HOW TO SURVIVE THE UNEMPLOYED PHASE
As a young person, one of the most frustrating thing that can ever happen to you is sitting at home all day, doing absolutely nothing productive especially after you’ve completed your University education and National Youth Service Year- it is what I refer to has the ‘unemployed phase’. The wait can be depressing sometimes knowing that you’ve not gotten a call back on the interview you did on a prospective job, or the email address you forwarded your application to has not acknowledged it. The clock is ticking, your bank account is showing the red light, your parents are getting impatient with you sitting around the house, and oh the society wouldn’t let you rest without asking you questions that reminds you of your struggle ‘where do you work now’? Well being unemployed at the moment myself, I can totally relate with your pain and I’ve compiled a list of things you can do to survive this phase, bearing in mind ‘no situation or condition is permanent’. Discover yourself: there is a usual saying that ‘it is never too late for no one’ so if you haven’t discovered yourself at this point in your life, isn’t too late for that. Think! What I’m I good at? What I’m I passionate about? What is that hidden talent I have and I rendered dormant? Search yourself deeply. Everybody was born with a gift to equip them to achieve their purpose, so learn more about yourself. Do something! Now that you know your talent, do something with it while you wait for that job. Is it writing? Start writing something. Is it teaching? Pick up after school lessons, volunteer at places open for teaching. Is it singing? Work on your vocals. The idea is start doing something with those talents. If there is no opportunity to show the world yet how talented you are, don’t wait or stop, instead work on these talents to become better, so that when the door of opportunity opens, you will be prepared Learn a vocation/ pick an interest: this is so cliché but true. No knowledge is wasted, learn a trade.e.g photography, baking, shoe making, soap making, makeup classes’ etc. Luckily for you, there are so many youth-empowered programmes going on lately, so pick up one. What you learn might not only fetch you money immediately but will do later in the future. Travel: the funny thing is though we hate this phase, this could just be the only time to enjoy yourself well enough before you get busy in the labour market. So travel, visit new places, check out other cultures, and learn their language. Seminars: attend seminars, conferences that are young people oriented. There you get to network with people, you get to prepare yourself for the business world. Those seminars are very helpful in getting you busy and networking Invest your time in God: yes, very important, use that free time to learn more about God. Pray, read your bible or Quran. Believe in something bigger than yourself. I hope these tips were helpful. The idea is to get busy with something and improve yourself. So put that youthful brain to use and start doing something productive while you wait for that job.
