Being Productively Unemployed

My vision for my post-college life was pretty typical — I saw myself graduating, moving into a perfectly modest apartment in an exciting new city far from home about to start an amazing entry-level position.

Not so much.

The reality was much more typical — I moved back home to continue that ever-so-exhausting job hunt. Not to worry. I may feel like a waste of space with a degree and nothing to show for it, but that isn’t the case. I can still be productively unemployed and have fun at the same time. And so can you. Here are some tips to keep you motivated:

Be efficient

Don’t take the whole “it’s summer and I don’t have a job so let’s just hang out” thing to heart. It’s really easy to get lost doing nothing at all. Slacking off on your job hunt or anything career-related will ultimately come back to bite you. Stay on top of things and balance out your playtime with something serious, like allotting an hour a day to search the web for new job posts. A little bit of effort can sometimes have a huge payoff.

Mix it up

You can still work towards perfecting your career mojo sans an actual job. Sure you won’t be gaining any practical professional experience but you can still get in the employment mindset. Keep in touch with your contacts. Volunteer with a relevant organization in town. Read blogs like this to keep your head in the game. You may not be landing great resume builders, but you’ll be seasoning yourself for when the time is right.

Chill out

Just because you’re currently not a working member of society doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to let your hair down every once and a while. Go out for happy hour with your 9-5 firends. Don’t feel guilty because you haven’t landed a job yet — it will come, so enjoy your penniless freedom until it does.