Dear Unemployed, Calm the F*ck Down

I mostly refer to myself here. Pero kung unemployed ka rin, aba'y welcome to the club! Tayo ang bumubuo ng kasalukuyang 5.1% unemployment rate ng Pinas! Charot.

I know, I know, it's nothing to be proud of. But hey, let me tell you this:

It's not the end of the world!

Kanina lang, sinimulan ko nang kumilos para sa next career ko. Pumunta ako ng Alabang upang i-scout ang mga kumpanyang target kong applyan. Balak ko kasing mag-change career na. I plan on pursuing the appropriate job for the course I graduated in. Magja-java programmer na ako. (Yay!)

Almost two months na rin akong tambay. I allotted one month to finish writing the first draft of my novel (writing, by the way, is my real passion), two weeks on self-editing it, and another two weeks refreshing my programming skills. Ilang taon na rin kasi mula nang huli akong nakagawa ng system. Noong fourth year college ko pa. E simula nang maging teacher ako, na-limitado lang ang pag-poprogram ko sa kung ano lang ang nire-require ng subject na tinuturo ko. So I need to sharpen my skills. Mahirap sumabak sa isang interview nang hindi ka handa masyado.

Actually iyon ang pinaka-pinoproblema ko ngayon. Sa dami ng kailangan kong reviewhin, feeling ko, ang konti pa lang ng alam ko. Kahit pa sabihin nating may experience na ako sa paggawa ng mga computerized systems noong college days, I don't have any proof na pwede kong ipakita sa isang kompanya. I don't have an eye-popping portfolio, walang kwenta ang Github account ko, I don't have an income-generating blog regarding software development, and so on.

You know what? Mahirap din kasi na maging generalist. I have skills in teaching, programming, and writing. But where does that lead me? Nowhere. I'm a master of none. Sa kalandian, oo (but that for sure doesn't count).

Being unemployed affects me negatively. There is my mom who constantly expresses her disapproval na mag-stay lang ako lagi sa bahay. Hindi man niya sinasabi directly, pero nafi-feel ko bawat pagsinghal na gawin niya. There are some of my friends na minsan ay nagjo-joke na unemployed ako. I know it's a joke and I don't take it seriously, pero may kaunting kirot pa rin eh. There's like a label plastered on my forehead with a sign that says, USELESS. Na parang ang mga naitulong ko noong may work pa ako ay balewala na porket jobless ako ngayon. It's hard. Nakakababa ng confidence. And no matter how I say na nagrereview ako, nagpa-practice, at hinahasa ang skills ko, it won't matter, dahil iyon lang ang nasa isipan nila, na unemployed ako.

Pero sa dinami-rami ng mga pinagsasasabi ko rito, isang bagay ang napagtanto ko: one way or another, I know I must deal with it.

There may be so many self-doubts I'm facing right now, but one way to combat it is to calm the fuck down. Hinahayaan ko kasing magpadaig ako sa anxiety ko. Puro ako what-ifs. E hindi ko pa nga nasisimulang humarap sa isang interviewer, sumusuko na agad ako? Oo na, I swear, I'll start applying na. Hindi man ako palarin sa una, then proceed ako sa isa pa, and then isa pa, hanggang sa may makatanggap na rin sa akin.

The words us unemployed need to hear is this:

There is always someone out there looking for us. They need us.

Kailangan lang din nating kumilos para mahanap nila tayo. Parang sa paghahanap lang ng forever natin, hindi naman pwedeng iasa na lang natin iyon sa tadhana, kilos-kilos din syempre. That's the only solution para matapos na rin itong problema nating ito at nang sa gayon ay makatulong na rin tayo sa pamilya natin.

Don't think you're a loser dahil lang jobless ka ngayon. Ngayon lang iyan. Don't lose hope. Everyday, do something, no matter how small, para maiangat mo ang iyong sarili.

To succeed, you need to treat yourself a fighter. And as long as you're fighting, you'll never lose. Matatalo ka lang kapag nagpadaig ka sa takot. Kaya huwag matakot.

At utang na loob, calm the fuck down.

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