Searching for a job, facing fears - a challenging time ahead

Today I started the process of looking for a job.

Job searching, it's one of those things that we all need to do at some stage or another. It could be due to the loss of a previous job, change in career direction, a lifestyle change or simply to earn more money.

Whatever the situation is, job searching is something that we inevitably go through at one point or another in our lives.

The case this time with the job search is that a lot of us will be going through this together, post COVID-19. It does scare me, the predictions that the unemployment rate is going to be 10% or maybe even higher post Jobkeeper.

I remind myself though that according to recent research that we are likely to go through 15 job changes over our lives and change careers 5 times. So this gives hope.

Fear, rejection, doubt, anxiety, worthlessness and anger go through me as I look back at my career and think how could I have ended up here? But then I also think about the fact that now I have a chance to reset things in my life. Work somewhere where I am valued, have the same freedom as what I have in my teaching job, meet new people, make life long friendships and have great conversations and perhaps even make more money than I did in my previous job.

There is actually a lot to look forward to when you think about it. But that whole process to get there is a painful one, mentally more than physically. I have had friends who have got the first job that they have applied for. I, unfortunately, have not faced that situation before so I am not expecting that. But eventually, it will happen, because it has happened before.