Recently lost my job – it feels uncomfortable.
After 17 straight years of constant employment..pretty much since I got my Master’s in IT while living in Norway for two years I’ve had a job.
But I’m not going to let fear of the unknown get me down. The path forward is a bit of a mystery I’m unraveling and creating. I have to rely on myself completely since I have no family or support network…but this isn’t my first time. Something amazing will happen, I believe in myself. In the meantime, I am going to try and enjoy my freedom, it’s rare.
And so, as I let the process unfold and I organize.
Organize?
Yes, it helps me reinvent myself. Here’s how I do it:
- Review all my notebooks, digital notes, papers. What do I need to keep or revisit? What can I get rid of? What should I do something with?
- Re-arrange my physical office space. Sitting at my desk with no work laptop feels unpleasant, like I’m missing something. So I changed it all around with a totally new setup. Desks are now awaiting possibilities I will manifest. Paintings look different and worth exploring again. Musical instruments remind me to play them. Ahh, starting fresh!
- Go through resume and update. It needs to align with new job roles I will be targeting as well as having it reflect my skills, experience, aspirations, learning, and keywords that AI tools and recruiters will look for.
- Connect with people. This includes people I know and haven’t connected with digitally, people I’ve worked with, and people I want to work with. This includes social, communities and groups, and following companies of interest.
- Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t work. This includes what I liked and didn’t like and refining what I want.
- Upskilling. I already made time for this in my job, but now I have way more time to learn and practice using tools I’ve been wanting to master more, including: xAPI, LRS, PowerBi, and all the AI tools I already use.
- Bought a new laptop on monthly payment plan. I might be broke but this is a must, typing this blog post on my iPad is no joke. So I got one with power, performance, and an Nvidia graphics card for video creation.
- Going through personal belongings. What have I held onto that I no longer need? Or if I do want to keep them, highlight them into my re-organized space so I make use of them.
- Review social media use. How do I refresh and maximize these channels? Do I need others?
- Starting my own business. I don’t have to wait for someone to hire me. I already have a corporation that has been sitting around collecting some dust. Let’s kick this into gear! Using Framer to build a site with AI to rollout offering for companies that want revolutionized learning systems: Targeted micro learning, adaptive analytics, and goal-focus.
- Finally, I’m taking a post-bacc online in psychology, which I have a lot of talent in. 6 courses and a strong letter of recommendation from faculty, along with volunteer work at a local opioid clinic, and a letter of recommendation from someone I’ve worked with will go a long way and allow me to attend a masters program in counseling in either Utah or Oregon.
So that’s how I’m tackling this challenge. What are you doing to re-invent yourself, or how are you dealing with unemployment. If you made it this far please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.