The millennial’s guide to surviving unemployment – Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of The Millennial’s Guide to Unemployment. I see you are still unemployed – me too! Let’s be best friends. Now here’s Part 2 of my tips for helping you cope with that unemployed times you got on your hands.

Sharpen Your Skills
Having a degree is no longer enough. It is an employer’s market and they want résumés that are fit for NASA, so you better have a clean space suit. Take this time to learn something new. The Internet is your oyster. Websites like Codecademy will help you learn code, Skillshare will teach you anything from photography to marketing, and you can learn new languages through websites/apps like Memrise and Duolingo. If you’re missing the daily interaction you used to have with coworkers, consider looking into volunteer opportunities. This is a way to get your socialization on and do a bit of casual networking, but also keeps your professional skills sharp as well. Many charities need help with marketing, PR, and communications and other professional skills that are often too expensive to pay an agency for. Plus employers like to hear that you’ve taken this time to do some self-improvement. And you’ll finally get to be that overachiever you always wanted/dreaded becoming!

Get out and see your friends
You are likely to be on a budget, trying to stretch your dollars as far as they will go until you know when you’re going to be getting your next paycheque, but seeing your friends will help you maintain some sense of normality and keep you sane. So go out and see your friends! Otherwise, they might start putting your face on milk cartons. You’re probably not going to be able to hit up the happy hours like you used to, so get creative find some low cost alternatives to expensive restaurants and cocktails. Have a picnic, go for a walk, or host a potluck brunch at your house. They’re your friends, they’ll understand.

Make a game out of saving money
One of the things I’ve learned while having to save money is how little I actually “need” stuff. My husband and I have made a game of saving money and cutting costs. We make our shopping budgets for the week and see what we can cut and if we can beat what we spent last week. It doesn’t always happen – it’s okay to indulge in that bottle of wine once in awhile. Sometimes a goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at (thanks to Bruce Lee for this wisdom). You will only resent yourself and your circumstances if you don’t give yourself a little treat once in awhile. And while we’re at it, use or clear out all that stuff you bought because you “needed” it. It’ll open your eyes, I’ll tell you that.

Stay Strong, Relationship Wise
If you have a spouse or a partner, your relationship will likely face the strain that comes with one of you being unemployed. It is tough! And if you’re not in a relationship, your relationship with yourself might be strained. Unemployment takes one look at your self-worth and knocks it down. Unemployment is like Godzilla destroying Tokyo, knocking buildings down with his weird He-Man shaped dinosaur arms. Acknowledging that things will be difficult helps. Spend time with your partner, treat him or her right and treat yourself right. If you’ve had to move back in with Mom and Dad, love them too, because as you may now know they are human, just like you. Cherish the people in your life because they are the ones that will keep you going through this.

Being unemployed is not easy. You will have good days and bad. Navigating today’s job market is like playing Frogger on extreme difficulty. Time will sometimes drag on and it will feel like you’re being held captive in Hell’s unemployment office. Don’t give up. I hope unemployment leaves you wiser than it has left me. And remember, you’ve got the rest of your life to enjoy your desk shackles, so take that afternoon trip to the beach you’ve always wanted to do. Because life is short and if you’re a millennial, retirement in the future will probably only be a novelty of the past, like landlines and mixtapes.