Why it’s great to be out of a job
In this guest post Justin Ricketts argues being out of work is the best way to really assess what it is you want from a job.
Well, it’s been about three weeks since I finished up at Ensemble and what an amazingly positive experience it has been.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the time (and, importantly, the head space) to get out into the market and meet with friends, colleagues, competitors and people and businesses that I’ve admired within the industry from afar over the past 10 or so years.
I’m amazed and excited by how much opportunity is out there, and pleasantly surprised that the most interesting opportunities are coming from the most left-field places.
Nope, not buying it. You needed to make it clear that Justin obviously has a lot of money to fall back on.
People without that kind of cushion don’t have time for reflecting on happiness and enjoying mid-week coffees and empty diaries.
Very “first world country” article. While the majority of the population is focused on surviving, only some can focus on finding what makes them happy.
Good on him though!
Well said Christina. The cost of living/surviving in Sydney is ridiculous and as a freelancer every week of work is a bonus when you’re trying to raise a family and pay a mortgage if you’re unlucky enough to have a mortgage.
I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but get in touch with reality.
A picture of you on your boat. Nice Justin. I’m sure the journalists about to lose thier jobs at Fairfax will take great heart from your experience.
@Christina, 100% spot-on.
Agree with Christina.
Christina – I get your point but I don’t think this is the point of the article.
Justin – this article really connected with me. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me to think about my next move. By the sounds of things you should find something exciting in no time. I look forward to reading about what it is
What a bunch of 1st world, vacuous wank. I’m embarrassed for you Mumbrella, I had no idea your ‘thought leadership’ bar was set so low.
What is wrong with people on this platform?!!!
Everyone is so negative about everything. The point of this article is fully valid and its good to see someone taking a positive approach to a difficult position. Nicely written article and spot on in my humble opiniton
Justin lives in what’s a fantasy land to most of us. What I’ve learned is that buckets of money and a boat will give a ”work-life balance”. What a load of crap.
Seriously? If you’re this out of touch with reality, you need some perspective.
I don’t think anyone doubts the benefits of having time off to take stock of your life. It’s just not realistic for 99% of people.For most, time out of work means stress, heartache, and a massive blow to self-esteem.
I’d love to be able to take a couple of months off to catch up with you for coffee, but mortgage repayments, groceries, and electricity bills take precedence, so it’s off to work for me.
There is a link at the top of the article that is worth clicking on for relevance for you little Aussie battlers. Justin is making the most of an unexpected and no doubt stressful situation. And the photo hints at a nice bit of subtext for Messrs Danny Bass and Co: “I’m on a BOAT in a PINK SHIRT so EABOD!”
As usual – I see most people don’t have the courage to use their real identities when commenting on this site. Mumbrella – can’t you force people to use their real identified moving forwards?
A few responses and comments if I may.
Firstly – I find it ironic and interesting that the posts here are mostly negative and cynical whereas on Linked In – where I originally posted the article – it’s been 100% well received and only created positive and constructive debate (and mostly outside of my network of contacts).
Secondly – the context of this article had nothing to do with money, survival or first world privileges. Losing my job was unexpected and initially quite scary too as I too have a mortgage and a family to feed. Instead it was trying to point out that for the many people who have found themselves in a similar position or have the prospect of being in a similar position – that it isn’t all bad and that with the right approach, it’s actually a surprisingly interesting, rewarding and enlightening time and fortunately full of opportunity. The article was written to share this experience with others who may be nervous about what lies ahead and to date (with the exception of some people on this site) – most people have empathised or related to what I have experienced.
@You people
Are you serious? An article written by an ex-CEO who clearly has plenty of cash to fall back upon accompanied by a Fonzy-sequel double thumbs up on a boat professing it’s “great” to have no job?
Journos are losing their jobs daily, most agency staffers work huge hours for peanuts and the industry is under extraordinary pressure. Insensitive drivel written by advertising dinosaurs enjoying the high life while unemployed does nothing to help the industry nor inform a constructive debate.
Well he had plenty of time to write it.
I do wish Justin all the best and and hope he lands a great role. It is an opportunity to carefully look at where he’s heading and perhaps make some changes that give him a new lease on life. He’s at Stage 1. He obviously has the safety net of money behind him. If it takes longer than expected he could always sell the boat.
The reality of most people in the same situation is their money quickly runs out and the bills still have to be paid. In the hard cold light of day Stage 2 is tough. The applause from the farewell speech is a distant memory. In spite of your many contributions, a week or two after you’ve left the agency, it has gone on without you and has barely skipped a beat. You start talking to your network and drink an ocean of coffee and have a smorgasboard of lunches and all too soon they all become “far too busy” and the common response is: “we really must catch up soon”…which never happens.
Stage 3 is even tougher. You bump into people in the street and cafes. The very same people who you have stuck by and encouraged in some tough times. They see you briefly and walk the other way as they know you’re still looking. It makes them feel ill at ease that they are still working and you’re not. If you look hard enough, you begin to find a whole lot of people in much the same situation as you.
Stage 4 is just bloody ugly. Your network has finished finding you valuable at all and if they talk you, they just feel uncomfortable. You feel you’ve outlived your usefulness to them. Recruiters tell you that you have a great CV but we are really looking for someone “at a different stage of their career”.
Is this negative? No its the reality of what happens to many people. The churn within the industry is a symptom of it’s pre-occupation for young fresh new thinking and the fact that there is a quick disposal rate within agency workforces.
Don’t wait for your job to disappear to try to search and find happiness. Shape your life around things that matter. Your partner, family, friends, interests should always be your priority. Years later, you wont even remember the client or the product that was so important to miss that special times that actually makes you happy.
@at the moment – at least this is thoughtful and constructive unlike most of the other muppets on this thread.
However – I still applaud Justin’s positive approach and I guess if you are ambitious, smart and connected you do indeed have the potential to overcome the loss of employment and find something new and potentially better suited. Whilst I agree with a lot of what you say – I still concur with the sentiment of Justin’s article
I’ve been let go twice. I certainly don’t earn a CEO’s wage (far from it), but in both instances my redundancy figure was enough to afford me a month or two’s grace on the “holy-eff-how-am-i-going-to-survive-and-pay-my-bills” conversation that inevitably rears its ugly head.
What i’ve found during this time though, is this: taking stock is an important thing to do – as is giving yourself a day here and there to simply not work and enjoy your downtime. Each time I’ve found myself in this position, I’ve always landed in a better one… and i’m sure that getting in the right frame of mind and letting go of any ill-thoughts from the recent past has helped me to get there.
@Justin, you make some valid points in your article. Good luck and I hope you land your next gig soon. In the meantime – make the most of this weather (and having access to a boat, you lucky bastard!)