First-hand accounts of being unemployed
A doctor’s note ended my career as a professional guitarist and informed me that I could lift nothing heavier than a bottle of milk. The same month, a note from my father cut me off from his medical aid and left me and my family hanging in the balance. Now what the hell were we supposed to do? “Write again.” was my wife’s answer. It had been at least five years since I’d last picked up a pen and most…
134 days after I got married, I lost my job. 134 days is a very short amount of time before being forced to deal with the harsh realities of the real world. That line in your vows – “for richer or poorer” – was quickly put to the test. Spoiler alert: we failed. However, losing my job wasn’t the main reason why my marriage failed. I will say, that although it may seem as though this is not a happy…
Boston, 2006: I step down from a full-time editing job seconds before I’m sure to get a pink slip. I convince myself I’m ready to create my own work. And I do. I edit. I teach. I write. I even babysit. Ten years fly by in a blur – during which I accumulate exactly two things: telling experiences and untold debt. I try LA, then Boston, and then LA again. All complete busts. The unsteady diet of tutoring and teaching…
I’ve been unemployed a few times in my life and during those times, while I looked for a job, I still had to earn money. While unemployment benefits are available for those who qualify, in many circumstances, not even that can hold down the fort until a new job comes along. And if you don’t have access to unemployment benefits that can be an even scarier situation. As you find opportunities to make money while unemployed, you may discover that…
In October of 2016, I was laid off. I wasn’t surprised by the lay off; work had been dwindling for months. My last two months there, they had me doing the one task I explicitly said I desired not to do (make phone calls to strangers) almost exclusively. I was surprised by how powerful my feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness were. My self-esteem hadn’t been particularly robust before being let go from my first position in the legal field, but…
I was not your typical little kid. I didn’t crawl. I didn’t walk. I didn’t hold my head up very well. I didn’t dress myself or go to the bathroom without significant help from someone else. Fortunately, my parents set a pattern for my life by focusing on the things I did well. I was interested in everything. I enjoyed doing crafts, especially drawing, knitting and crocheting. I loved reading and thought I might become a writer someday. Before I…