Introduction

As a working student, I’ve had to find a way to make decent living from part time work. I’ve done this as an IT Consultant and then shifted my focus to re-align it with my passions in the more creative realms of new media.  I’ve been through a lot, and had to make tough choices. The economy, and my client base shrank, and I adjusted. It shrank again and I adjusted, and then it really got bad and in order to step forward I had to face the challenge of finding immediate work and gainful employment.  The quest has been a long one and is ongoing but I wanted to share what I’ve accomplished, what I’ve done wrong and present a guide for others to smoothly navigate their own personal quests for financial stability and meaningful employment.

I put the fun in funderemployment.

1. I took time to rethink my career choice. I new I wasn’t totally fulfilled by the work I had been doing and I wanted a plan to incorporate more creative, social and human elements into my work.

2. I reconnected with my writing. Before the big economic crunch, I wrote regularly, creatively, personally and professionally. I used to write songs with friends and enjoyed every moment of it. I made it a goal to reconnect with my writing to explore myself and re-affirm my identity and direction.

3. I started several ventures and blogs while I hunted for jobs. I am a workaholic and had to feel productive by writing about aspects of my profession. This was a very fruitful, career changing experience.

4. I took classes at the community college. I studied design and journalism and paid close attention to the material and what is happening in real time.  I knew there were opportunities in media and I used the courses to define the problems, challenges and generate theories and solutions.  I applied myself as every college student should. The world moves too quickly these days to focus on just the course alone.

5. I looked for new friends and mentors. I am a pretty smart guy and very particular when choosing friends and mentors. I believe for every eager student there is master waiting and when the student is ready, the master will appear. I am always looking to learn from other people.  I feed my imagination with thoughts of meeting my Bruce Wayne/ Raz Algul mentor/life coach equivalent.

6. I took risks. Many set me back. Partners burned me, Start-ups collapsed under the egos of those that ran them but I made sure to make up for it by learning everything I could from the experience and I will carry that knowledge to my next client or employer.

7. I came up with new ideas within my profession and my new focus. This was largely in part to my experience working freelance as a go-between for users and developers.

8. I worked freelance on anything I could get my hands on. I consulted with start-ups on interface design, marketing and social media strategy. I provided customer support and interacted with users and customers in ways that were entirely new to me. I made human connections through work.

9. I took photos and wrote about all of my experiences.

10. I used craigslist for barter and trade. I traded a laptop running Windows Vista, (which was an infuriating dung heap to use, and this was long before Windows 7 was on the horizon),  for a Canon Rebel XTi, which is a decent SLR camera. I fell in love immediately and we’ve been together on many adventures ever since.

11. I gave up my caffeine addiction to have an iPhone App Budget, which I used to buy the apps I knew were essential to my personal productivity. I’ll reveal those on another post.

12. I volunteered with several non-profits and mentored a group of young entrepreneurs. I enjoyed working and advocating for social causes and the real lives connected to them. Most people don’t often get to fight for things they truly believe in. I didn’t think it would lead to anything and I knew most people couldn’t afford to pay me, but it gave me a feeling of connection, inclusion and community which is vitally important. One might argue that this is one of the major factors we slave away in corporate settings; the desire for community, genuine connection and value. In the corporate world this is always an illusion designed to keep you productive and on task, so it is important to find this connection elsewhere.

13. I cancelled subscriptions and shrank my cell phone minutes and features. I gave up Netflix and other subscriptions.  It was hard but necessary. I relied more on Hulu, RedBox and the library.

14. I learned to live on the cheap and made it a goal to dismantle my addiction and obsession with wanting more stuff. I learned to smile and appreciate being left with only a stack of paper, pens, computer and ambition.

15. I went on many adventures. I knew that I felt most at home in the challenges of the wilderness. Rock-climbing, kayaking, hiking and wandering in the great outdoors allowed me to really feel alive.

16. I listened to more music. Pandora and Last.fm were friends holding me in the dark as I cried sifting through the spam of Monster.com job results.

17. I went to the gym. I went to the gym for my sanity, health and to socialize. I love to talk to people and rarely get to do so in a social capacity. My line of work demands a professional demeanor and I

18. I ate at home.

19. I contacted the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) www.nfcc.org

20. I read more and still have a healthy stack of books yet to be read as well as a larger stack to re-read.

I read many things: personal development, self-help business,  books I didn’t get to read as a child and I also read lists of things to do while unemployed.  I chuckled and enjoyed at one suggestion to Have more Sex.  I learned so much from reading.

21. I spent more time with my girlfriend.

22. I took my dog out more often.

23. I spent more time with friends

24. I learned new skills and mastered old ones. I sharpened my skills in Adobe CS4, WordPress, PHP, HTML, and really started diving into CSS, Drupal, and many other subjects.

25. I worked creatively trying to merge my artistic aspirations with my professional aspirations.

26-36. It took many failures to get to these successes. I had to gradually get to those habits and I had my share of:

-Sleeping in and wasting days.

-Listening to depressing, popular, negative, hateful AM radio programs

-Watching entirely too many movies.

-Losing touch with motivational/optimistic music.

-Giving up the gym in frantic search.

-Living with roommates (who were reckless, drunk, party animals)

-Searching for work 40 hours a week and drove myself nuts.

-Expanding my bad habits and developing a poor diet.

-Waiting too late before asking for help with work and credit

-Going bankrupt and trying to find a way to afford an attorney.

-Getting turned down from decent jobs when required to submit a credit check L

The Summary of What I learned:

Wake up early and have a morning routine that involves getting out of the house. Going stir crazy is easy when un/underemployed for long periods of time. Life is too short to live life that.

Don’t stop listening to the things that motivate you; even if it is just the trumpeting voice of your own heart. Don’t turn deaf ears to what sings to you. Listen to positive/optimistic music and it will help you. Reconnecting with optimistic, positive and ambitious music brought all of those ideas back into the forefront of my thoughts.

Live Life Like You Were Dying: Don’t just do things that are entertaining, look for challenges both personally and professionally and take them on. I’ve dealt with many epic life changing events involving my personal life, my health and last and definitely least is my career. I’ve been through worse.

In life and work, in the interview room and in the freelance contract; Demand more and don’t settle; negotiate. It was important to remind myself that, (and repeat after me),

“I have experience and expertise that rivals much older and better educated professionals out there. I was given the opportunity to invest in myself and have been productive in the effort to re-tool and reconnect with my virtues and professional determination. Given my experience and background; I expect to be paid adequately.”

I have learned I refuse to work for free or swallow another company’s business expense as part of a contract. There are so many scams and contract deals that are causing more suffering. I’ve worked in environments like this and had contracts terminated for demanding better from the companies. And looking back, I feel really damn good (and broke) about it. The spiritual rewards of which didn’t feed my stomach but they fed my soul.

Tips to Practicing Justice in Employment

If I were to take a lower paying, lower-capacity job, I will be respectful and perform the duties described to the best-ish of my ability AND motivation (cough*often found proportional with pay).

DON’T CONFUSE EMPLOYMENT WITH OWNERSHIP.

It is important to demand higher pay when an employer takes advantage of your experience and qualifications beyond the normal duties of your job.  This has come up with me in many jobs where employers are aware of my background and ask me to perform duties well beyond my job description that would otherwise require them to pay someone else a lot more money.

Now on the other side of that, I too would seek the most bang for my buck but I recognize and reward talent where I see it. I have always paid my teams beyond the median because I like any other employer am a picky bastard with a good eye for talent. My teams were grateful and jobs were completed exceptionally well, often exceeding expectations.

The moral of the story is Work ethics should be practiced only with employers that are proven to be socially responsible- which are very few and far between.  This is where the negotiation comes into play. You are not just negotiating with an employer, you must also negotiate with yourself when taking these kinds of jobs. I had to remind myself (and repeat after me) that

“Low paying and lesser jobs are platform jobs, to help me pay the bills. They do not require, nor are they entitled to every ounce of my effort, nor require my full creative capacity, nor fabric of my being beyond the job description.”

Companies that want your best should pay you a reasonable wage. Even if you see growth and opportunity on the horizon, remember time is your most precious commodity and be extremely scrupulous when considering an underpaid employment investment.  You may find the notion a bit abrasive or harsh, but one of the many things that I’ve learned is self-confidence is a very important factor in determining a salary.

Think of those jobs that functions on corporate mantras as temporary, platform jobs. If it is bad, make a report, look for change or quit; if it is really bad, complain, report and do it half assed until they can you.

Furthermore, the companies that take advantage of the current employee surplus by offering starting wages to experienced candidates are often end in being the worst experiences and employers. They deserve a proportional response and  apathetic treatment. For those jobs fight fire with fire and defend yourself with the notion that it’s not personal, it’s business, and you must look out for yourself.

You are the only (and therefore the best) advocate for yourself. If you allow society or industry dictate your worth, they will always seek the maximum discount and put you in the dollar bargain bin at Wal-Mart or Target (if you are lucky). Think like a warrior; repeat this and live it until it reaches your core:

“ I am confident; I have a background and commanding presence that demand respect.”

Respect is demonstrated in the only language businesses large and small understand: money. Anything less should be treated as a lie. If there is anything I have learned from living through this time in history it is that the promises and even contractual obligations of corporations and their employees will be sacrificed first in the presence of change, long before anyone attempts to honor their promises. Words and benefits disappear and are taken away quickly as we all know from watching our 401k’s tank, benefits shrivel or just about any news media out there.

To turn a cliché: If you build it, they will come. If you demonstrate it, they will pay.

You may read on to my guide and list of things to do while unemployed or if you are satisfied, go forth and conquer, then come back and comment.