Use Jobless Time to Build Better World

A friend recently pointed me to an interesting article written by Barbara Ehrenreich titled Use Jobless Time to Build Better World
(thanks Joanne). The title says it all. It doesn't really give instructions on how to do it though, but I guess that's not a realistic expectation. To my disappointment I find myself spending a great deal of time searching for that next job as the article says, which is what all the job counselors state you should do. It's sad to contemplate all the hours spent by very highly skilled people engaged in "job search" efforts producing essentially no social benefits for all their hours of labor.

By comparison I spend only a relatively small portion of my time trying to build a better world. I have more freedom than I've had in over 25 years, and more than I probably will have until I retire. In principle I could be spending 12-14 hours a day trying to build a better world as the article suggests. I'm not sitting around doing nothing for this, mind you, but I'm also not doing significantly more than I was doing while working 40 hours a week. (Let's ignore for now the discussion about how much that 40-hour per week job was really contributing to building a better world.) I think I need to reconsider my priorities (and my schedule) during this privileged period of my "paid sabbatical".

As the article concludes:

...the first step, as in any 12-step program, is to overcome denial. Job searching is not a job; retraining is not a panacea. You may be poorer than you've ever been, but you are also freer -- to express anger and urgency, to dream and create, to get together with others and conspire to build a better world.

Observations After 2 Months of Unemployment

I recently passed the 2 month mark of being unemployed. Some observations:

The job market doesn't look bad. Every week I come across multiple new job postings that are very appealing and for which I consider myself very highly qualified. The unsettling part is that I continue to get no responses after applying for them. In some cases I know that's because I'm one of several hundred people that apply, and I'm not one of the few chosen to be interviewed. In other cases the company with the job opening will collect resumes for several weeks before contacting anyone, so I just need to be patient. I'm still in a position where the wait is not causing financial problems, but I really feel for those who are in a more desperate situation with few skills to rely on.

I continue with about the same work around the house, volunteer work, and other outside interests that I used to have. I have no idea how I actually did all of this when I was working though. I feel just as busy as ever, even without taking on any major new efforts. Being busy is good, but it doesn't leave the time for deep reflection.

My wife and I really pulled together in our relationship to get through this, and she's been very supportive. It does start taking a toll on your relationship after a while though. I'm sure the number of broken families will rise noticeably due to this financial transition we're going through. That's a cost that doesn't get figured into the normal accounting procedures.