Labor Day without laboring

I wasn’t in much of a celebratory mood yesterday on Labor Day. To me, Labor Day was just another Monday. And the end of summer. I’m really going to miss summer.

This morning I found an excellent essay on NPR.org asking people to think of those of us who were without labor on Labor Day. It does an excellent job of summing up what it’s like to be long-term unemployed.

The School of Unemployment

Since it’s early September, I’ve been thinking about going back to school. Not that I am going back to school; I already have two degrees and I don’t quite feel like going back for a third now.

No, I’ve been thinking about the whole back to school experience: buying new clothes and books, saying goodbye to your parents, going back to class … And I’ve been thinking there should be a School of Unemployment to help the newly unemployed along the way. So I’m going to teach it, today.

Good morning, class. Welcome to the School of Unemployment. My name is Joanne, and I’ll be your teacher. Listen carefully, because you will be tested on this material — but not by me.

One of the first things I will tell you is you’re not alone. The national unemployment rate hovers around nine percent; my home state’s unemployment rate is just over 13 percent.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of us out there. So join a support group. Many churches sponsor them; so do some job centers.

Follow a routine. Get out of bed early each day. Then, don’t spend your entire day sitting in your easy chair watching bad talk shows and judge shows. “Who would do that, teacher?” Never mind who. Just remember, daytime TV is not your friend. Use your time productively. Try networking and making some phone calls as well as searching the Internet.

Make calling your state’s unemployment agency part of your weekly/biweekly routine. Mark that appointment on your calendar and keep it, no matter what. If you don’t, it will cost you.

Do something besides job hunting once in a while, too. Now that you have all this time, it’s your chance to work on your hobby, read a book, clean your house, take walks, or do whatever else you want — within reason.

Libraries are your friends. Sure, your local library has books. But did you know they also have computers? And DVDs? And reference books and materials for researching that company with which you’ll be interviewing? And, if they’re like my local library, free wi-fi without having to buy a cup of coffee? And friendly librarians to help you use it all? (Disclaimer: I’m a librarian.)

Budget your money. As if you needed me to tell you that.

Finally, keep your sense of humor about it all.