The real job hunt was the friends we made along the way
My go-to answer for when people ask me what I do for work has finally aged out. At first, I’d reply, “If you asked me that a week ago, I’d say a data analyst. But now? Nothing!” Then I’d grin and throw my hands up with a half shrug to lighten the mood. Whoever asked would laugh and the conversation would move along. It worked like a charm. It was also easy to interchange “one week” with “two weeks”, then “three weeks”. Even when I hit one month the answer flowed well; people didn’t seem nervous about navigating their responses, ranging from overly concerned to obnoxiously optimistic.
But now I’ve been jobless for seven weeks. Counting a pregnancy by weeks is exciting; counting unemployment by weeks is an awkward buzzkill.
I think my answer could get a little reprieve at the two month mark, especially if I can still say it with a smile. But even that’s pushing it because three months is just around the corner. A quarter of the year lost, not being a productive member of society. Some days it feels alienating, but then I try to remember how many times I thought I’d give anything to have a day off of work.
I am going to need a new answer soon for what I do for work though. Something sincere that’s not a total downer but not naive either. I’m trying to make friends and even date, which is hard to do on a good day, let alone when my self-confidence is being chipped away by the knowledge that my funds are almost gone and my credit card debt is growing. Still, deep down I truly do believe that everything is going to be ok. I don’t even know why I think that. I just know that when I start to daydream about things going to absolute hell and my heart starts racing, I still simply don’t feel it being true in my gut.
So what do I do for work? I don’t know yet. There, that’s the new answer.