What unemployment has taught me
I have been unemployed for nearly 6 months now. After being in permanent and stable employment for the better part of 7 years, I changed roles and a few months later I found myself in a situation of being the last person hired in a firm that was forced to reduce its headcount.
There is no two ways about it, losing your job is hard. It certainly hit me hard. It’s easy to think of the economic cost of unemployment when you lose your regular salary cheque, but there are much more psychological and social costs as well.
I blamed myself for my job loss for a long time. Although the reasons for my redundancy were given to me as being economical rather than performance based, I still blamed my performance. I thought about what I could have done differently, which relationships I should have fostered more closely, which report I should have spent more time on. In the end none of it matters.
What matters is that although my situation right now is not ideal, I am determined to learn from it. Here’s what unemployment has taught me:
There is no two ways about it, losing your job is hard. It certainly hit me hard. It’s easy to think of the economic cost of unemployment when you lose your regular salary cheque, but there are much more psychological and social costs as well.
I blamed myself for my job loss for a long time. Although the reasons for my redundancy were given to me as being economical rather than performance based, I still blamed my performance. I thought about what I could have done differently, which relationships I should have fostered more closely, which report I should have spent more time on. In the end none of it matters.
What matters is that although my situation right now is not ideal, I am determined to learn from it. Here’s what unemployment has taught me:
- I am more than just the work that I do.
- I draw amazing strength from being around with my family.
- Money isn’t everything. Being happy and content is.
- The power and importance of professional networking.
- Dealing with rejection is hard but it can get you closer to your goal.
- When you’re thankful for what you have, you already have more.
- Live in the now. Quit thinking about the past and worrying about the future.
- Finding the right role to suit your values, strengths and personality requires careful introspection and is crucial for future job success.
- Simplify yourself.
- The frustration, pain and embarrassment of job loss are just feelings, they are not YOU.
I firmly believe it. Most of the learning I’ve done in my life has come from periods of challenge and difficulty.
My unemployment is no exception.
Sreekanth
Sreekanth
