BEFORE I lost my job, I, perhaps naively, thought that there was more to me than my work but I realise now that I have been somehow responsible for the reaction when telling people of my current situation. It’s because I showcased my career to others. It defined me. So, when it suddenly and abruptly disappeared, people knew that it was going to hurt.
My career has been extremely important to me and has been a cornerstone of my character over the last 15 years. I worked in a number of different industries and was fortunate to have had a platinum membership of the Celtic Tiger Club and did very well for myself. In attending college, I invested my parents’ hard-earned money and ensured that my degree would not only repay them in full for their sacrifices, but would also insulate me from ever having to rely on the State. This would never happen to me. Never. Not a chance.
Having graduated with honours in business in July 1996, I chose a career in the motor industry and later the publishing sector. For those without access to TV, radio, broadband or George Lee, these two industries have experienced unprecedented hardship over the last 18 months and are unlikely to return to the levels of growth they experienced in the last 10 years. They have yet to bottom out and I am looking to get back in. The odds are stacked against me.
I lost my job at the tail end of October and coupled with the indignity of becoming unemployed for the first time in my career with a wife and two small children to take care of, the text message that alerted me to the fact was even more painful. The truth is, losing your job is an incredible shock to the system and is one that truly affects every single aspect of your life.
As with all travesties, it is not something that you want to immediately speak about. The support I have received from my family and friends has been second to none but does not alter how vacant and vulnerable I feel. Nothing can compensate for not being able to support your family.
The first few months were a mixture of optimism, enthusiasm, disappointment and self-doubt. “Why me?” becomes the silent mantra of the newly unemployed. I decided to try and take some control of my situation and in wanting to be my own boss, enrolled in a Start Your Own Business Course in January. The course focused on a number of key areas such as business plan development, sales and marketing, law and finance. For those with limited experience of these business foundations, it was certainly a very cost-effective way to broaden their understanding of business. But, for those that had some experience in these areas, it failed to provide anything that the click of a mouse wouldn’t have provided for significantly lesser cost. Outside of keeping my mind engaged, it didn’t really provide me with anything that I didn’t already know. This is not to suggest that these courses should in anyway become elitist. With the myriad of further education programmes available across a variety of disciplines, there is certainly no shortage of relevant, focused material.
I know that starting my own business, at this point in my life, is not something I want to pursue. I am still without work and have accepted that the situation I find myself in is not of my making and while I am still actively seeking a new post, I am reasonably content.
I have been fortunate in other ways since losing my job. I’ve spent time with my children that, ordinarily, I wouldn’t have. I’ve been fortunate to have been accepted to a UK university for an MBA and although the prospect of further study is daunting, I am genuinely excited with the idea of challenging myself and working my way out of this recession.
– Gavan O’Brien
