“…and he’s only 29!”
“You should date him.”
…
I can’t find a job for the life of me, though lately, I have not been looking. I scrape by on the very little income I make each month, budgeting the hell out of my wallet and going to museums only when admission is free.
Initially, not having a full-time job felt like a gaping hole in my personal identity and I filled every one of my unemployed days searching uninspired listings and sending out uninspired cover letters. I eventually found a match with a part-time job to throw into the pile of my other part-time jobs and have been unsteadily riding the poor wave since.
To be fair, I really enjoy my part-times and if I could somehow transition just one them into a full-time, this girl would be all set for glory and future-planning. Unfortunately, as we’re all painfully aware, that won’t happen or happen anytime soon.
And yet, despite HR directors and headhunters being wildly unimpressed with my modest attributes, friends and acquaintances are all about trying to get me to meet their single friends. I’ve somehow located the secret passageway to meeting men and have unwittingly snuggled in rather comfortably. Want to introduce me? Sure why not. Think we should hang out sometime? Give me a call.
Though, like a job, I am not really looking (wait, is that where in my appeal lies?). I’ve gotten involved in a local free clinic, signed up for a volunteer health care excursion, ran a half-marathon, put my friends and family first, read the books I wanted to read. With all the downer recession news stories, no one told me that life can be fucking awesome not having a full-time gig. My time is my own! I do what I want! Maintaining a good credit score, psh, for suckers.
What I’m saying is, I’m still busy despite being without. And I’ve gotten used to the luxury of taking actions that interest and challenge me and help me grow.
What if a job or a man throws a wrench in all of that? I can stay with bad jobs much too long and love bad men much too deeply. It’s just who I am.
I got myself unemployed last October. Spent the following five months or so stressing that I had no money and that the world was crap and no-one was employing anyone. Then I got a job, had to move – and since then have been hanging out for holidays so I can do my own thing, whiles still not ever having any money…. i earn a gnats breath more then the government use to give me, which seems slightly unfair. I envy you and your wonderful attitude. Write a book about your experiences, a whole generation will relate.
Best seller.
Never have to do a days work again.
It’s a plan!
Ha you are my new life guru! Bestseller? No sweat.
You write about this so well. Wow.
I get so discouraged sometimes at being so poor and having to squeeze the life out of every last dollar that I forget the luxuries I’m enjoying. Part time works if there’s just enough and signing your life away to the company store is for losers who don’t know that’s what they are.
Thanks for the reminder.
K
Thanks Kate! I agree, being poor totally sucks. I am in constant fear of opening up my cc statements. But then, having your time as your own is absolutely glorious!
Hi Juli,
Unemployment is my fucking dream right now.
Love,
Sarah
Ha aww don’t say that. You have money! That’s a good thing!
Employment = money? That is a common fallacy. Haha!
Did I say you have money? I meant, you have a cubicle. Yay?
I came across your blog from your profile on a travel site and I just want to say I can really empathize with this post. I work but I’m trying to save enough to quit and get through for a while. I plan to take things easy for a short time and find new work but for now I’m hanging on at my job that I so dislike.
Hope I don’t come across as a stalker or anything.
My tip for people who hate their jobs- save your money from the start so that you’re not locked in and you can break free if necessary.
Hey CP,
Thanks for reading and commenting! I totally agree with what you’re saying. Having not had a steady gig for this long now, I find that my greatest fear is being tied down to a job I hate simply because of the paycheck it provides.
Great ;-) A bit of more money would make life easier, especially if you want to travel, but freelancing is really giving me the opportunity to do what I want the way I want, and I really DO NOT envy Londoners stuck in their offices Monday to Friday 9 to 5!
For sure! Freedom and flexibility is worth way more than zeros on a paycheck! That is, until I have to pay my cc bills ha. Thanks for commenting Angela!
What a refreshing perspective. I’ve been job hunting in this blech market for over a year now, whilst working. Finding writing gigs full-time seems to be impossible, and even finding freelance work a gamble. But, I am a woman of faith so am confident for bigger and better! things.
Also am considering taking a year off of the daily grind to work in Europe and travel.
Yea the job market isn’t pretty, so we gotta look elsewhere for our fulfillment etc. (:
I, of course, think you should take a year off to travel! If nothing’s holding you down back at home, might as well get out and see some of the world ha. Thanks for commenting!