Reflection on a Year of Unemployment

You're not alone. What I've learned from a year of no job, no school and no responsibilities to anyone.

When I graduated in July 2023, I had this overwhelming sense of optimism. I had made it. I finally finished with a first-class degree from an institution that I worked my ass off to get into. I diligently followed the advice of my parents, counsellors and working professionals. In my head, I’d followed the standard procedure - so how hard could it be to secure a job? Maybe even have the luxury of choosing from multiple offers?

Apparently, it's a lot harder than I thought.

The Sad Reality

September rolled around, and I applied for every job I could think of. But my rounds of applications were met with blatant rejections, sometimes on the same day (how was that even possible?). Interviews were far few and far between, even though I had a graduate visa for the UK, which ensured I didn’t need a sponsor.

It was disappointing. Debilitating. It was not so much the rejection itself that upset me but rather what the rejection entailed. I was living in Groundhog Day and couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.

Whenever I called a friend or family member, they would follow up on my situation. How are the applications going? Do you need my help with anything? You just have to keep pushing. It was all well-meaning, of course. But I wasn’t emotionally prepared to deal with the burnout that arose from the influx of unsolicited advice and concern that came in after a couple of months of trying. I think you should do this instead. Have you tried emailing them? Doubt seeped into every action and thought, and it was challenging to remind myself that I was enough and trying my best.

I started contacting past connections and asking family members if they knew anyone who could help. I updated my CV, networked on LinkedIn, and met with company staff - anything I felt could help me get ahead. I started to feel desperate. I just needed one company to say yes. Just one. I told myself that if I didn’t get a job now, I was going to fall behind. The success stories of others became tools in which to torture myself on the darkest of days, and I became even more miserable. It’s amazing how, as humans, we are capable of conflating a perfectly normal situation into a personal disaster that we cannot find reprieve from, even in sleep.

Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash

Unexpected Discoveries

Even though my situation hasn’t significantly changed, I found that my efforts were paying off in funny ways. Sick of constantly worrying and waiting, I threw myself into my hobbies.

I suddenly had so much more time to write, and so I journaled every day like my life depended on it. When I was tired of writing, I picked up art—something that I hadn’t managed to do since high school. I started working out regularly again, and I enjoyed waking up whenever I wanted. These things shifted my perspective and made me grateful to have a chance to really think about what I wanted to do after 17 nonstop years of education.

I started to appreciate my life again - taking every opportunity to travel. My trips were often on a tight budget, but that led me to be even more creative. I met with friends I hadn’t seen in years. I mustered up the courage to speak with strangers and form new bonds. Every conversation pulled me closer and closer to discovering who I was and what I believed to be important. It was a constant effort, but I was willing to change. In fact, change was necessary.

Each small change and risk-taking led to seismic shifts in my perspective. It required a lot of humbling and breaking down mental barriers that I thought to be true about myself, people, and the world. And you know what? That growth in mindset is what eventually led to more positive outcomes because people notice confidence and maturity.

This Year Wasn’t a Waste

This year has taught me an important lesson. Life is not like university, where if you put in the effort, you’ll be rewarded with quantifiable success and coherent feedback. Reality is a lot more complicated and dynamic. Success is relative and personal to each person. Feedback is subjective, and more often than not, you need to go the extra mile to acquire it.

Over the past months, I learned from recruiters that often, the problem isn’t you; it’s the person holding your application. Of course, you need to prepare, evaluate and try your best. But at the end of the day, recruiters are the ones who have to decide whether they want to take a chance on you. And if they’re not seriously hiring or are looking for something particular that you happen not to have, then unfortunately, all the effort in the world won’t help. If someone doesn’t recognise your potential, you must have the confidence to say “your loss” and the conviction to try again.

Still, it is a frustrating process. One way to deal with it is to focus on things that can be controlled. Rejection can mean incompatibility with a business, industry and work culture. So, to determine the next step, I ask myself the following questions:

• Do I try harder to build the knowledge, skills, network, and experience necessary to thrive in a specific company?

• Do I decide the company is not for me and seek alternatives within the industry?

• Do I switch industries entirely and find something else that still aligns with my values?

Regardless of the answer, mindlessly waiting and filling out forms has stopped being my default. There needs to be a strategy. There needs to be purpose. There needs to be a life worth living in the present moment.

I’ve decided to spend my in-between time writing to and for you. It’s September now, and while many are returning to school or university, I’m finally sitting at my desk with enough time to write, edit and publish. And I’m grateful because that’s always been my dream - even if it’s not my career yet.

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

I’m very curious to hear what your thoughts are. Can you or someone you know relate? Like, share, comment below.