I recently lost my job due to health reasons.

Anonymous

September 8,2022 at 4:21PM UTC

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I recently lost my job due to health reasons. So now I'm in the unexpected position of figuring out "what I want to be when I grow up." What are some good resources to help me answer this question? Money is an issue, so free or very low cost is all that's in my current budget. TIA

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Kathryn MontbriandSeptember 8,2022 at 5:49PM UTC
the book 'Designing Your Life' by two professors from the stanford design school has a great framework for answering this question. You go through exercises to imagine different life paths and then prototype / test your way into what you should do next.
I also like the 100 wishes exercise described here. Forcing yourself to write at least 100 things down brings up some unexpected and creative ideas for what you might want your life to be like. https://medium.com/@maryimproves/100-wishes-an-exercise-examining-life-s-goals-a9de104396a1
AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 2:28PM UTC
Designing Your Life sounds like it's very much up my alley. Will have to hunt that down.
Kathryn MontbriandSeptember 26,2022 at 3:33PM UTC
Funny enough...I also write a blog called 'when I grow up' that deals with some of these what do I do with my life questions. You might find some useful content in there! https://www.kathrynmontbriand.com/when-i-grow-up
AnonymousSeptember 26,2022 at 5:41PM UTC
I wasn't able to read the past articles in your "10 Point Font" Archive, and some of them looked really interesting.
Kathryn MontbriandSeptember 26,2022 at 6:32PM UTC
oh no! I'm not sure what would be causing that, try accessing the site directly at http://10pointfont.com/ or drop me a note directly and I'd be happy to shoot the text over to you! Thanks so much.
Crystal HowellSeptember 8,2022 at 8:19PM UTC
Take a variety of free linked in online classes that peak your interest, see what stands out. Check with Temp agencies for positions in an industry you are curious about? Good Luck
AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 2:26PM UTC
Will definitely check those out. Even if they don't point me in a direction, that would still help keep my brain from turning to oatmeal while I job hunt.
Robin LampertSeptember 8,2022 at 8:19PM UTC
Potential Resources: your local library, job hunting support groups, the unemployment office (which may be able to point you to other resources or even subsidize retraining), any social or religious groups you belong to may have something too.
To answer the question of "what's next", the book Kathryn recommended sounds good, and another classic is "What Color is Your Parachute?" I've also heard that the "Strengths Finder" is good. The books are probably available at the library. The Strengths Finder also involves an on-line quiz, which has a cost.
I hope your health is improving. Good luck!
AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 2:22PM UTC
Interestingly, I haven't had a migraine since the week after I got fired. I know correlation does not equal causation, but i was having a debliitating migraine every couple weeks.
Thank you for the suggestions!
Robin LampertSeptember 11,2022 at 10:50PM UTC
Migraine's can be stress-related.
Some people also have food triggers. So, if you are making more of your own meals and eating healthier that might be helping. (Some artificial sweeteners, which are common at workplace coffee stations, used to trigger migraines for me.)
Migraines can also be related to menstrual cycles or allergies.
Learning what causes them for you can help you avoid lots of pain.
Hope some of the advice you're getting here helps.
AnonymousSeptember 12,2022 at 5:53PM UTC
Yes, artificial sweetners are one of my triggers too. I avoid them like the plague. It had to be something there triggering them. I thought I was happy and relatively stress free... but evidence seems to show otherwise.
AnonymousSeptember 16,2022 at 2:41PM UTC
Following up on your suggestion about the local unemployment office, their website has several different resources I'm working my way through that have been interesting.
Orlagh CostelloSeptember 9,2022 at 1:24PM UTC
I used the book "What colour is your parachute" years ago and it was good. https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2022/dp/1984860348/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=what+colour+is+your+parachute&qid=1662729850&sr=8-1
AnonymousSeptember 10,2022 at 2:16PM UTC
I've heard of that one. Thank you for the reminder!