If you think the economy is hurting every industry, think again. Despite the fact that Larry Flynt was asking for a bailout, some things never seem to tap out. But let’s face it, there is only so far you can get with a dollar. Being out of work during this economic downturn forces the creative juices within to start pumping.
At first blush, you may think the jobless are out partying like rock stars and throwing caution to the wind. No Monday morning meetings, no deadlines, no client conflicts that create ulcers and sleepless nights.
So, yes, for a few days, maybe even a week or so, we partied it up like no ones business but that gets old. And expensive. And everyone else we know has a day job so we are screwed. Outside of the occasional pit-stop at the local gentleman’s club—or ladies club, what are the illustrious jobless doing for fun? Loads of stuff.
Using the gym membership, we swore we would one-day use. Ok, so there are no excuses left; who wants to be out of work and fat? Many a recently laid off are hitting the gym to tone our physique as a means of increasing dopamine levels in our brain, that elusive feel good chemical, and trimming off the excess fat for the next job interview. No sense in competing with young, hip, recently educated college kids if we can’t see past our stomachs.
Getting altruistic or philanthropic. Yes, it’s the age old sentiment that if you want to feel better about your life, go and help someone who has it worse than you. Now, I am not being insensitive, I am merely suggesting that the jobless are heading over to volunteer at their local agency to get a taste for what it is really like to suffer on a daily basis. Believe it or not, contacts and job prospects can be made and there really is something fulfilling about helping someone for the pure sake of emotional enjoyment.
Starting a consulting firm. Talk about baptism by fire. Those of us who are on the daring side have created a Website, a logo, a company name, and even downloaded free business cards to start prostituting our services. It is rewarding, challenging, and fun to see how many people we can convince that the money we were paid for our skills during our day job was worth it.
Traveling to places we couldn’t go because we had a limited time off. Despite the fact that our funds may be stretched thin, we are hitting the slopes on the Coasts and heading to the beaches for a day full of beautiful sloth-dom. Yes, it is unfair. While others slave and crunch numbers, we are living the life of forced leisure, communing with nature, and taking it all in.
Getting educated in Web 2.0. Yes, even though we are on the cusp of Web 3.0, some of us are researching, learning, blogging, writing, and tackling the internet with a newfound sense of zeal. Or terror. Being laid off reminds us that in order to stay competitive, we have to be up-to-date- on the most recent trends and technologies to better our chances in the future. The bright side? While we are learning these technologies, we can use our previous employment as fuel for blog posts. Oh no you didn’t.
So, there you have it, the jobless are out getting leaner and meaner by the second, and raising the bar for competition in the future. You go with your bad self.
