Pajamas & Juice; Straight From The Bottle

I’m thankful for today’s blue skies, but that’s doing little to lift my somber mood.

I’ve been unemployed now for three and a half months. My nineteen months as an editorial assistant leaves me with little upon which to sell myself as a writer, but initially I jumped on the networking bandwagon with enthusiasm. A brutal winter soon set in, and I allowed myself to become complacent. I stayed home on snowy days when I should have been out handing out business cards. Which brings me to where I am now: Still unemployed. The early enthusiasm, now a dull sense of isolation.

Obviously, I’m doing what I need to do to keep my unemployment benefits. I send my resume to at least two contacts each week, but it’s hard to think positive when there’s no response. So, how do I break out of this funk?

I’m following Unemployed In Des Moines, Net2Work, and other career-related blogs and websites. I’m getting a lot of information on how and where to connect with potential employers, but I could also use a little emotional support. Staying in pajamas all day and drinking juice from the bottle would have been fun in my 20s; not so much, now.

Unemployed In Des Moines

Great networking group I found today. It was energizing (and that’s not just the latte talking). Good to get out and talk with people who are also unemployed. I met a guy who actually worked for The Iowan in the 90s (when it was owned by the Cedar Rapids Gazette). Small world. He was recently let go from Meredith following the shutting down of Midwest Living.

I think I got some self-esteem back today. I can do this.

http://unemployedindesmoines.com/