Unplanned career breaks can be extremely frustrating. Not just because of a loss of earning but also you now find yourself purposeless and useless. You worry constantly about finding a new, and appropriate, job – a worry that can hamper your job search process. There is a feeling of panic that the more you stay out of the workforce, the more you will lose your chances of getting back in.
I would know. A few years back, my husband took up a new job and was posted to Kolkata. We were newly married and the question of not moving with him didn’t even arise. Add to this the optimism of youth, where you feel that getting a new job, any job, would be a breeze. So I moved!
But…no job!
That one year in Kolkata taught me a lot in dealing with an unplanned career break. It was also one of the most productive years of my life where I not only learnt a lot, I also completely enjoyed what I chose to do.
The biggest thing I learnt was that it is extremely important to keep yourself occupied. And there is no dearth of work that you can find if you open yourself up to thinking out of the box. Which is exactly what I did.
To know more about this story watch this video I put up on my YouTube channel a few weeks back.
In the second half of the video, I leave you with concrete tips on what you should do if you find yourself faced with an unplanned career break.
If you like the video, do subscribe to the YouTube channel so it keeps me motivated to share more such stories with you.