I reached a fantastic milestone this week. I just invested a ton of money in a new computer for myself, finally retiring my somewhat basic Lenovo laptop.

It’s just a computer, right? What so good about that?

Well, in few years back, I was unemployed and decided to dive into an industry with minimal experience.

Today, I am earning a decent living from home. I’m actually making more than I did as a Financial Manager!

I progressed more in the last two years than I did in the 10 years I was a Bookkeeper/Financial Manager.

A big part of my success is attributed to my activities during my unemployment .

Here’s my story.

Unemployed by Choice

Yep, I chose to be unemployed. I left a great job at a BMW dealership, in an amazing city. I also sold my house, packed my things, and moved back to my shitty hometown.

The worst part, I moved in with my parents. A dumb decision that I have regretted too many times.

But I did it because I wanted to be close to my son. My ex left me and the big city life to go back to our small hometown. She enjoyed the life there and felt that my son would enjoy that life too.

So after a few years of soul searching, I decided to take a chance, leave my stable job, and move in with my parents.

My reason for being unemployed might be different from others, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am not earning money to support my son and my parents.

What’s the Plan?

My big idea was to become a writer/blogger. I already started a few blogs before I moved back.

I used to write a lot on weekends for my blogs. Eventually, I was writing full-time towards the end of 2016, after I moved back home.

Honestly, nothing significant happened with my websites. I didn’t receive much traffic, and I put in a lot of work for little to no income.

I decided to keep at it, even when there was no real financial progress.

Why? It has been almost a year, and I made no money. Why should I continue?

The thing is:

I was enjoying what I was doing, and I was keeping myself busy during this unemployed phase.

Staying Busy is probably one of the most important things when you are unemployed. Another crucial lesson I learned was to find something you love and then learn how to make a living doing it.

It’s also important to mention that I had to use my sister’s old computer to work on my daily tasks. So much has changed since, and it’s only been a few years.

What I Learned When Being Unemployed

So, I became a blogging wizard, writing about 3 decent sized articles a day. I wrote for my blogs and other websites.

My blogs were developed by myself on the WordPress platform. I signed up for an Amazon Affiliate program and Google Adsense.

I also created social media accounts for the blogging brands I was developing.
I kept to my daily routines for more than a year, and this is what I managed to learn from scratch:

• Web design
• Blogging
• SEO
• Webmaster tools
• Google Analytics
• Social media management
• Graphic design
• Basic video editing
• Photography
• Guest post outreach
• And more

Yes, I developed all these skills in just over a year. I never made much money, but the experience I got trying to make money from blogging is priceless.

Why?

Well, today, I currently earn a living doing all of this. I was confident enough to start charging other people for my skills because of the experience I gained from keeping myself busy when I was unemployed.

What Have I Accomplished with my New Found Experience?

I’m a full-time freelancer now. I am re-married, and I have my own place.
I met someone ifew years back, and when things started to get serious, I had to get serious and start earning money.

I have years of experience in finance and admin; it should not be that hard for me to find a job, right?

The thing is, I was not too fond of accounting. I worked as an accountant just to pay the bills, just to play it safe. In the end, it made me miserable!

Finally, I have a chance to do what I want to do. I love being creative. I love drawing, making music, writing, and photography. Not drawing spreadsheets, making up ledgers, reconciling, and accounting.

So I decided, not long before I got married again in few years back, to become a full-time creative freelancer. In the first year, I wrote articles, blog posts, and books.

In my second year , I went around creating websites and managing social media accounts for small local businesses. I took product pictures and promoted them on social media while also helping companies online with copywriting, SEO, and email marketing.

Now , my creative career has never been better. I am earning better than I was making as a Financial Manager, and consistent work has continued for me even during the pandemic.

One of the most significant accomplishments for me was coming home and making it in a small farm town that has no opportunities.

My Advice to You

I don’t want to be that guy that’s ready to hand out advice to people who are struggling to find work. I’ve been in that boat, and I know the last thing you want is advice from someone. Instead, I really hope my story can inspire and help those who are finding it hard to get a job.

Things were difficult for me, and I almost reached a point of significant desperation that could have led me to do some terrible things that I would have regretted.

Instead of going down a dark path, I kept myself busy and tried my best to learn the ins and outs of something that I knew I would enjoy while building my skills and experience.

Yes, you can accomplish all of this, just doing what you love.