#13: Creating The Job You Want
Writer/Wizard/Mall Santa/Rasputin Impersonator available for hire
Laid Off Life is a place of respite for the weary workforce. Whether you’re unemployed, on strike or just trying to make it through the workday, let this be your 5-minute mental break from the grind of late-stage capitalism.
In this weekly newsletter, you’ll find musings and insights about work and life, things I’m finding useful (or useless) in my job search, gems from my DMs, clickable bits n’ bobs, cheap thrills, and recs about worthy ways to waste time - from articles to TV shows and podcasts and beyond.
Creating The Job You Want
Every time I scroll through job listings and think, I could do this job, the next thing I think about is the reality of having the job, and I feel a gorge-like pit in my stomach.
Can I try to shoehorn myself into the employee that some company wants? Can I be that unicorn rockstar who will do whatever it takes to prove I’m better than the 3,000 other qualified candidates who applied? Can I commit to being beholden to an agenda that’s not mine, goals that are not mine, and a passion that is not mine?
I might as well be swallowed up into the belly of a company like Ahab in The Whale.
I don’t think I’m that person anymore. I have transformed from the kind of person with a job title to the kind of person who creates my own job title, like our friend, Alan Moore, Writer/Wizard/Mall Santa/Rasputin Impersonator.
I’ve officially finished the JOB SEEKER chapter of my unemployment journey and moved on to the JOB CREATOR chapter. I’ve known this for a while now. Honestly, the hardest thing to let go of is the idea that I have to have a stable paycheck and decent health insurance at the cost of my happiness. (I still really do need money and health insurance, but will I sell my soul for them? Unclear.)
I don’t yet know exactly what job I’m creating, or how to create it, but I know that Gena Bumgarner probably didn’t find her calling as a Chicken Nugget Scientist by scrolling through LinkedIn. If I want to be happy and self-actualized in my career, I’m going to have to stop waiting for someone to give me permission to do what I’m good at and just start doing it.
Cheap Thrills
Not all of the best things in life are free, but they can be under $40
👋🏼 Hello, fellow product sluts. This feature is for you. If spending scratches an existential itch, I relate. Being unemployed has radically changed my spending habits, but I continue to stave off THE VOID with the occasional purchase. Here are a few recent purchases that have sparked joy.
SRC X Amuninni Rosato 2021 -$28 Drinking your way through issues? ✋🏼 This was the best bottle of wine I’ve had under $30 in a looooonnnnggg time. It’s a Sicilian Rosato from Mt. Etna described as “a true reflection of its unique, mystic terroir, carrying the essence of the Sicilian landscapes from vine to glass.” Maybe I can’t afford to travel to Sicily right now, but I refuse to allow that to stop me from going on a mystic journey from the comfort of my couch.
As you know, it was Amazon Prime Day a couple of weeks ago! A siren call to my internal bargain hunter!! I went a little bit crazier than I should have considering I am jobless, but netted out with some products I would have paid full price for.
Peripera Ink the Velvet Lip Tint, Liquid Lip - $9.90 This lip stain is under $10 (at full price!), doesn’t make my lips dry or cakey, stays on for a good, long while, and comes in like 40 different shades. I got #31 Wine Nude, but may have to go back for other shades.
Trendy Queen Sweatshirts Half Zip Pullover - $34.99 I’ll admit it. I bought this sweatshirt because it was on sale for Prime Day and because I liked the brand name TRENDY QUEEN. So, now that the sale is over, it’s going for $34.99 instead of $24.99, but it’s worth it. It’s cozy and fits well. I got mine in Coffee Grey and 100% feel like a trendy queen when I wear it.
COSRX Snail Mucin 96% Power Repairing Essence Hydrating Serum for Face with Snail Secretion - $14.50 I don’t actually want to know what Snail Mucin is. It’s supposed to help with dull skin, fine lines, dark spots, and hydration so I’m on board. It makes my skin hydrated and glowy, which is enough justification to spend $14.50 for a bottle of snail poop.
Have any cheap thrill recs? Please, share!!
Gems From My DMs
Let the Britney memoir bombshells commence! // How Seinfeld fandom shifts and changes after 25 years.// Barber ASMR is the most satisfying thing I’ve seen all week. 🔊 // This guy is stepping out on his wife with…balloons. 🎈// Are you young enough to mistake a videotape for a washing machine? // Going on LinkedIn be like… // Confidence booster of the week from our friends the raccoons. 🦝 // Puppy yoga!!! 🐾
💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 Don’t keep all this fun to yourself! 🤸🏻♀️🤸🏻♀️🤸🏻♀️
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👋🏼 Hi. My name is Ami and I’m unemployed. This newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To ensure that I keep writing it, consider becoming a paid subscriber or gifting a subscription to a loved one.