Barbaloot said:
I have been unemployed for almost 3 years now and now it's really starting to get to me.
Earlier this evening someone I went to university with started talking to me. She, as always, has a lot going on in her life academically and career-wise. I dreaded the inevitable question the entire time, hoping, maybe, she would be too caught up in herself to ask it: "So, are you working yet?"
But she did. And I lied. I said I had a number of prospects lined up, but I was waiting until other circumstances were right before I committed to anything. In reality I haven't even had so much as an offer of employment since my last job ended, but I hate saying "I am unemployed and have no prospects" for the hundredth time. I just couldn't enter into another conversation with her about how I am still unemployed.
I used to be so career-oriented. All of my early 20s were dedicated to pursuing an education so I could have a career. I am so sick of being so unproductive, I am sick of being home all the time. I don't live in a place that affords me many opportunities. I am too far away from anything to volunteer, I am in an employment market that is pretty much exclusive to inside connections and contacts - almost no jobs are ever advertised, and for two years I've had the biggest stumbling block of all - having to learn the national language before I could even hope to get a decent job. And I can't move. Well, I could, but it would not be financially beneficial to do so.
So, for now, I am just stuck. And it sucks.
Are you unemployed? What's your rant? :\
Hey Barb, hun (hugs)
I don't usually frequent "Misc", in fact I think it's the first time I've been in this room, but I'm glad I did. I can certainly relate as you may or may not remember from some of my earlier posts. For those who don't know me (or remember my situation), I've been out of work now for over a year and a half. I had to sign on today in fact and I am also on a 'work program' which is an oxymoron if I ever heard one, because all that involves is the same shtick I've had to do throughout the years when I've been out of work before i.e. sit in a room using a PC with a bunch of mostly slack-jawed, ignorant, work shy cretins (trust me, some of them truly are) and do job searches and stuff like that, ALL of which I am more than perfectly capable of doing from home. But hey, them's the government rules; if you've been out of work for over a year in this country, this is what you can expect
As a now 38 year old male, I can't tell you how debilitating it is to be in this situation. It's bad at ANY age, regardless of gender, but it's a feeling I've never been used to or comfortable with. Forgetting the social stigma ALONE as Barb rightly pointed out, just the sheer fact of not being able to afford even small essentials or luxuries sometimes, things you take for granted when you're on any sort of income, even a low one. So until I am able to find myself a job, I am for the most part stuck in the same boat as so many people all over the world. The thing that cracks me up is when our local paper will have big, bold headlines such as "Unemployment figures record drop" and either on the same page further down in small font or in the next day's or next week's issue it will be how so and so company is folding under. If anyone is from the UK here, you may have seen the news about Argos, one of the biggest retail companies in the UK hands down. They are apparently going to be getting shot of SEVENTY FIVE stores across the country at some stage!!!
Why? Because the head bigwig(s) all want to go online. And they're not the first either to do this.
Something I want to leave you with, in fact anyone who might be interested in what I have to say next, is this; I have started like so many people these days to try and look for ways to make money online or work part time from home etc. One of the things that has helped to pull me out of the sheer depressive slump I've been in for so long, was to watch a lot of motivational speakers as well as people like the amazing Tony Robbins. Regardless of whatever you think of these people, especially someone like the grandiose Mr Robbins, is that they really start to make you think with the things they say. I'm not just talking about sales-related stuff, I mean flat out mindset rules and ways of positive thinking. Law of attraction, manifest destiny, these are just two easily identifiable concepts that have been around for centuries, yet I had never looked them up before even though I had heard of them. So I went from (I still am every day in fact) watching these sorts of videos to eventually coming across something called Empower Network - the very company that I now have my own blog site on.
I saw a couple of videos about them on Youtube whilst looking up about help for making money online/working online this sort of thing and after being initially intrigued by some testimonials and introductory videos, I decided to research them for over a week to find out more. After realising within a short period of time that whoever this company was is legit, I decided to join up with a guy who I've talked to online a few times on my Youtube channel. I shall say this - I've been a member for 6 weeks approx and I have just started to see some positive results from my efforts
Nothing to make me boldly walk into the job centre and declare "FU** all this BS, I now no longer have to put up with this crap anymore and I will never have to see the inside of this place again!" (it is my fantasy, nay my GOAL though!). But it is enough to convince me that not only is this something I can do because I have all the time, all the motivation now and all the reasons in the world to do so, but if and when I get a job, I will now have a HOPEFULLY decent income coming in on a residual basis too!
So why am I saying all this? Well, I can tell you straight off that this is NOT I repeat NOT me trying to 'sell you something'. Believe me, I wouldn't do that, not to you guys or any of my friends (plus the forum obviously has strict rules on that sort of behaviour). I am merely mentioning all of this because IF you (Barb) or anyone else reading this feels that this might be something you want to try out for whatever reason, then all I will say is that you can always message me or reply back here or whatever and I will gladly tell you all the details you need to know and what you can expect and what little tips and pieces of advice I can give that I have picked up all on my own doing. It's a constant learning curve, just like anything, but trust me when I say that me taking an interest in trying to make a go of this as well as find ways to motivate myself and to do something positive and constructive with all the spare time I have, is probably about %50-60 of the reason why I have been able to finally pull myself out of this black hole of depression that I've slipped into for so long.
Make of that what you will. I hope those of you that 'know' me on here, will know that I am genuine and I don't BS ANY of you about.
Regardless of what you do, I really hope things work out for you, Barb and anyone else in the same position. I hope and pray for us all
x
P.S. I will leave a link to a blog post and video on my blog site underneath which explains what Empower Network is and how it works:
http://www.empowernetwork.com/empower-network-vision/?id=steve_thomas
