Day One of Finding Sanity

It has officially begun. By no fault of my own, I am officially unemployed and looking for a new job. In an article I'd written before the question was how to identify which stand you should take, "Job Search or Job Security." Now that the smoke has settled and I can see a bit more clearly. I have learned always having a back up job is very important. No matter how much loyalty a company wants you to show, you have to watch your own back because in the end you could be left fending for a new job. We no longer live in days when working one job for 25 years is typical. That's not to say that it's not possible, just most likely unrealistic.

I have to be honest, my first thought was, "Finally some relief." It felt good knowing a bottom line. Even if that bottom line put me in the unemployment line. At least I know what I need to do; find a job. Eventually I will face insanity- the feeling you get when the pressure of finding a job sets in. Don't get me wrong I've never been diagnosed clinically insane or on the verge of going insane, but the ups and downs and depression that a person goes through when looking for a job to turn into a career will push you to what feels like insanity. When I first graduated college I went through the same thing. It took me two years to get a job worth putting on my resume. I was not alone. Or at least in reality I was not alone, it felt very lonely- you begin to wonder if you are the only person who has a four year college degree and no career. And there is a difference between having a job and having a career. If you don't know the difference you will learn after being in the work force for a while. But, during that time my best friend was in graduate school, I'd attended one semester but could not continue due to money issues. In the two years she spent in school we both job searched working mediocre jobs to pay bills. Her advantage was having family she could live with during this time and not having to pay rent or much of a car note for that matter. Me? I had all the bills and then some. Another friend of mine, in graduate school also, shared his experiences of looking for a job that could lead to a decent career. So, by no means was I alone having friends going through the same thing. But I must digress; back to my thoughts about my new employment status. My second thought was, now I have more time to study for the LSAT. Although the test is officially now in ten days for me, I can spend a few days focusing primarily on getting mentally ready for the test. I'd taken the test in December with a hand injury and I'd been studying technically off and on for years but extensively since the September prior to the test. I am convinced that obtaining my J.D. will empower me and give me the opportunity to go into business for myself. That way I can skip all the worrying about how an employer treats me and how co-workers can affect my livelihood on any job.

If there is anything you learn from what I've said, I hope it's the fact that it is better to have a back up plan to your current job than to be facing the un-planned insanity of job searching. If that is not prevalent in my statements, then read on as I attempt to document my experiences 'in the unemployment line' until then, you have just experienced my first few hours of being unemployed in 2007.