I would venture to say that most people who are laid off or fired from their job are blindsided and devasted. There have been studies done on the psychology of leaving a workplace, and experts have concluded it’s similar to the mourning process. Leaving a workplace certainly has repercussions that can have a very real and devastating effect on the person leaving. There are ways to prepare for, and brace yourself for such an occurrence, and it can make your life a lot less stressful.
In my career, I’ve made the choice to never let myself become a vulnerable employee. I want to share my insights into this way of living so that others can benefit. I truly believe that preparing yourself for career transitions can help you handle the transition well financially, but most importantly, mentally.
Saving
I know I sound like a broken record saying this, but the first step in turning yourself into an employee who’s impervious to career changes is having a strong savings. If you have extra money after all your bills and expenses, save it! This step alone can take a lot of stress off of you.
Obviously savings are for more than just career changes, but having enough savings to cover your personal operating costs for a few months should be a top saving goal of yours.
Side job
Having a second stream of income is another really important thing. Most people have an ample amount of time outside of their main job to make some extra cash. Not only will this provide you with extra income, but it can also help you gain experience and references in a field that is different than your main job.
Becoming a more robust worker and adding new skills to your arsenal is incredibly important in an ever-changing jobs landscape.
Learn something new
Whenever I think about this topic, I often think about careers like truck driving. In our lifetimes, we will likely see the entire industry of truck driving vanish. Autonomous vehicles are no longer a distant technology. Within a few years, I believe we’ll see autonomous vehicles being used at scale in a commercial capacity. This illustration explains why it’s so important to always be learning, and not get too comfortable in your chosen profession.
I hope that truck drivers and others who are in soon-to-be obsolete jobs are trying to learn new skills. They will be blindsided and devastated if they choose not to make themselves impervious to career changes.
Work hard, save hard, and always be learning and you will make yourself future-proof. Of course struggles and economic uncertainty will always be an issue, but doing these things can help us cope with the challenges that life throws at us.