I’m unemployed. Now what?

It’s something that will probably happen to most people in their working life - I no longer have a job. This is the first time in my adult life (or a little bit earlier) that I don’t have a pay check coming to me at the end of the month, and I’m not, alternatively, in full time education. I expected it to feel terrifying, but I’m actually surprisingly relaxed. I guess part of that is due to the fact I have an almost 10-month old to look after. You might think this would make me more stressed, but actually, when you’re on the go for basically the whole day, sneaking in job applications during naptimes, and generally enjoying/tackling life as a parent, you don’t have a lot of time to ponder your unemployment and possible resulting doom.

But it’s not just that. I’m really valuing the opportunity to find something new. While my last role had great things about it - the people, the pay, working fully remote - my career progression definitely slowed as I moved between roles and departments. I had such a high level of ambiguity throughout my time in that role, including multiple organisational and managerial changes, that I’ve come away feeling I could have done more with my time in the organisation. I’m really lucky that I’m able to view this as an opportunity, and not a crisis. Work is a part of my life, and it doesn’t make up my whole identity. I’d be lying if I said being made redundant wasn’t horrible - you go through so many emotions, and even though it’s not about you as an individual, it can affect your self-belief and confidence, as you feel rejected and dejected.

Alongside those difficult feelings, though, I’m also freed up. I’m thinking, for the first time in my real ‘career’, about contract and freelance work. I’m not a stranger to this - I worked as a freelance transcriptionist and notetaker through my final years at school, my summers at university, and my masters. But I’ve never done it as a professional - when I felt I’d finished in a role, I’d look for the next full time, permanent and employed role, whether internally or externally. Contract clauses meant freelancing or contracting wasn’t an option while I was working in those roles. But, being made redundant means you get a redundancy payment, and that gives you a (small) cushion. So, I figure, if not now, when?

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about all of my roles is a varied day-to-day. When I’m working on a singular task for too long, I stagnate. To be honest, I found program management challenging because of this - by their nature, strategic programs last a year or more, and you’re in the same meetings week-to-week and month-to-month. ‘But Beth,’ I hear you cry, ‘isn’t that also true of product management?’ Well, yes, but it’s different. Trust me! Every sprint feels like a new beginning as a product manager, and you get a sense of achievement at the end of it provided all goes well and you deliver value to the customer. To get back to my point - I get bored doing the same thing over and over. So new roles and projects every few months? Sounds like it could really work for me. I’m definitely at a stage career-wise where I can jump in feet first, which is critical for contracting and freelance work. I don’t need to be overly guided or told - just pointed towards the right people to speak to, and an end goal.

The only downside to contracting and freelancing for me, of course, is that my husband and I now have a baby. So a regular pay check, with assured benefits, might be the better option. At the moment, I feel pretty relaxed about it. I’m applying for roles that feel like a good fit, where I’d be managing products I’m passionate about. I’m looking at and bidding for contract work I’d be able to do. Let’s see what happens! I guess the answer to ‘now what?’, for the time being, is ‘we’ll see’.