More now on my “any job will do” and “just get your butt out of the house” ethos for career changers.

I’ve seen what happens when a person doesn’t do this. It’s not pretty. When you don’t have something to do each day outside the house, you know, like a job? You’re at home on the couch eating a bag of chips. It’s life wasted because no matter what, you have something to give somewhere. You’re needed in this world. Sitting at home firing off resumes into a black hole and eating chips while overdosing on reality TV does no one any good. Not you, not anyone else.

Put a cap on the amount of time you’re allowed to sit and feel sorry for yourself. Then get out of the house.

Good God, do volunteer work if you have to!

Why?

Top 7 Reasons why you must get out of the house:

1. You can create a schedule and structure again
2. You can meet people. New people could invite you to things. Or you get some networking out of it.
3. It keeps you from isolating yourself.
4. You truly never know where any job leads.
5. You have to be a part of the outside world and rejoin society through rejoining the workforce.
6. Sometimes you get a retirement fund started off even a part-time job. I’ve done it!
7. New jobs mean new training, new training means new skills and more resume padding.

Of course, there are many more reasons depending on what career field you end up working within. Some have fringe benefits, like paid training and licensing. Some have awesome holiday parties and quarterly luncheons that make for great networking grounds. Part-time jobs with flexible hours help you keep money flowing in as you seek your next big gig. Part-time jobs have hooked me up with everything from free flu shots to concert tickets over the years — depending on the field.

Some jobs show you what you don’t want to do. It can be fun to try something new, but 30-90 days in, we should know whether it’s a good fit or not. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s OK to move on.

The aforementioned resume black hole is something we can contend with in the next edition of Lessons for Career Changers…

  Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life By Adam Markel