I was in a well-paying and comfortable, albeit unchallenging
and unexciting job for two years and 4 months. Each time ennui set in (and it
happened many times), and I thought of quitting, I reminded myself of the good
money, the convenient hours and a hassle-free work environment. I had become an
example of a classic govt employee who logs in, fills in the day with the
mundane to be finished for the day and head back home each evening. And then came
a time, when I lost all motivation and put up my papers. To begin with, there
was a huge sense of emancipation, the day I stopped working. Thankfully my
partner is the main breadwinner so financially I am sorted. After a month of
travelling and another of just languishing in the house, I started my jobhunt,
switched my LinkedIn profile to active, went on to naukri and timesjobs sites
and well, there were jobs in scores for my skill set, if not in hundreds. The
flip side however, was that while there were positions I could fill in, the
salaries were only a fraction of what I used to draw.
There were a couple of interviews/meetings too, though none
through any of the mentioned sites. An ad agency, where I would have loved to
work as a copywriter, and who would have equally loved to have me on board, had
financial issues of its own to sort out. Another food company, a start-up, which
hired me as a digital content writer and PR person, even had me reach the
office on 1st of March, only to tell me that they are holding up all
recruitment till the end of the financial year and would be keen to take me if
I am available after that. They sure took me for a sucker, I guess. Another political
management company was open enough to say they couldn’t afford me. And while I
have featured in 57 searches over the last fortnight on LinkedIn, there ain’t
any tangible offers happening.
Am I frustrated? No. Am I dejected? No. Do I regret having
quit my stable job out of sheer boredom? No. I am certainly restless, because I
miss stepping out of the house, having a structure to my day and meeting people
and doing something that keeps my neurons kicking and agile. I miss a purpose
to the day. However, I am convinced that had I not stepped out of a job which
had become my comfort zone, I would not have had fire enough in the belly to look
for something more creatively gratifying, more intellectually challenging and
more vigorously consuming. So while the days are long, and there seem to be the
same old unviable jobs spamming my inbox, there is one out there, which in due
course of time, with active looking out, networking and reaching out to the
right people at the right time, will reveal itself. A job where my energies,
creativity and skill will whet their appetite in abundant measure. And so I
keep going until I find what I am looking for.
