by Bill Thurston, Vocational Counselor
About a year ago I started collecting stories from participants who had been in transition for a year or more. In workshops I started to see that I was learning more from the people who have “been there” than I could possibly teach. As they started getting jobs I began asking what it was that worked for them. What had they learned from all this?
For those of you who are out there and have lost some vitality, take heart, it will happen for you too. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
The following is a collection of stories from people who have survived and insights as to how they made it happen. Check back to this blog for more stories of success in the future!
1). As far as advice to others, for me it was an opportunity to go back to school and take additional training. I had the opportunity to network with new friends in my training classes.
Being laid off was one of the hardest events I have had to deal with in my life. Family support is very important. Being off work did give me time to bond more with my teenagers. I am glad they were old enough to experience this recession and endure the hardship of having to do without some things they took for granted. As we explained to them, this will happen again in their life time and they need to be conservative in their spending and plan for their future. Everyday my father-in-law and I would go to the gym and work out. Exercise is a great way to take your mind off the situation and help you feel good about yourself.
2). I was getting worried there for a while wondering if I would ever find a job. My advice is to let everyone you know that you are job hunting.
3). Here are my thoughts on the past year and a half...
I can't believe I didn't work for a year. When I look back I think of it as a nice vacation, a waste of 1 1/2 years, but most importantly time to focus on and spend with my family. My husband broke his leg and was laid off as well for the past 8 months, so things have been about as tough as it gets, in addition to having a newborn. I landed this job 1 week after my second unemployment extension ran out. I won't be making the money I wanted, nor at the level I wanted, but it is a job that will help me to contribute to my family and to feel good about myself.
This adventure has me thinking God had this in His plans all along. I'm not a very religious person, but I think He knew I needed to be available to help with our baby and help my husband with his broken leg. Anyway, what kept me motivated was calling my mom. She would ask me about once a week what I had done to find a job. She would help me find jobs online and in the paper, and so did many other family members. When I thought I was no good, she would remind me that I was good and that there were just too many people applying for the same jobs. And she was right! What doesn't work is searching for jobs that are great and not applying for them because you don't want to get rejected again. I landed this job through networking. I applied from an ad in the paper and noticed an old co-worker worked there (LinkedIn is great). And in interviews, I learned that if I'm just myself instead of trying the answer the question right, you'll have a much better chance. (Oh, and having a spouse at home and not working helped me get a job and out of the house! ;)
