Making Lemonade
I wasn’t sure I was going to talk about this but I know that there are people out there who can relate. I know I’m not alone in this. I worked for a small company and it got bought out over a year ago. At the time everything stayed the same for us. About a year later they decided that my department was going to be eliminated. I was laid off recently. I worked for the company for 3 years but I loved talking to the patients and over time you get to know them. I really enjoyed helping people and I really will miss them. I was gutted.
At first, I just couldn’t believe it, then the reality set in and I panicked about finding new work. We ended up working for another month until we were let go. I am constantly looking for work. I am applying for jobs that I am overqualified for. I am applying to jobs that are equal to what I did and it’s $3 or more less an hour! It’s insane. While I am applying, I also started looking into making my small hobby into more of a business. You will not believe what I found. In Minnesota when you file for unemployment you have access to programs that are free to help with everything from interviewing skills to resume writing etc. Amongst all this information I found a program called Climb. In this program, CLIMB (Converting Layoffs into Minnesota Businesses) is a component of the state-funded Dislocated Worker program designed to assist aspiring entrepreneurs with training and consulting for a successful business launch or growth. I called and it turns out I qualify to start the process to see what’s out there for me. I am really excited, a little anxious and just hoping that I can make a go at pottery full time. I have no idea if that’s feasible but they are going to help me figure it out. I know this business will take time to build but I’m looking forward to the input.
One of the main reasons I am going to try to do pottery full time is because I really enjoy the work. For so many years I have poured so many hours of hard work into other people’s companies. I have worked endless hours of overtime and worked myself into the ground. I want to invest in myself. If I’m going to work hours on end, I’d rather do something that I enjoy! We only have so much time on this earth and I don’t want to waste it. You can only spend so many hours a day looking and researching jobs and companies. When I wasn’t doing that, I was occupying my mind by doing some clay therapy. It felt so good to being spending my energy in being creative. That’s another entire post, lol. I’ll get back to that at some point.
I am going to keep you all updated with this process and let you know what comes of it. It’s very possible nothing will come from it but I’m going to share my experience with you. I am hoping to get answers to the many questions I have.
Next week I am going to meet up with someone at the local career force center for the Climb Program. It will be an assessment. They sent me an email to fill out some basic information and that’s all the info I have now. Wish me luck, I’m gonna need it!
