realize that without your family and friends, you would not have even gotten as far as you are right now. They are your sounding board.
- Instead of feeling sorry for yourself at the unemployment office, you look around the room and see that the family to your right with their little girl, or the veteran who has served our country are your kindred spirits. You are not alone and that perhaps is the most important Mountain of all.
