Being Funemployed during a Global Pandemic
Why I left my job amidst the coronavirus outbreak and the 8 things I am doing to stay sane in my free time
In January I decided to leave my job. In March the coronavirus hit high gear, the world went on lockdown, the economy grinded to a halt and all hopes of getting a job in the near future disappeared.
For the past year I worked as a data analyst for a mobile tech social enterprise in Uganda. I loved my job. My work was fulfilling, our company was impact driven, I had a fantastic relationship with my manager and my office was full of vibrant people. I was constantly learning on the job and doing challenging work every day. So why did I leave?
I needed a career pivot. Now that might sound strange coming from a 23 year old who just graduated from university last May. Who changes careers less than a year after finishing school? While I loved working in the tech for development space, my one true love is infrastructure and I knew I was going to return to it sooner or later. Might as well do it sooner, right? The world had other plans.
Fast forward to today and I am now living at home with my mom in Saskatchewan where I have been working remotely for the past month and a half finishing out my contract. My last day of work was last Friday. I am now officially funemployed.
Yes, funemployed. While it sucks to be unemployed without prospects of a job offer in the near future all during an economic slowdown induced by a global pandemic, it does present interesting opportunities. Hence, unemployment becomes funemployment.
So here are the 8 (socially distanced) things that I am doing with my funemployment, and the 8 questions I have for you about your life under quarantine.
1. Enjoying time with my Mom
I haven’t lived at home for over 9 years and between me and my siblings, I am the child who never comes home to visit (my mom never fails to remind me of that). I’m making a point to appreciate the time that I have with her now while I’m home by doing the little things: saying hello to her every morning, goodnight before going to bed, thank you after every meal and I love you at least once a day. I know for a fact that she appreciates having me around as 24/7 on call tech support. Take time to appreciate the people who you are locked at home with — as much as they may get on your nerves, you don’t know when’s the next time you will get to spend this much time with them.
Question: what do you appreciate about the people you are quarantined with?
2. Reconnecting with Friends (Virtually)
Thank the lord for Zoom. And let’s not forget Google Hangouts, Skype and all the other virtual conferencing platforms out there that are enabling us to keep in touch with our loved ones. If the coronavirus has blessed us in any way, it’s how we as a society are being more intentional about connecting with each other. For me, this has been one-on-one calls, group calls, virtual board game and trivia nights, whiskey nights, wine nights, Netflix parties and even a virtual beer pong tournament. Having lived abroad for the past year, I am checking in with my friends much more frequently now than when I was out the country. Necessity truly is the mother of invention; there are so many creative ways to have fun with friends through your computer screen.
Question: how are you connecting with your friends during quarantine?
3. Taking Online Courses
Since graduating from university I discovered the wonderful world of online learning. No, I don’t mean the in-person classes that have (painfully) transitioned to online platforms because of the pandemic, but actual online courses that were designed for that format. You would be amazed by how refreshing learning can be when you are doing it out of your volition and based on your own interests. So far I’ve taken a couple of economics courses on EdX and have my eye on an urban infrastructure management course on Coursera. I could write a whole post about why I love online learning, but really it stems from curiosity about the things I don’t know. And so far I’ve found that there’s a course for everything I want to know just on the two platforms I’ve used. If you’ve got an itch to learn something new, a global pandemic might be the perfect time to scratch it!
Question: what’s a topic that you have always wanted to explore, but have never had the time for?
4. Learning French
My entire family speaks French. Except me. Instead, I speak Spanish. Why? That’s a story for another time. But like many of you, I have tried picking up a new language before, but just never made it past Level 1 of Duolingo. Competing priorities like work and maintaining a social life always seemed to get in the way. The months of coronavirus induced free time and isolation ahead of us provide the perfect runway to refocus on learning a language and get it off the ground. For me, add in the near unlimited access I have to my mom, who is a fluent French speaker, and learning French is a no-brainer!
Question: what language(s) have you been meaning to pick up?
5. Focusing on my Fitness
Moment of silence for all the gym plans that were derailed because of the pandemic. I came home from Uganda with so much motivation to hit the gym only to find with much dismay that they were all closed. Lucky for us, the fitness community has stepped up with a ton of free home workouts to get us through this lockdown. My workout routine currently consists of a quick 10 minute high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout every morning (I rotate between 3–5 workout videos on YouTube) and a longer 30 minute bodyweight workout in the evening from a fitness app I downloaded. On days that I am too tired for a workout I grab my headphones, put on a podcast and go for a walk through the neighbourhood for about 30 minutes to an hour. My goal here is not to build my beach ready summer bod, but rather to take care of my physical and mental health — neglecting these will come back to bite you in the ass during regular times, let alone during a pandemic. But hey, if I drop a few pounds in the process, I won’t be complaining!
Question: how are you taking care of your physical and mental health while stuck at home?
6. Reading and Writing
Over the past few months I have accumulated a monster list of book recommendations and a folder on my computer full of half-written articles and an even bigger list of article ideas the never came to fruition (this one included). I find writing to be cathartic in many ways and sharing my inner thoughts with the world reminds me that I am not alone in the way I think. Even if it is simply keeping a journal, writing is a great way to reflect on your thoughts and explore ideas that live in your mind. I love reading for the ideas I am exposed to in non-fiction books and articles, the gripping story of a great fiction, or the inspiration I get from biographies. There is a world of books out there, let alone the ones just lying around your house.
Question: what book would you recommend to a friend?
7. Netflix Binging
What would quarantine be without a few Netflix binges? After a year of purposefully avoiding Netflix (and properly unfamiliarizing myself with all the new pop culture references) I’m catching up on the new seasons of shows I follow and the new shows that are all the rage. While I have a love-hate relationship with Netflix because of all the time and productivity it has helped me waste over the years, a little mindless TV isn’t bad every once in a while. So long as it doesn’t turn into a full day in bed in front of my laptop screen.
Question: is love truly blind!? What are you watching on Netflix?
8. Job Hunting
Finally, amidst all of this I am still on the grind looking for a job. Even though my working assumption is that no-one is hiring right now, that doesn’t mean I should be idle — and if you’re funemployed right now too, there’s probably something you can be doing to get yourself employment ready. For me that is researching companies I want to work for, updating my resume, drafting cover letters, and reaching out to people who work where I want to work to have virtual coffee chats with them. While your dream job may not be hiring right now because of this pandemic, there is a lot you can do to make sure you’re ready when that door does open.
Question: what are you doing to make yourself employment ready post-coronavirus?
There’s the eight things that I’m doing during quarantine. Before I sign off, it’s important for me to mention that while I do find myself a bit unlucky to have left my job at such an inopportune time, I chose to leave my job. There are many people in Canada and around the world who are losing their jobs and their businesses because of this pandemic and don’t have a fall back or a safety net. I am fortunate that I was able to come back home and live with my mom in Regina, and that I don’t have to worry about expenses like rent, which allows me to focus on the things I’m doing above.
These are things that I am doing to stay safe and stay sane during these crazy times. Hopefully some will work for you. If not, then I have one more question for you: what are you getting up to during quarantine?
