As is customary, I graduated from University to become a jobless graduate. Basically that was the tradition then in Finland, where I studied. I hear nowadays things have gotten even worse…
It still makes me cringe to think that I went into all that trouble to get a degree only to then end up jobless. But there were still some social benefit schemes in place for me to fall back on. Opposite to what most people think, though, those social benefits were not enough for living an actual life.
For one and a half years I struggled with making ends meet while depression was creeping in. I couldn’t afford the one thing that would’ve kept my head properly clear: a social life.
Being jobless is a very touchy subject everywhere. Jobless people are often seen as lazy, less worthy and as if being jobless is their own fault. In most cases this is not true. It is also an extremely hard experience to go through. All that negativity that society and media are spewing on the already down-trodden people is completely unnecessary.
But nothing bad happens without some good being brought along with it. And that was also the case with me going through that most depressing period of my life. I endured joblessness for 1,5 years, and it almost broke me mentally.
In hindsight, though, it also taught me a lot about myself and the world around me! In this article I will break down some major lessons I learned during those 18 months.
10 Surprising Things I Learned From Being A Jobless Graduate
If your first thought, when hearing that someone is jobless, is to look down on them, I suggest you take a massive step back immediately! As a proudly lazy person that still has managed to build a successful business I can guarantee that 90% of jobless people are NOT in that situation because they want to be in it.
If the stars have shone upon you from such a fortunate angle that you’ve never had to endure living in uncertainty like that, then do some major reflecting on your own privilege! You may be proud of your fortunate circumstances but you have absolutely no right to judge anyone who’s not as fortunate.
Despite the lies that the media likes to spread, unemployment in Europe is record low. Still, all sorts of “experts” recommend that governments “balance state economics” by cutting jobless benefits… Something’s not adding up here, is it?
Until we find ways to throw over all of these incompetent, downright destructive governments, we have to keep surviving. Here are 10 things I learned while surviving as a jobless graduate.
1. My support network became a matter of life and death
When you become a jobless graduate you quickly realize who your real friends are. Some people tend to fade away.
- Some disappear because they can’t face the embarrassment of having a jobless friend
- Or the fact that you easily become bitter and depressed makes you rather unpleasant to hang around.
While this can be extremely draining and hard to deal with, it’s also a valuable lesson. True friends will stay and stand by you despite everything! Whereas the ones who leave have shown their true colours, so please, let them go and lock the door behind them.
I am one of the luckiest people in this regard and I understood it properly during that period. I have a close family and a bunch of friends who stayed by my side when I was at my worst. What more could I ever ask?
2. Staying positive isn’t always enough
As cliché as it sounds, we should all try and stay positive by finding the silver lining. Whether that silver lining is a positive thought about that particular day or just finding pride in the fact that you got out of bed today.
This has supposedly worked for a lot of people, so at my most desperate I decided to try it as well.
- Every single morning before getting up from bed I had to think of at least one positive thing about the day ahead.
- They could be the smallest everyday things, like having family and friends. And a roof on my head!
- I kept this up for months and I committed to it: after a while I raised it to 3 positive things
- Without even noticing it, this teeny tiny practice did improve my mental health slowly but surely
- Looking back at it all now, it also set the foundation for a brand new perspective of the world around me that later catapulted me to insane successes in life!
But I have to be honest, this process took a long time before any results became apparent. Even though I didn’t allow myself out of bed until I had my positives listed, I still felt completely miserable 24/7. The trick is to stay consistent, stick to it, no matter how long it takes. It works, I am your proof of it!
More on the topic: Self-Worth Without a Job – 10 Practical Tips to Reclaim Your Identity
3. Education does and doesn’t matter
It’s hard to make a credible CV if you’ve got no degree of any sorts these days. CVs without such credentials are the first ones going to the bin. But even when you do have such credentials listed, most recruiters don’t care if those credentials are relevant or even real. Very few bother to check.
And what makes it even more ridiculous that education is emphasized so much, is the fact that what I learned in Uni has been obsolete for already a decade! The world evolves so fast that what we learn today is old fashioned next year.
For reference, I studied business management and marketing right before social media was invented. So, by the time Instagram took over everybody’s lives, my degree was completely useless. So, if you think you are a jobless graduate because of your education, don’t worry, that degree never mattered. Unless you’re a lawyer or a doctor.
4. I realized how important being able to work actually is
Most people need a routine in their life, something worth getting up for in the morning. And I’m definitely one of them. I’m not happy at my current job but it’s a job that pays my bills and keeps me busy.
And those are good enough reasons for me to get the work done day after day despite everything. Anything’s better than being a jobless graduate, as I learned the hard way!
5. The much acclaimed Finnish social security system is more of a punishment than a benefit
Imagine having to file a begging letter to the social services every single month. Because that’s what being on the benefits actually is:
- You are forced to beg for money month after month and each month you are evaluated: are you worthy of the money or not.
- The stress of whether you can afford to be alive next month or not never leaves you alone.
- While human beings make these decisions, you might be left penniless because a person making that decision for you was having a shit day.
Nothing, and I repeat NOTHING in my life has ever been as humiliating as applying for social benefits every month was. Again, if you haven’t been in that situation, you can’t afford to judge because you have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.
6. Unemployment is incredibly draining mentally
Despite having a support network there’s only so much they can do for you. If your friends and family haven’t been a jobless graduate it may be difficult for them to understand your sudden increase in bitterness and negativity. They might even get frustrated with you.
I remember some of my friends telling me that I complain way too much and shouldn’t be so picky with the jobs I applied for. Instead I should’ve taken a cleaning job if one was offered. “It’s a job after all” they said.
NEVER offer this sort of “advice”.
Instead of helping, what this in fact does is humiliate and put the person down even more. I had studied and worked literally all my life up til then. And now I was supposed to be grateful to end up cleaning other people’s shit? I know my friends didn’t mean to do so but they hurt me to my core.
7. I was never good enough
When looking for work in one’s twenties you will find you are always
- too young
- too blond / brown / colourful / colourless
- too loud
- not experienced enough
- too experienced
- the wrong gender
- the wrong age (the potential pregnancy issue)
- simply not enough of anything. Ever.
This obviously applies mainly to us poor souls who weren’t born under the correct planetary positions or with a massive family fortune to float on. We have to build our own way up, and fuck it sucks!
8. I deserve better
I spent a shed-load of time reflecting on myself and going through the feedback I got from the few job interviews I was invited to while existing as a jobless graduate. And I always came to the same conclusion:
It’s not me, it’s them. In the end I got so fed up with the unfair, even racist (oh yes! I have a foreign name) treatment I had to endure that I started looking for work abroad. And whoopsie daisy, I got multiple offers!
After moving abroad I realised that sometimes grass is much greener on the other side. And that I was right; it really wasn’t me, it was all them. Not hiring me was definitely their loss, not mine!
9. Having a daily routine is everything
When there was no work to go to, I still decided to create a daily routine for myself. And it really was a lifeline that should never be underestimated.
- 5 days a week I woke up at 8am every morning
- I had breakfast
- Then I took my laptop and walked to the library
- While there I wrote and sent job applications. Thankfully in Finland, especially in Turku, we have excellent libraries with inspiring spaces to do such boring tasks.
As a jobless graduate we have to hold ourselves accountable. And the easiest way to do that is by sticking to a routine. You can start by creating a morning routine, but remember, be kind to yourself. A routine should not resemble slavery.
10. It will end eventually!
You will continue to study or you nail a job interview. One way or another the joblessness will end if you just keep faith and push on.
I kept faith. I don’t know how much longer I could’ve, but I did. And in the end it wasn’t faith or a successful job interview that got me up from that deep hole of desperation. It was life intervening as it often does:
As a lifeline I had taken on an internship in a small company with the intention of them hiring me after 6 months. But 2 months in one of the bosses decided to commit suicide. After that there was no chance of such a small company hiring me as a full-timer. I mean, what are the odds?!
After the shock and sadness I got angry. So incredibly angry that I’m surprised I didn’t break anything or anyone. And when I get angry, that’s when things start to happen.
I didn’t see any other option than to get the fuck out of Finland at that point. It was very clear to me that I was not wanted there so why would I stay?
It only took me about a month to pass 3 phone interviews, pack up my apartment, and to be on my way to the airport headed for Slovakia for a new job and a new, better life.
Final Thoughts
In the end everything turned out fine for me. Better than fine! But it did take some radical decisions to be made.
- Where would I be if I hadn’t gotten so incredibly angry and decided to move abroad (where I still am)?
- If I had refused to even consider moving abroad, would I still be a jobless graduate stuck in Finland?
- Would I even be alive today or would I have succumbed to depression?
One thing I’m pretty sure about; my life wouldn’t have turned out to be as brilliant as it is if I hadn’t become jobless. Because that was the thing that catapulted me out of Finland into the world, which is where I truly belong.
It wasn’t a small decision, by all means, but it proved one thing to me. Our fate is often in our own hands. And if we are ready to make sacrifices and take risks, the rewards are most probably more than worth it.
That was the biggest lesson that my period of joblessness taught me and I have done quite well to remember it.
Have you ever been jobless? How did you / are you coping? If not, did any of this open your eyes to something you hadn’t considered before? ♥
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