Covid-19 is the first global disaster many people have had to deal with, especially those new to the job market. As this pandemic has sent the economy topsy-turvy, young professionals are left struggling with unemployment and layoffs, especially in metropolitan areas where the population density makes quarantine protocols difficult. Take a look at one young professional’s life and the story of her recent experience with unemployment after taking on a mortgage.
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Stay-At-Home Seattle
Let’s start at the beginning, when COVID-19 pandemic hit the US through the port of Seattle.
My partner and I started working remotely at the end of February, well before the stay-at-home orders. My best friend moved to the other side of the state. I celebrated my 25th birthday at home. My parents lived on the other side of the country, and my youngest brother was set to graduate high school in June.
And finally, a lot of companies lost a lot of ad revenue, and some couldn’t recover.
Christopher Martyn on Unsplash
Happy birthday to me ...
On my birthday in April, my partner and I made an offer on a townhouse at the top of our budget in Kirkland, WA.
It was a short commute for me, and it was relatively well located for the tech giants in the area. It seemed like a great investment, despite the market dropping more than it ever had in history that week. Plus, we hoped with viewings slowing to a crawl, we’d avoid the competition we’d hit at every other house we’d made an offer on. Which happened.
After a few weeks of negotiations, we ended up getting the home for 50k under the original listing price, whereas every other home we’d made offers for ended up selling for at least 30k more than the listing price.
Anthony Fomin on Unsplash
It happened! And, it happened ...
In May, we officially became homeowners in the city of Kirkland! Since we were working from home, my partner set up in the second bedroom, and I set up at the dining room table. We finally had some space between us during the work day, and remote meetings became a lot easier.
After settling in and officially moving out of our apartment, I woke up late one morning in June and realized I’d missed a meeting scheduled at the last minute. I apologized to my boss over Slack and saw that she had rescheduled the meeting. When the Google Hangout finally came, I had an inkling of what was about to hit. I managed to not cry on the call until the end of the meeting, but it was rough.
Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
I remember 2008.
So, now I’m unemployed in a worse market than the nightmare of 2008 that I grew up in. The fear of every ‘90s kid has actually come true.
I’ve had some dark nights, where the depression I dealt with in college creeps back in a bit.
I’ve had some sunny days, where I paint on the porch and chat with my 78-year-old neighbor, who marched for Civil Rights back in the day and is pissed off about the All Lives Matter crews.
NBC
What do you do now?
What am I doing now? A little bit of everything. I’m watching Frasier for the first time. I’m finishing my island in Animal Crossing. I’m knitting a baby blanket. I’m painting fantasy creatures. I’m growing a Victory garden. I’m cooking a lot. I’m writing, and I’m reading, and I’m learning.
I’m struggling to hear from the unemployment office. I hear they are still processing claims from the beginning of everything.
And mostly, I’m applying to jobs. A lot of jobs. I honestly can’t believe how many jobs exist in the content world still. Some I’m able to apply to through my network, but mostly, I’m following LinkedIn links and hoping something in my resume catches an eye. Just like everyone.
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It was my first real job.
My biggest struggle with job searching is that I really loved my old position. I got to create fun content online, and I really excelled in my editor role. It was fun, all the time, and I had the best team to work with. My boss was actually supportive and understanding.
In that job, my first job, one I started just before graduating college, I learned a lot. I learned that I have great project management skills. I learned that I’m a naturally skilled writer, despite my education being science and tech based. I learned how to work with other teams, and other people, and I learned how to write creative briefs and guidelines. I learned about copyright law and how that applies in the modern day. I learned about the ethics of freelance work. I learned how to manage invoicing on a large and small scale. I learned how to talk to people, treat people, and how to get the best work out of them.
Leaving that job is demoralizing. I don’t know what I want to do next. I don’t want to do anything next. I was still learning a lot, and I wanted to keep going. I don’t have a lifelong dream to work on; I’ve just been enjoying the ride so far.
Morning Brew on Unsplash
What comes next is terrifying, but I can probably do it.
I’m afraid of a lot with this job search. I’m afraid it will take a long time to even get an interview. I’m afraid I won’t work with people I love. I’m afraid I won’t like what I do. I’m afraid I won’t find a company that makes ethical decisions I agree with. And I’m not so much afraid of these things. I know that at least some of them will come true. I might not work on a dream team again, at least not at my next team. I’m probably not going to work for a company I agree with ethically. More than anything, I’m probably not going to love what I’m doing.
But … it’s okay. I’m not the only one mourning the loss of a great job. It might be awhile before I find a job, but I won’t be the only one. I’m part of an entire generation of young professionals who will have gaps in their resumes, and the explanation will consist of two words: global pandemic. Whatever my next job is, I’ll learn a lot about myself at that job too. What I like, what I don’t like. Maybe I’ll figure out I want to go back to school, something I can’t fathom right now.
Tori Highley
It’s another path in the journey, and I can only take it one step at a time. Right now, it seems like the universe wants me to spend my summer painting on my porch rather than working inside at my dining room table, so I’ll spend some time doing that.
