From Jobless to Fearless: 10 Steps To Crafting a New Future After a Year Out of Work
Sometimes, when people don’t have job security or a means of earning money, it may seem like the world is closing in on them. There’s the constant anxiety that always lurks in the background of their thoughts. Thoughts of where the next meal would come from, how to pay utility bills and rent, and plenty of other expenses. These thoughts can trigger a feeling of existential dread. On an online platform, a member says they have little chance of working full time again because they have no fundamental skills and have been an office droid forever. They say their career life is over since no one will hire them at 35, and now they have to focus on survival. They still live with their parents and have no family of their own or kids.
When faced with this situation, people who have been there before offered comforting comments on how to get back on track.
1. Freedom To Do Anything
A user tells the man, whom we’ll call Adam, that they are in the best position to reinvent their life. Since they have no kids, the only person they need to look after is themselves. Their parents are already providing them with a place to stay, as they mentioned. “As a 36-year-old mom of 3,” says the user, “I could only imagine the possibility of being able to have this kind of freedom to do anything I want in life. Find something that interests you, stick with it, and change your life. Just be patient with yourself. Even if it takes you a little longer to learn a new skill, forward is forward. You will eventually get there.”
2. Depression
A member who had once been depressed because he didn’t have a job for six months advises Adam that the problem might be how he approaches his job search. The user tells him that he only got a job a week ago, and that was because he had to work on his mental health first. At job interviews, interviewers usually know when you have a negative energy and might not want to work with you for that reason.
3. Flight Attendant
One user shared that they’re a flight attendant. They say that Adam doesn’t need any technical training to become a flight attendant. Adam can get creative with his resume and apply any level of customer service or teamwork experience to the job. They say that the first couple of years will be hard moneywise, but all the major airlines in the U.S. are currently in contract negotiations, so that should be getting better soon.
4. Corporate World
“The corporate world shifted to my core skills, and it’s still hard to get a job,” said one user. “How is that even possible? Right now, things are really tough for all of us. I know that really isn’t comforting, but that’s the reality. You have skills and need to assess where you are at, where you would like to go, and focus on an area where you think will do better.”
5. Trade
This user tells Adam that they have seen so many stories of people of the same age switching career paths and finding stability. They advise Adam to get into the trades because they’re too young to count themselves out.
6. Take a Break
“It sounds like you need a break,” says one man. They advise Adam to take a couple of days off from his job search and then spend some time doing what he loves with family and friends or just on his own.
7. Full Time Nurse
One user says that her sister studied nursing in her 30s and is now a nurse full-time. She also said she started a new career at 36. Her husband also started his new career at 32. “It isn’t over for you at all,” she says. “You’ve got this.”
8. Not Too Late
It is not too late for Adam to learn a skill; he still has his life ahead of him at 35. A person advises that they went to college at 39, graduated at 41, and now they’re working in an industry they never thought possible. The user tells Adam to find an industry he thinks he will enjoy, get a certificate, find a staffing agency that specializes in that industry, and then do some temporary work to get his skills up. Then, he can start applying for full-time positions with the skill set.
9. Not Old
“Thirty-five isn’t old,” says one person. They urge Adam to go back to school or learn a trade because he’s going to look back at this moment when he’s actually old and feel ridiculous.
10. Online Courses
A final person advises Adam to take free courses online. Some aren’t free but are cheap, but they are worth the time and investment. Google Courses, Coursera, Udemy, YouTube, and many other places offer certifications and training.
Source: Reddit.
12 Practical Ways To Make Life Easier
There are always simple things that help make life easier, but unfortunately, they are often overlooked.
Life can be pretty complicated sometimes.
From stressing about your career working in an office to managing your finances, there is so much to do. As a result, your life becomes stressful, messy, and whatnot.
Many of us don’t immediately realize when our lives get messy and overwhelmed.
Over time, it gets worse and affects our mood, productivity, and other areas of our lives.
