Anybody been looking for work for five months or more? How are you staying sane? And how are you staying afloat financially?

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I feel you. I went 18 months from ‘24 into ‘25 with only 6 gigs that weren’t longer than 2-3 weeks. It was brutal.

likehelpful

all good comments here. thanks. curious how you shape your days? between 7:30a-6pm, i am obsessed with researching new ecds/agencies/RMs. i try to go to the park, workout, and run errands, but it’s very hard to turn off that feeling that there’s a hole in the boat, and i am just one email away from rescuing myself. so yeah, it sucks to worry about money, but it’s also the anxiety of not being able to control my income, even with hard work.

3 years and counting lol. My company actually shut down completely.

The good thing is that I’m able to do some project-based freelance through my network when I need some extra cash. I’m at home with family to cut costs + I’m thinking about this as a vacation to figure out what I want. I’ve had a lot of fun actually, after the initial “omg wtf” lol. I’m getting my MBA and founding a company as well.
I did have to file CH 7, but I don’t feel bad about it. I did what I was supposed to do. I can’t control the market, so I don’t get stressed about it.

The biggest thing I can tell you is to
1. Utilize your network, both local and from previous roles/projects. You never know what someone needs as a 1099. That can supplement your income greatly.
2. Don’t hesitate to make the larger financial decisions if your unemployment stint lasts longer than you expect. Even if you think something may be embarrassing, what’s worse? Being temporarily embarrassed or setting yourself back in the grander scheme of things out of fear?

You got this! If you ever feel too anxious or down, def go to therapy!

likehelpful

Thank you for sharing your story. Love how you have such a clear vision of your now, and what you are working toward. I have been thinking a lot about therapy. I will look into it. TY.

I’ve been looking for years now, bouncing between projects that’s last anywhere from hours to weeks. Brutal is a good word to describe it. I was probably not sane to begin with? With water wings.

helpful

My gigs have been “water wings” since Covid and I did not even realize it. Also, “i was probably not sane to begin w.” 🤣 Same.

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