Keeping your job at the moment is incredibly difficult. The economy is in a mess, and we can't all blame the Greeks or Europe generally, but if the worst were to happen what would you do if you lost your job?
I was dragged along about 2 years ago to see the movie "Up in the Air" by my girlfriend. It was an average film, nothing special, but one part of the film really got me thinking. It was the part where Clooney was making Bob redundant. Bob was played by J.K. Simmons by the way, one of my favourite actors from Law & Order. Anyhow, it transpired that Bob didn't actually like his job very much. In actual fact, he hated it and only did it to provide an income for his family. What he really wanted to be was a chef, so he left his meeting with a spring in his step, as he had devised a plan do to something which he enjoyed.
Loads of people are being laid off at the moment, and the main worry is that you think to yourself that you must get another job immediately. Well, that's all well and good, but the main dilemma is that there aren't many jobs, and would an employer want to make a employment offer to someone who had already just left another job? What do they have to give, except from possibly quite a lot of trepidation if they will succeed in their new role, and the question will always be asked (although not directly to you) "Why did their last firm let them go? Were they no good at their job?"
If you have any savings, or can borrow some money from close friends or family, losing your job may give you the opportunity that if gave Bob from the movie; do something you've always yearned to do. He wanted to be a cook, but you may not have ambitions in that area. You may want to go and trek the Inca Trail, tour though Indochina, see Australia, or all three, or even more! This is what you've been ready for. Take time out, do some volunteering work; take a GAP year.
You just have to put a strategy together and think about what you're good at. Can you organise things well (or more importantly people?), are you handy with work tools, can you cook? If any of these things are in your life locker then you can become a volunteer. There are hundreds of volunteer organisations out there who need support. You don't earn much money, but you should get your expenses. Or, just go out and see the world. See Machu Picchu, go to the Arctic Circle, scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef? All you need is a good travel agent, and make sure you get some decent Gap Year Insurance.
Once you've completed your GAP Year, you'll have completed one of the most important triumphs of your life. You've given something back, you've experienced other cultures, tasted their wine and sang their songs. And then, when you get back into the employment saddle, when the HR person interviews you and asks why you haven't had a full time job in the past year, you can answer "The job was getting predictable and slow, and the firm was struggling. So I took the opportunity to take a year out and achieve all the things I ever wanted to do, and now I'm back, charged up and ready to commit to this job".
If you were taking this interview, you'd be pretty impressed with that as well wouldn't you?
I was dragged along about 2 years ago to see the movie "Up in the Air" by my girlfriend. It was an average film, nothing special, but one part of the film really got me thinking. It was the part where Clooney was making Bob redundant. Bob was played by J.K. Simmons by the way, one of my favourite actors from Law & Order. Anyhow, it transpired that Bob didn't actually like his job very much. In actual fact, he hated it and only did it to provide an income for his family. What he really wanted to be was a chef, so he left his meeting with a spring in his step, as he had devised a plan do to something which he enjoyed.
Loads of people are being laid off at the moment, and the main worry is that you think to yourself that you must get another job immediately. Well, that's all well and good, but the main dilemma is that there aren't many jobs, and would an employer want to make a employment offer to someone who had already just left another job? What do they have to give, except from possibly quite a lot of trepidation if they will succeed in their new role, and the question will always be asked (although not directly to you) "Why did their last firm let them go? Were they no good at their job?"
If you have any savings, or can borrow some money from close friends or family, losing your job may give you the opportunity that if gave Bob from the movie; do something you've always yearned to do. He wanted to be a cook, but you may not have ambitions in that area. You may want to go and trek the Inca Trail, tour though Indochina, see Australia, or all three, or even more! This is what you've been ready for. Take time out, do some volunteering work; take a GAP year.
You just have to put a strategy together and think about what you're good at. Can you organise things well (or more importantly people?), are you handy with work tools, can you cook? If any of these things are in your life locker then you can become a volunteer. There are hundreds of volunteer organisations out there who need support. You don't earn much money, but you should get your expenses. Or, just go out and see the world. See Machu Picchu, go to the Arctic Circle, scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef? All you need is a good travel agent, and make sure you get some decent Gap Year Insurance.
Once you've completed your GAP Year, you'll have completed one of the most important triumphs of your life. You've given something back, you've experienced other cultures, tasted their wine and sang their songs. And then, when you get back into the employment saddle, when the HR person interviews you and asks why you haven't had a full time job in the past year, you can answer "The job was getting predictable and slow, and the firm was struggling. So I took the opportunity to take a year out and achieve all the things I ever wanted to do, and now I'm back, charged up and ready to commit to this job".
If you were taking this interview, you'd be pretty impressed with that as well wouldn't you?
About the Author:
Learn more about GAP Year Insurance by clicking here. Use the site Sophie ended up using for her Travel Insurance.
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