Now that I’m unemployed, I signed up for unemployment benefits and it’s an interesting experience. First, there are many hoops to jump through to get started but after going through the gauntlet I finally got my benefit statement. It seems the state makes it as hard as possible to collect benefits.
Evidently I am entitled to $15,000 in total payout benefits. That’s actually way less than one month’s pay from my former job but beggars can’t be choosers. Since the payments are about $600 per week, I can collect for up to 25 weeks or so assuming I don’t find a job before exhausting benefits.
I got a severance package so these $15k in benefits are just extra cash that I may just invest in the market or add it to emergency cash reserves.
Job Market
The job market is hot for my skill set. I’ve already been solicited for a few jobs but after a couple of interviews, I decided to keep looking. At this point, my main goal is to be happy for the next year when I plan to officially retire. I am also booked a trip to South America for the summer so there is no point in taking a job unless I’m allowed to work remotely.
Free Time
After being a corporate lackey for so long, it does feel weird not having to sit at a desk, do conference calls and all sorts of work. My time right now is being taken up by de-cluttering my whole house. It’s a bit of an overwhelming experience. I’ve been taking boxes of books to Half-Price Books to donate/sell. I’ve done two bookshelves and have 3 more to go!
I also partially cleaned out the garage and donated a bunch of sports stuff my kids left behind to the Goodwill. I’ve also donated some clothes but hung on to some of my business attire in case I get a job that requires office visits.
Lastly, I’ve chucked a ton of jars that we keep for our homemade sauces and salsas.
Fun Time
When I’m not doing chores, most of my free time is now spent on Suno.com. I’ve created my own operas, symphonies, pop songs, folk, songs, hip hop songs, and experimental music. I continue to be blown away with the capabilities of creating my own music with my own custom lyrics that have deep meaning to me. My wife said I made her cry with a song I wrote about one of our kids, the platform is that powerful and good.
I consider this part of my “upskilling” as there is a learning curve to generating great AI music. I am also playing around with other AI stuff too.
Share The Wealth
Are you laid off? What are you doing with your free time? Let me know in the comments below.