When a door closes, a window opens. Photo credit: nociveglia at flickr.com
With unemployment hovering at around 10 percent, many of the unemployed have found new and productive ways to spend their time in an effort to make themselves more attractive to employers and/or add money into their own pockets.
- Many people have started their own businesses while job hunting. If the job market continues to stagnate, they will eventually have something lucrative to fall back on as persistence often pays off. Even after obtaining a new job, your new business will continue to bring in extra income, which will help you rebuild savings accounts that dwindled during long months of unemployment.
- Some have gone back to school (often with the help of the Department of Unemployment) to improve job skills or to gain skills in a totally different field from the one they left. Learning new skills makes you a stronger candidate for positions in your field or in a new field.
- After years of drudgery, some newly unemployed folks are joyful at the thought of severance pay. They use the sudden influx of cash for education, a new business venture or even travel. There are quite a few blogs out there from folks who are using unemployment as an opportunity for new growth, whether it’s following a new career direction or following your dreams.
- A few creative types are using their time to write “the great American novel.” Self-publishing has enabled authors to sell their books on sites like Amazon.com even if professional publishers were uninterested in their work. Or sell your intellectual property as an eBook for people to download at the fraction of the cost of a paper book. Those with published works in their field are considered to be experts and are more attractive candidates in their field.
- Lots of people are using their time to get fit and develop a healthy lifestyle. Many of these people have developed blogs and websites to document their transition. These sites are quite popular and attract advertisers, which eventually leads to some cash in the bank.
Follow your path. Unemployment is a challenge but also gives you an opportunity to pursue interests that you love, build a new business, increase job skills, volunteer your time and knowledge, get fit and develop new skills. Use your time wisely as soon you’ll have a successful business or new job that eats up your time!
