Initially I planned to take this opportunity to write about my experience navigating this collapsing job market in search of an entry-level role in a field with no true entry-level, but ultimately I decided the story that's actually worth telling goes quite a bit deeper.
Regardless of whether or not it can be trusted at face value, the data released back in June of this year suggests the current unemployment rate in the United States is approximately 4.2%. To the layman, this figure may seem insignificant, but if you take into consideration that the US workforce is comprised of 169.36 million individuals, that 4.2% works out to be about 7.1 million.
When I try to conceptualize a number like this, I'm reminded of a meme I saw once:
"Is 7.1 million a lot? Depends on the context. Claude tokens spent on building yet another weekend project that nobody will ever see? No. The amount of people who are desperate for a job so they can continue to afford to not be homeless? Yes."
To me, that number seems profound, but it gets even more interesting when you realize that number intentionally excludes students, retirees, stay-at-home parents, and people who have given up. I don't have the numbers on how many more people that is, and frankly, I'm not sure I have the stomach to look it up.
I consider myself extremely fortunate, and even though I personally prefer the term "Trophy Husband," I've been granted the title of stay-at-home dad. It is without a doubt the most important (and most difficult) job I've ever had, but it begs the question: does this exclude me from the official 4.2% unemployment rate or do my career aspirations qualify me? That answer is ambiguous, but since it was never part of my plans to be in this situation, I sure feel unemployed.
When I was relieved of my previous title on May 1, 2024, I felt every bit of the failure that it was, but what I've come to accept is that I'm simply not the naturally gifted salesman they were looking for. In my time there, I was able to build strong relationships with most of my clients and feel confident that each of them believed that they could count on me. Truthfully, I believe that if I asked any one of them if they were hiring right now, they'd bring me on without hesitation, but I've done my time in the service industry. That isn't to say that the work is beneath me, in fact, I often miss the quick cash and baked-in social life, but I owe it to those around me to aim higher, especially my wife and the mother of my children who doesn't have the privilege of spending all day every day with our kids. Even more than that, I owe it to myself.
The last time I felt unemployment like this was back in 2020 when face masks and civil unrest were en vogue and hope was just a couple weeks away. Admittedly, the days leading up to when I accepted my offer with Enjoy Technology certainly felt like end times, but when the sky is blood red and the air is full of smoke and ash, how can you blame me? As if that wasn't enough, my first day on the new job was (and still is) the hottest day on record in the state of Oregon, and it's hard not to give something like that undue power.
Do you know what though? I picked that job up quickly and discovered potential in myself that aligned with the career ladder in front of me. As fate would have it, however, the company wasn't long for this world and the coworkers I came to admire and I became business assets in a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and Asurion's subsequent takeover of Enjoy Technology. For the first time in my career, I felt as if I belonged somewhere but unfortunately, that reality dissolved as quickly as I was able to actualize it.
Of course that feeling of belonging left a lasting impression on me and became far more important in my ongoing search than I ever imagined. It wasn't that I felt like I deserved more, nor was it that I felt like where I was at was underselling myself. For once, I felt like perhaps I actually belonged in this rat race, but still, I had no confidence actually betting on myself.
The spot I find myself in today isn't much different than before. The market gives little to no reason for me to have a positive outlook, yet I can't help but have this sense of optimism that exceeds common sense. Maybe it's because I've committed far more time to improving my skillset than most people can afford, or maybe it's simply because I've fallen in love with shonen anime and internalized the do-or-die messaging. Even though I find myself at a disadvantage against the present economic conditions and hordes of quality candidates whose experiences dwarf those of my own, for whatever reason, I get the feeling that I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Whatever is next, you can bet that I'll be ready.
Believe it!