Men who have been unemployed for a long period of time, what are your “survival tips” when you’re not making income?

9 comments

1. Hang yourself, it’s free!

2. Live at home or be homeless.

3. 2 years unemployed (Almost 3), i got enough savings to last for another 10 years if nothing bad happens.

   >what are your “survival tips” when you’re not making income?

   I don’t have survival tips for when i’m not making income, i just don’t spend money needlessly and save most of what i earn, for example i went in March to the hospital to check myself for an abscess that appeared in my ass, the doc decided that i had diabetes and put me on a diet, so i haven’t been to the hospital ever since, had i just waited until the abscess healed on its own i wouldn’t have had to pay to the doc for a bullshit diagnosis.

4. Not saying it’s legal advice, but Flipping lifted items from the thrift and making online listings through ebay or mercari.

   It’s easy to morally justify mentally.

   Thrift stores like Goodwill underpay the mentally disabled, and smaller thrifts are usually hiring undocumented workers to avoid paying taxes.

   It’s a morally fucked place to shop or financially support objectively. I mean, it’s DONATED shit that is literally being sold for a price when landfills were the only alternative to this junk.

5. Treat looking for a job as your job

6. If you have a booty hole, you always have a source of income, and will not be without money ..

7. It’s honestly sad that for some reason that this is being downvoted, but if you want some advice here’s what I learned being unemployed for a longer than I wanted period (in addition to other advice I learned from people as the years went on)

   * Track your finances – Super obvious one, but you’d be surprised as to how many people who were previously employed, don’t do this. I’ve had people not realize for example, that they’ve had subscriptions to things that they didn’t cancel. Or they would lay out their budget, and realize they disproportionately spend way more on certain things. Having numbers helps, and having a budget makes this all less scary because you realistically understand what you can, and can’t afford
   * Understand what free resources you have – Libraries have a wealth of stuff you can do for free; free literature, free access to computers, free Wifi, and even creature comforts like e-books, and stuff like renting video games. Food banks are always available, and people don’t judge. Research what you have, take what you need. When you’re back up on your feet, give back when you’re able
   * Volunteer – Gaps in your resume are one of the big red flags with employment (and don’t listen to the BS “Oh I signed an NDA excuse, that won’t pass the initial screening), so one way to solve this is by volunteering and doing what your actual job is, but just at a place that doesn’t pay. This helps keep your technical skills up, it allows you to add it to your resume and also offer up a sense of normalcy, and also is great for networking and finding other opportunities
   * Churches/Religious organizations – Depending on your area, there’s lots of religious orgs that will help out. Be it clothing drives, meals, community events, like volunteering, you go and do this to keep a schedule and have some normalcy, while also being around others. Just be transparent with your religious affiliation (or more so if you aren’t choosing to practice)
   * Get a gym membership – working out is a good way to kill time; and you can also use it as a place to consistently shower (if it comes to this)
   * Keep a routine – Even if you’re not working, keep at 9-5 mindset. Wake up in the morning, spend 9AM-5PM looking for jobs, learning new skills, interviewing etc. But once 5PM is around, remove job searching until tomorrow morning. Recruiters aren’t looking at emails after hours, your next boss isn’t checking applications at 1AM. Take this time to relax, have some free time to do things and then go to bed at a normal time to maintain the routine
   * Learn as many skills as possible – If you’re at your moment where you say it’s a LONG time, spend those 9-5 days learning as many useable skills as possible. Be it learning skills which will help you get an entry level job, learning more for your current skillset to make you more widely available, or getting certifications, be a sponge, and get into a mindset of realizing that knowledge and these skillets are what get you out of unemployment. Cast a wide net initially, and when you start seeing stuff that sticks, narrow your focus onto those skills, and jobs
   * Ask for help – I am keeping this down at the very bottom for a reason. Remember that no one thinks lesser of you if you aren’t making income. In fact, your family and friends would probably want to know this, because they’d want to help. Don’t let your ego or pride, get in the way of helping you get out of this situation faster. No one cares if you’re unemployed, they care about you.

8. People are trying to make money on YouTube.

9. If you have access to a benefit system do not let the case workers tell you if/when they can or cannot help you. Look that shit up yourself and apply for everything you qualify for.

   I’ve had a case worker lie to my face and say that they “can’t help you get housing in an emergency” only to find out that they litterally have a program called “emergency housing” for that exact purpose.