How Unemployment Changed my Approach to the Job Search and My Views on Leadership
by Danielle Stollak
About two years ago, I found myself in an epic state of panic over huge life decisions. I had just completed a one-year Masters program abroad and was returning to the U.S. full of hope but dubiously unemployed and under-experienced. Exhausted by solicited and unsolicited advice from friends and family about what my career next step should be, I did what any self-confident human would do, I Googled "advice". Oddly, I found exactly what I was looking for: "Never take advice from someone you wouldn't trade places with," (The Answer Man, 2009).
Now, I love my friends and family, and yes, faced with unemployment I could use all the help I could get, but advice is not the same thing as help. So, tell your well-meaning grandmother that when you are ready to explore your options as a dental hygienist, she will be the first person you go to for advice; until then, seek out your non-profit heroes. Things are not how I planned, but I refuse to write myself off as a failure. Hopefully, you feel the same way. If not, let's work on that. So, for my fellow Gen-Yers who are ready to change the world, but have yet to convince someone with money to pay you for it, I am here to offer you encouragement, not advice.
First, we should start with a dash of reality. The reason most non-profits come into existence is because of a healthy imagination. Leaders of social change, social justice, environmental sustainability, etc. are those who have the imagination to see the world as it could be and dream up ways to make it that way. I, like many of us out there fit that bill. I have volunteered, interned, done fellowships; heck, went to leadership camp as a teenager. When I graduated college in 2007 I was ready to lead my country into a bright new future. Telling, perhaps, was the commencement speech given by Barbara Ehrenreich. She warned of tough times ahead for all of us. My starry eyed visions were fairly disturbed by the dreary nature of her pronouncement.
I forged on like most of us have, but when my non-profit fellowship ended in 2008, it was clear there was a collective tightening of non-profit belts, even before the rest of business sectors. The reason you are not being hired by your favorite non-profit is not because you are not amazing, it's because there are only so many jobs for so many people right now. Most non-profits will literally receive hundreds of job applications for each posting. Frustrating, yes, but this is when we as young people can get creative.
The bigger reality is you need a job. As much as trolling Idealist.org and thinking of funky new ways to display your resume keeps you in track to finding your perfect on-paper job, a change of perspective could do you good. Look beyond where you think you should be working and instead focus on where you could be working. There are some sectors out there that are actually growing. Tourism and service being two of them, and that's a great start. Some of my most enjoyable employment experiences were in the service industry. Just as Robert Egger explained in his article The Next Generation of Charities, the future of change is not necessarily in the non-profit sector. It will not hurt you to take that job as a barista or web developer for a big company. Once you are there and prove you deserve your paycheck, it's the perfect time for you to flex your leadership skills. Think of a creative way that your company can give back which you can take the reins on (avoid making more work for other people). If you can create something where you are able to utilize your company's resources to give back, everyone can win.
Work somewhere other then a free neighborhood tax clinic? The horror! There is nothing worse for most of us then working somewhere without a strong social or environmental mission. This comes from the pervasive culture of martyrdom in non-profits that is hurting us and others. Not following that pattern of selflessly working ourselves to death for minimum wage is somehow seen as selling out.
Are you happy where you are? The best thing I ever did was make a list of what makes me happy. They were simple things, easy to do, and did not include the word non-profit, such as spending a day gardening, or helping to introduce people to new experiences While my happiness does align with working with people and the environment it turns out I can structure my life and jobs to do that without bearing a cross with me for all to see.
My perfect formula at the moment is to work part-time in service and part-time at a non-profit. If you had asked me five years ago if this would be my dream life I would have said no, but since then I have grown-up and become realistic and more creative with how I work and view employment. I have found ways to be a leader at both jobs and am really enjoying myself. I am still searching for that ideal place or professional opportunity. However, until then, I am building quite a strong resume by following my passions, not traditional career lines. I encourage you to look for a job, series of jobs, internship, or volunteer position where you can cultivate the dreams you have for yourself with a paycheck to boot.
