Don’t get me wrong, being unemployed and trying to live off of a tiny fraction of your former income sucks. It sucks big time! I hate not having somewhere to be every morning, even if the job was less than satisfying. It was nice being able to sleep in, the first couple of weeks, but even that gets old. Did I mention the lack of money?
Through it all, there were some positive things that have come from my untimely stint. I have had more time to spend with my husband and children. My daughter will be going away to school in a little more than a year and I appreciate having some extra time. This year, I have been able to become a more active parent at her school, Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Also, I am glad that I have been able to spend time more time with my son. I have had to do battle with DC Public Schools in order to get him much needed educational support. I am glad that I have had the time to do it.
While I have been catching up on family time, I have not been sitting idly by waiting for that magical job offer. I decided to do something else. I organized UXCamp DC 2010 with the help of some friends. It was an awesome experience, I learned a lot, and, most importantly, I met expanded my networking circle. I would not have been able to accomplish this had I been working a full-time job.
Now that UXCamp is over, it’s back to the task of looking for work, but, I do it with an additional set of skills that I am sure I will get to use again soon.
So, my advice to you, if you are unemployed or underemployed, is to do something that you are passionate about. Take this time to relax, re-focus, and re-charge. Your next opportunity is waiting out there for you. Organize something, write something, do something.