This might sound like it’s coming from a place of privilege because “Maybe she has a comfortable job and is already living her dream”, but the reality is the same for me as everyone else. Yes, I have a job that pays my bills but that’s not my life and my company, no matter how nice it may be, will never be “home” or “family”.
You’re probably thinking about those whose life depends on that one job; the people who have many mouths to feed and are responsible for a whole lot than I am. I’m thinking about them too. It’s alarming to see so many layoffs from top tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft. My question is— “Your life depends on your job but does the company equally depend on you?”. Unfortunately, no. All of us no matter where we come from, what we do, who we work for and what our circumstances are, the truth is that we are disposable.
Facing The Truth—You Are Disposable
Now that you know, with various experiences, especially in the job world, how do you face it? After all, you’ve probably given decades of your life to an organization, you’ve seen it grow. In fact, it has grown with you. It’s like that childhood friend who always had your back. Now what’s with all that backstabbing? Well, it wasn’t your childhood friend EVER. It was simply a transaction. Whether you work for a month or two decades, you work, they pay. That’s it. Jobs are nothing more than transactions and to face this reality, you have to feel all the emotions first.
Cry if you feel like it, get angry, vent, do everything and release everything you’re holding inside. You’re not okay that this one-sided emotional bond has been broken in a jiffy. The beautiful illusion that masked the ruthless reality has disappeared. It’s okay to not be okay.
- If you can’t tell anyone about it and aren’t the type to express your feelings verbally, write it all down in a diary. Remember to write the date too, so that you can read it later in your life to see what you’ve gone through and grown through!
- If you’re comfortable talking about it, talk to your family and close friends. Share with them how you feel about this. Don’t hold back. It’s important to fully acknowledge and accept anything before addressing it. You can’t solve something that you haven’t even processed.
We are disposable. Feel it and face it completely before moving on the next thing you want to do.
What Next? Another Job?
Okay, if you’re here now, I hope you have gone through the above phase. Don’t skip that! Because if you ignore your emotions and put up a tough front because you need the next job immediately, you’ll harbor those feelings and might come to resent your next job very soon too. It’s important to deal with emotions when you feel them. Don’t bottle them up for later.
After you’ve gone through all of that, it’s time to find a solution to your problem. You need a job, you need to earn and get your life back on track. How to go about that? Here are some options you can explore.
Make a List of Job Openings
If you want to pursue a job in the same field, making a list of companies with job openings in your specific field is a great way to start your job search. Start applying with your updated resume. Reach out to people via LinkedIn, try getting some contacts via references and go all out. Remember, if you never reach out or talk to people, you’ll never know what you’re missing out on. Create as many opportunities for yourself as possible.
Change Your Field
Are you tired of doing the same old thing for so long? Maybe this layoff was actually a much needed eye-opener? Maybe you hadn’t realized it in a long long time as you were stuck in the same old routine and had become attached to your comfort zone? If that was the case with you, now’s the time to pivot! What do you really love doing? Is there a skill you always wanted to learn and didn’t? Go for it, learn it, do what you love and find a relevant job! It’s okay to start over, especially if you’re starting over with doing something you love.
Kick The “Job”
If you’re done with working for someone else (Congratulations! You’ve achieved enlightenment!), it’s time to start something of your own. It could be something as simple as starting a blog or a YouTube Channel about something you love to do. Or it could be a big business like an e-commerce store or online life coaching sessions. You are free to choose whatever you love to do and if you’re good at it, you’ll eventually end up making money and a life from it! There are two very important necessities for this step—patience and perseverance. It is not easy, it takes time and probably months of living hand-to-mouth. If you’re ready to make that sacrifice to live your dream, go live it! Because in the long-term the benefits far outweigh the cons.
- You’re your own boss forever, which means everything will always be on your own terms.
- You won’t fire you, so even if the initial few months or years are financially unstable, you have long-term security.
- You can expand your work as much as you want, hire your own team, take the business in a direction you want. There’s no being a “yes man” and fear of losing a job.
- You can manage your work-life balance on your own terms too. Decide what hours work the best for you in terms of productivity and work accordingly! Follow a schedule that is comfortable to you.
And that’s what you can finally call home. This is your life and this is your home. Your own work, your own venture, your work-life balance and your own future. You build it and you own it.
Make Yourself Indispensable
Not for anyone else, but for your own self, you’re that endless energy of purpose. You’re here to live a life with reason and meaning. Your life has many things of which job is just a part, a company not even that much. They’re transactions and your life is much more than that. Because your job won’t be a shoulder to cry on when you’re lonely and the company you work for won’t embrace you in a comforting hug after a long day at work. You mean a lot more to a lot many people and should mean the most to your own self. Nothing else gets to decide your worth. Jobs aren’t lives and companies aren’t homes.
