“What kind of work do you do?” asks any person that I meet.
“I’m a gangster, yo.”
No, I’m not really in crime. But sometimes it seems preferable to say that rather than admitting I’m unemployed.
On October 23, 2009, I woke up and went to work. By 11am, I no longer had a job. Our office was officially closing. While not a shock, I was still freaking out. No job, no income, no plan.
Like anyone who was laid off, I was negative, depressed, dejected and miserable. And then I snapped out of it. You can only spam employers with my resume and apply to jobs for so many hours in a day. I realized that I could look at this time as an opportunity—to get in shape, learn to cook healthfully, pick up old and new hobbies (photography), explore different ways to make money (eBay), have fun cheaply and start living life again. I call this FUNemployment.
I documented my journey on my blog and was frequently asked by the ex-employed for advice about how to live more positively. My eBook, “FUNemployed: Finding the Upside in the Downturn” provides practical tips and funny stories to help the unemployed find a silver lining in and survive a bleak situation.
Next time I’m asked about my profession, I won’t say “criminal” or “unemployed.” Thanks to FUNemployment, I found the courage to write and can now be honest about who I am. I’m an author.
About Kerry Quinn
Kerry Quinn is a Connecticut native, ex-New Yorker and current Angeleno. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, she began her career in advertising and has since worked on behalf of Fortune 500 companies at world-renowned advertising agencies in New York and Los Angeles. She began her blog, FUNemployed and Loving It, in 2010. FUNemployed: Finding the Upside in the Downturn was published in May 2011 by Smashwords. It sells for $7.99 at Sony, BN.com, Kobo, iBookstore, BookieJar, Diesel, Smashwords and Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/FUNemployed-Finding-Upside-Downturn-ebook/dp/B004ZQRFT4
