Top 6.5 Reasons Why Being Unemployed Sucks

#6 No outlet for my competitive streak
My motivation to excel is still present even if it can’t be applied in a professional environment. I have been venting my aggression in hilariously inappropriate outlets. For instance, I recently caught myself looking around the room in yoga class and thinking “Ha, my crescent lunge is the deepest! Suck on that people!” I need to freaking relax.

#5 Realizing that there is no parachute
I already went back to school so I can’t bide my time in academia waiting for an economic recovery unless I pursue a PhD. But now that I think about it, maybe that isn’t such a bad idea after all. I should just Ponzi scheme my student loans and settle in for the long haul.

#4 No set schedule
I am a creature of habit and since employment isn’t lending structure to my days, I am forced to create my own. I attend classes at the gym Monday through Friday as a way to arrange my days in an orderly manner. Having a gym schedule also forces me to change out of my PJs; left to my own devices, I would simply email and conference call away in a T-shirt and sweatpants all day every day.

#3 Being supported by my parents
Moving back in with your parents at the tender age of 29? Now that’s a blow to the ego. For crying out loud, even in high school I had a part-time job.

#2 Awkward small talk
When you first meet someone in the US, you ask two questions:
1) What is your name?
2) What do you do?
Let me tell you, unemployed folks hate fielding the second one. Do you confess your unemployed status and make a dry comment implying that unemployment is actually quite entertaining? Do you coyly respond with a question of your own – what do YOU think I do? There is no good answer to this ticking time bomb of a question.

#1.5 Visa issues
Recruiting is stressful enough as it is, but it’s even worse when you have the additional pressure of finding a job before your visa runs out. As an American citizen looking for a job in the US, I don’t have to deal with this issue; I have the luxury of time. Not all of my classmates can say the same, and I can only imagine the heightened level of anxiety that immigration issues must induce.

#1 Feeling powerless to change the situation
I did everything right: I went to good schools, enjoyed professional success, and yet now I’ve completely stalled out. An MBA was supposed to help my career, not end it.