Why I’m no longer looking for a job 🫠💀💸🤡

To caveat, THIS IS JUST FOR NOW. Not forever. For now, this is what I’ve decided. I’m not going to jump straight into the next opportunity I find. I think previously I was extremely caught up with just being employed. No matter the job, no matter the company, no matter the pay even. I just HAD to be employed. And it was largely due to my fear of what others would say/think of me if I was unemployed. But after this experience of getting retrenched, I’ve realised that a lot of things will always be out of our control. But as cliched as it sounds, there is always going to be a thing or two we can do to really make a difference to how we live. And of course I have to admit that I’m privileged and lucky enough to be able to take a break for now. Not everyone gets this opportunity. So here are some reasons why I’ve decided to take a break from the career hunting game for now:

💀 BURNOUT

I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never really believed in this. You see it all over online, people talking about career burnout. But I always thought that I’m so young, how could I even be burnt out when my career journey literally just started. It really wasn’t until my retrenchment that I realised how miserable I was. Across both my corporate jobs, I would wake up every day thinking the same thought of “god, I hate this”. I usually describe this feeling with my friends as “toddler feelings”. Where you don’t really know why you feel a certain way, but all you want to do is to cry and throw a tantrum. I’d have these toddler feelings almost every day. I wanted to throw a screaming fit, and just jump up and down saying “I don’t want to do it!”. I think I should’ve gotten out by that point LOL. I was too overwhelmed by my “big” emotions and I didn’t know how to manage. So now with this break that I’m taking, I’ll definitely be prioritising my mental health and rethinking what I want for my future.

💀 RECALIBRATE

I think one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my very short time as a working professional was to just take up the first job that was offered to me. As I mentioned above, I didn’t really think about how the job/role would benefit me in the long run in terms of career progression. I just wanted the money and stability. Obviously, not saying that financial security does not matter (sis, in this economy, PLEASE). But sometimes going for the role that pays you a little lesser, could be more beneficial for you in the long run. Right now, I’m still figuring out what kind of roles I’ll be interested in taking up, as well as the industry that I want to be a part of.

✌🏻 UPSKILL

Beyond taking this time to rest and relax, it’s also time to upgrade my skill set beyond what I know and picked up in uni. There are tonssss of other courses both paid and free to take. CORPORATE BADDIES ABOVE 25, USE YOUR SKILLSFUTURE!! Especially with such a tough and competitive job market at the moment, I think it’s worth to set aside some time to really sharpen up my skills and make myself more ✨appealing✨ to recruiters.

⭐️ if you’re currently in a period of transition, or are expecting a layoff, this is a reminder to be kind to yourself and how there are many things that are beyond your control. Take a break if you need to and are able to, trust yourself and keep going! You got this!! 🫶🏻

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