I don’t mean the reality show The Apprentice. I mean me, the apprentice. I’m taking part in a career coaching course that happens online. For now, at least. The last week of the course is going to be live. The course is 5 weeks, and it started this Monday. It’s an early morning for me. It begins at 9 am. It’s about job search and all that. For example, how to find hidden jobs and write resumes. There are assignments to do. The course is online from 9 to 12 am, and the rest of the day, you work on the tasks by yourself. You can do them when you want. There is a lot of thinking. It’s about what you do best. Then there are 2 weeks of getting to know a job in a company of your choice. I’ve already contacted one. I didn’t get anything the last time I went to career coaching, so I hope I find one this time. It doesn’t need to be something you studied. It can be from a field you don’t know. I would prefer it if it could be something I’ve done before.
This course is not only about job search and careers. It’s also about getting to know yourself better. In a way, it’s life coaching at the same time. Maybe it’s a bit too optimistic at times to think you get to the place you want with the tips. Things don’t always go the way you’ve planned. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up. You should think primarily about your strengths and what you’re good at. Things you can’t do, you can learn. If you’re interested in it. You shouldn’t do it if you don’t care about it. Some might think I’ve given up my dreams. But it only takes a bit longer. What is the hurry anyway? I take one step at a time. Tomorrow is another day.
Day 3. As an introvert, the comfort zone is a familiar concept. Brave and ambitious people might not understand how difficult it is for a person to do something they’re not used to. It won’t help if you say what could happen because that won’t help. It takes time to get out of your comfort zone. You might be nervous or anxious. You rather not do it because you don’t like that feeling.
The first time I got out of my comfort zone was when I was 17. I moved to another town to study health care. It was an education I didn’t want to study. But my mother said I had to start somewhere, and she was right. It was right after school, and if I hadn’t got anything, who knows how my life would have been. The first week was awful. Everything was new, and I didn’t know anyone. It was a small town, and there was nothing to do. I was very homesick, so I called my mother and cried on the phone. But when I got to know my classmates and my roommate, I felt much better. The education was only one year which was all I could have taken.
As I got older, I have had been braver to step out of my comfort zone. I still like being there. In life, you need to grow; otherwise, you get nothing done. I’ve never been good at making decisions. I’m very indecisive, so it takes ages to get things done. Even if I know what I want to do, the comfort zone keeps holding me back. I’ve been thinking about entrepreneurship for a few years now, but I don’t get anything done. Instead, I’ve been lazy and tried to do something else besides looking for something to do. It will probably continue the same this year. I always tell myself I will start something at the beginning of the year, but I keep putting it off. I tried to search for a job, but I haven’t found anything to apply to. The last time I had a job was in 2020, and even that was only part-time.
The last time I left my comfort zone was last year when I got my driver’s licence and went to a carwash. When I was a child, I was scared of them. I never wanted to be in the car, so I waited outside. It was the big brushes I was afraid of. Now when I went, it didn’t go very well. I didn’t know how to drive inside the car wash. Luckily there was a man helping me. I had to reverse the car and drive back in again. It was a bit embarrassing, but it was the first I drove the car myself. It was my dad’s car, so I wasn’t familiar with it at that point. I wouldn’t want to use a car wash that often, but fortunately, you only need to do that once a year. Every time I drive in traffic, it’s always outside my comfort zone. I went to driving school 26 years ago, but I didn’t finish it. Now I know why. I didn’t like driving, among others. I feel nervous, and I don’t trust other drivers. I haven’t driven the car alone yet. My dad has been with me. I don’t drive the car very often anyway because you can go by bike or walk to get to places in my city.
This summer, I’m going to leave my comfort zone to go to two concerts. I first went to a real concert in 2018 when Robbie Williams was here. I had never been to a show before because I didn’t like big crowds. I’ve only been to free concerts where more than one performer has been there. I guess I got the ‘bug’ from that first concert because I didn’t hesitate to go to the next ones. I only hope they won’t be postponed because of covid. The Elton John one was moved because of that. When you can’t wait to get out of your comfort zone, that means you’re ready to do it more often. But it’s always nice to go back.
It’s so easy to mock the unemployed. ’Get a job’, they say. OK, do you have one for me? No? I thought not. You just can’t go to a workplace and ask. It doesn’t work like that anymore. You need to apply and be the right person. There is so much more you need to do. They won’t hire just anybody. These people who complain about people who don’t have a job have no lamp in their minds to find a solution to a problem. I made a list of reasons why I don’t apply for a job.
1 .I have some of the qualifications, but I know they won’t hire me, so I won’t use my time and energy
People say you should still apply, but I see no point in using my time to write applications when I know I won’t even get an interview. There is always someone with more experience than I have anyway. I rather do something else than stress about writing cover letters etc. I’m not very good at writing them. My portfolio is not that good either. I have not much to offer for employers. They take people with job experience and youth. All I have in my resume are internships. I haven’t been paid a salary. Only once, and that was last year when I worked as a media assistant.
2 . There are no suitable jobs to apply to
This is probably the biggest problem, to find a job to apply to. Sure there are a lot of jobs out there, but they’re never suitable for my skills and educations. They say you should apply for a job that you don’t necessarily need an education for. Yes, but doesn’t it take away from a person who does have it? Besides, I already tried that approach, but I didn’t get any. I’ve applied for rental work, but it was pointless to apply. It was a storage worker job. Not getting a job is not about being picky. It’s about having good luck to get one. When there is a job to apply for, I don’t have the skills and experience they need.
3 . I won’t apply for the job because it’s in another city
Most jobs are in another town. You can’t just leave like that. You need to find a place to live. Travelling from home to work every day isn’t much fun. It doesn’t suit me either. Remote jobs would be better, but there isn’t many of those. Even if I have a driver’s license now, I’m not into driving long distances. You shouldn’t have to move to another city just to get a job.
There might be other reasons why I don’t apply for a job. But the reason is not health issues. I’m a healthy person and have no problems with working. Just because I haven’t had a job for a while, it doesn’t mean I’m not capable of working. Some people can’t work, but they’re still forced to find a job. Complainers should think twice before mocking the unemployed. Not everyone is the same. Most people do want a job, but they’re not blessed with one. It’s easy to judge others when your own life is complete, and you don’t have to worry about job search. But anyone can lose their jobs, so never say never. You need to experience unemployment to know what it’s really like. There have always been people who think they have a solution to a problem and think their advice is helpful. They don’t see they’re part of the problem.
In my world 