If you could wish something away from 2019/2020 what would it be? Most people who have been personally affected by the Covid-19 pandemic would wish that it never happened. The coronavirus pandemic is probably the most severe catastrophe in the 21st century. Despite the invention of a vaccine, millions of people are still unemployed across the globe. The fact that you're reading this shows that you're one of them and you're looking for how to cope with your current circumstances. There are a few steps you can take right after you lose your job. Some of them are listed below:
Step One: Apply for Special Unemployment Benefits
Right after you lose your primary source of income, the reasonable thing to do is apply for unemployment benefits. However, not everyone likes to apply for unemployment. Some people are too proud and some feel confident that they will get a new job quickly. The only thing that should stop you from applying for the Covid-19 unemployment benefits is sufficient savings. If you have a significant amount of money saved up, you might not need to apply. Otherwise, pride shouldn't stop you from requesting unemployment benefits.
Step Two: Start Living on a Budget
If you never used a budget to determine your monthly spending, this is the best time to start. Take your time and draw up a budget containing only the most important things you'll need daily. Food and rent should take precedence. If you spent a lot of money on junk food or an unnecessarily expensive diet, cut those things off, and stick to the minimum. Moving from your house might not be necessary at the initial stage of unemployment. However, you might eventually need to consider moving to a more affordable home so you can save cash on rent. The new house might not be up to your regular standards but you can manage until you get a more consistent source of income.
Step Three: Learn a New Skill
You'll have a lot of time in your hands now that you're unemployed and stuck at home because of Covid-19. Make the best use of your time by learning a new skill. You can pick up web development or mobile app development skills on bootcamps online. There is a common belief that people in STEM departments are the only ones who can pick up software development skills. However, this belief is false. Anyone can become a software developer. All they need is dedication, time, and a reliable website like Computersciencehero.com. You can start making your own apps a few weeks or months after you begin your training.
Step Four: Join a Support Group
Sharing your problems with a community of people who are fighting similar battles might just help you cope during the pandemic. You can search for unemployed people online on networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Some other reliable places to find support and search for new jobs are Craigslist, VisualCV, and Jobster, among others. The conversations you'll have with others will help you feel better but you might also get job opportunities from these platforms.
Step Five: Consider Odd Jobs
Do you know that the national average earning for odd jobs in the United States is $47,076? That's a lot of money for casual jobs like washing a car for someone, doing their grocery shopping, and running other errands. These odd jobs can be done quickly in your spare time. You're bound to have a lot of spare time now that you're unemployed. You can also perform a yard sale of all the things you don't need in your home to raise some extra cash during the pandemic. Depending on how many things you hoard at home, you can make a significant amount of money from a simple yard sale.
Bottomline
The coronavirus isn't the first pandemic to hit the earth and it's not going to be the last. Spanish influenza and The Plague of Justinian claimed over 100 million lives in total. The Black Death claimed over 200 million lives in Europe alone. But even smallpox, which killed millions of people, eventually came to an end. The Covid-19 pandemic is going to end too and things will go back to normal, at least some things. For now, you may just have to do what you can to survive.
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