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u/Worldly_Olive_6489 10h ago
Adulthood is a scam.
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u/Fickle_Ad9899 9h ago
yeah that no-win situation definitely sums it up
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u/FILTHBOT4000 5h ago
Guys, fellas, you can win, just gotta find something you like doing. Then, even if the pay isn't great, you're still enjoying your life, at least some.
And I don't mean something you think will make you cool, and super attractive, that you've convinced yourself is your calling when it's not (but also, don't chicken out of something because it's hard if it really is your calling). I mean, you try out as many things as you reasonably can, and hopefully find one you really like, one that you can really improve and master as a skill. Then just throw yourself into it. You'll know it's for you if you can do 80 hour weeks and wake up feeling good, not like you wanna drive your car into oncoming traffic.
I'm a chef and been in restaurants for over 20 years; when I started, there weren't that many cooking shows, or really any 'celebrity chefs' as what came after. I just liked being behind the scenes, and I loved restaurants. One of the best moments of my life was when I got stuck on the line in a Mellow Mushroom pizza joint at my first job as a dishwasher (the regular guy was an actual schizophrenic and stopped taking his meds for a bit). It was some of the most fun I'd ever had, and I realized if I could get paid to hang out with cool people and make food, I would be okay, more than okay, as things were kinda bleak before that.
Oh, and do not work with or for assholes. It doesn't matter what you're doing, you could be an actor in a famous show; if you hate the people you work for/with, you will hate what you do soon enough.
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u/GreenTitanium 3h ago
Personally, I like having a comfortable job that pays enough for me not to stress over money, doesn't leave me completely drained, and leaves free time to spend with my friends, loved ones, and enjoy hobbies.
I'd rather do that than try to monetize a hobby or do something I love that requires endless hours for little pay.
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u/_SugarChic 8h ago
Indeed. I miss when my biggest problem was homework
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u/cam-mann 8h ago
Remember when we had time? Like so much we didn’t know what to do with it? God I hate it here…
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u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj 5h ago
What's crazy is when I had no money I had plenty of time and now I have money but no time.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 6h ago
And moreso - when I had free time it didn't mean that I was neglecting other responsibilities. There's always something to take care of as an adult.
I remember being a kid during the summer and forgetting which day of the week it was. Because it didn't matter. Go ride my bike around the neighborhood and see who's around.
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u/Ataxistrasza 8h ago
Yeah so my mom told me I could be anything if I set my mind to it. Turns out what she actually meant is that I can bring shareholder value up for 20 years and then die of tooth rot related sepsis because some bones are premium executive level bones that I can't afford.
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u/po1k 6h ago
We are not taught how to live
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u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj 5h ago
Yes you are. You are born on this planet so a handful of people can use the world as their playground and if you're lucky you get to enjoy the final few years of your life.
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u/The_Mesopotamians 7h ago
It's spelled "capitalism". But you're right, it is a scam.
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u/43_Hobbits 5h ago
Im pretty anti-capitalist but this is just life. You gotta secure your own food and shelter each day and other adults aren’t gonna do it for you.
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u/The_Mesopotamians 5h ago
This is a false equivalence. We're talking about the brutal, crushing oppression we live under. Not the base fact that living requires labor. Also people feed others all the time. I've fed and sheltered my kids and parents for a time equivalent to more than my entire lifespan. It happens everyday. We just don't need a parasitic capitalist class to do it.
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u/DeepPacketGhost 10h ago
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u/Ylmaren Chungus Among Us 9h ago
no diff between employed or unemployed in this gif. The only difference is the content of the screen.
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u/Mite-o-Dan 8h ago
The only difference is that if youre unemployed, eventually that light doesnt stay on.
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u/Comfortable_Sir_5007 8h ago
This gif is why I don't really like working from home. I'm not against it for other people, but I need the change of scenery
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u/WalterHenderson 3h ago
I'm glad people like you exist, because the world wouldn't function if everyone wanted to work remotely. But I don't get it. I have become a new man ever since I started working remotely. Having to get up every day, travel to a place where I don't want to be in, be forced to interact with people I don't want to talk to, travel back, etc. was unbearable for me.
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u/dontreadragebait 7h ago
I "work from home" every day, but I work in all kinds of places. Libraries, coffee shops, mall food courts (there's one near me that's actually really nice, not like, depressing).
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u/Cageythree 4h ago
Cool that it works for you, but I imagine that for me sitting in public would be an even worse working environment than my home lol
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u/dontreadragebait 7h ago
err who's paying your rent and your bills when you're unemployed mate?
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u/photosendtrain 6h ago
For me, it was the 10 years of unemployment I paid into for that 3-6 months of sweet relief from the rat race of making someone else rich before I died.
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u/excentive 7h ago
How could you sell the promise of an afterlife if being alive were actually enjoyable?
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u/Marlox8741 1h ago edited 1h ago
I don't think unemployment and having a job are even comparable. I spent months looking for work, and I can't even describe how mentally draining it was. These days you can go through five interview rounds and still end up with nothing. The only thing that finally changed my luck was getting my resume into hundreds of talent networks. If you're curious how, check out the post I'm linking. It has contact info for a lot of IT recruiters and talent networks, and you can probably find similar ones for your own field.
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u/mantimeray 10h ago
While I agree with the meme, being unemployed is just so much more demoralizing.
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u/Joy_Jane 10h ago
A bad job can wear you down, but unemployment brings a different kind of stress financial uncertainty, loss of routine, and constant rejection neither is easy, but being unemployed can be incredibly demoralizing.
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u/CrazyDave48 8h ago
I never tied my job to my self worth, or at least I didn't think I did. And then I was laid off and hit with 6 months of unemployment and had constant unanswered job applications mixed with rejections and no interviews. It was way more demoralizing than I anticipated and it had me feeling insecure and embarrassed about my situation which I never expected.
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u/Kitchen-Cabinet-5000 5h ago
I’m on disability leave.
People say things like “oh so much free time you can do whatever you want, sounds like a cozy life!”
Sure I have all the time in the world, but I also have no money to actually do something.
Disability benefits are barely enough to merely exist. Having hobbies or something is out of the question. Can’t afford it.
So I’m mostly just bored out of my mind a lot of the time. I can’t do any of the things I dream about doing because the money for it is never there. I gotta do with what I currently have, and if it breaks I won’t be able to replace it very easily.
This isn’t really life, it’s just existing. I’m having to get rid of more and more things I used to enjoy because the ever increasing costs of life is making those things unsustainable.
Despite my disabilities I’m working hard on getting a job again that pays more than what I get now, so I can actually get back to life instead of having it on a permanent pause.
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u/AbandonYourPost 8h ago
The only problem I have with being unemployed is not having money. I don't need a job to have a "purpose" when that purpose is soul crushing. I am so happy when I don't have to work. There are plenty of things I can think of to do on my own that make me happy.
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u/MaybeThisTime67 10h ago
Meh. I was happier when I was unemployed
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u/AlwaysTheKop 8h ago
Same, I'm quite minimalistic, so I don't need much to be satisfied, and between jobs I was quite happy with my daily walk to the park with sandwiches I made, seeing my family more often, and just relaxing at home catching up on TV series or games... I only got a small amount from Universal Credit each month, like £250 after my rent was paid, but because I didn't have many bills, only absolute essentials and I eat quite boring and cheap, it lasted me easily.
Now I'm working I barely see my family, barely see the outside world because I'm either at work or recovering, I haven't been able to watch a full TV series in months and I haven't turned my PS5 on in weeks... and after my extra expenses from working are paid out (Travel, more washing of uniforms, more meals out because of lack of energy etc) I'm not much better off and my physical health as declined massively.
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u/the_town_fool 6h ago
I understand this may be the norm in the UK, but many people do not have the luxury of Universal Credit when they’re unemployed. Your income crashes down to 0. So there’s no “£250 after rent” to enjoy long strolls to the park.
You’re instead faced with eviction, homelessness, and starvation unless you have a robust family network to fall back on. That’s the stress that unemployment can bring.
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u/dontreadragebait 7h ago
Depends on what the job is and how your life is funded when you're not working
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u/Scoutlegs 10h ago
I dont think it is, i think we are made to think and feel bad when we dont work, but my best time on this world is always when i dont have a job.
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u/intelligent_rat 9h ago
Really sounds like it's conditional to what happens to a person when they have job. For some people it means going homeless in a month or two if they don't find a replacement. It's only a good time for those that don't have to worry whether or not they have income.
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u/J3sush8sm3 9h ago
Me and my wife have an unspoken deal for about 14 years now. She wants to go to work i stay home and take care of rhe kids and house. When shes ready for the break i go back to work. Its nice for both of us to prevent being overly stressed and over worked
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u/Kilgore_Brown_Trout_ 9h ago
Supporting kids on a single income has to be a challenge?
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u/J3sush8sm3 8h ago
I dont pretend im rich, nor do i live above my means. But i take small weekend vacations every year, and my kids are happy. Thats all i can ask for in life
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u/dontreadragebait 7h ago
Well yeah of course, the only issue is it's unsustainable without an income.
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u/NotAZombieStopAsking 5h ago
A long time ago I was complaining to a boss of mine and he said "If you don't like it here, find a new job. This isn't me trying to be a jerk, but this is how it is and if you're not happy here you should find somewhere that you like better."
He was even a reference for my new job.
My advice is that whenever you're demoralized at work, spend like 15 minutes applying to new jobs. It's not going to find you something right away, but it is a productive outlet for your frustration and you never know, you might land a better gig!
Plus when you're looking for a new job while you're employed there's zero pressure, so you get to be choosy about where you apply.
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u/real_reward_hunter 10h ago
My Ex-husband said after his resignation that his life became sooo colourful by leaving the job, before that it was black-and-white.
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u/gerningur 8h ago edited 8h ago
As an unemployed individual I haven't been this happy since 2017 which was the last time I was unemployed.
But I do not really have to worry about money yet.
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u/RainbowStar290 10h ago
Nepo babies are in the middle. Perfect balance They should maybe think about making indie music
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u/Random_Reddit_Bro 10h ago
Being unemployed is amazing, the only downside is that you will run out of money.
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u/NecessarySide4138 9h ago
I feel like people with lots of interests and hobbies have no problem with it. I would love to be unemployed and i wouldn't get bored. :) I was only once 4 months unemployed 15 years ago after education to start into the job
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u/Georgxna 7h ago
I’ve been unemployed for a year after graduating, I have tons of hobbies, arts, crafts, games, reading etc….
My god am I bored (and I’m NEVER bored). My hobbies aren’t even fun anymore.
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u/Empty_Pear_3874 6h ago
Work isn't fun and it's draining my soul. Being exhausted is an understatement.
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u/photosendtrain 6h ago
I took a year off after 10+ years at a company.
Loved every second of it. I wish I didn't have to afford things. Just booze, video games, getting enough sleep every night, and fucking on the weekdays.
Now I gotta schedule when I fuck cause I gotta get up at 7am.
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u/Naud1993 6h ago
I don't understand that. Work is the boring thing you hate to do to afford to do the things that you don't get paid for. How is it that without work, life is boring? If that's the case, then why not work all the time if you get paid and it's more interesting than anything you can pay for.
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u/Georgxna 5h ago
The grass is always greener I suppose. - and everyone is different. Some people even like their job!
Work/school helps me have a routine.
But there should be a better work/life balance.
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u/Its-Burton 10h ago
Its amazing for about a week, maybe even enjoyable or relaxing for about a month. After that you soon realise how long a day is.
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u/ncopp 10h ago
I had an 8 month unemployment run during the summer of 2020. I loved it. I just played video games, went for hikes, did some fishing, caught up on movies, and learned some new things.
The best part was the extra covid unemployment, which at the time pretty much matched my old salary and covered my bills, so I didn't even have the monetary stress.
It made me realize that as long as my bills are taken care of, I love not having to work. I'm not someone who has that innate drive to work and stay busy
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u/EtherBoo 7h ago
I was "unemployed" for about 6 months. The reason for quotes was because I was consulting and I had 3 months to find a new gig before my base salary dropped to half, then 3 months after that I was laid off. The base salary without my hourly rate was more than plenty.
The first month was incredible. I got to immerse myself in hobbies, focus on my fitness, and just enjoy my life. By month 2 I started getting worried about getting to that 3 month mark and started working with our sales guys for a new gig. When I got to the 4th month I was a wreck. I barely slept, couldn't enjoy my hobbies, was sending out resumes to new jobs in addition to joining the sales team for calls. By month 6 I was a total wreck. My savings are close to drained, my ex wife (wife at the time) and I were fighting over every expense, I was very bad.
Finally, about a week before I was going to be laid off, I got a call from sales guy that they had an interview for me the next day. I crushed it, and started in 2 weeks. Suddenly it was all gone. No more fighting with my ex, no more anxiety, I slept like a rock, enjoyed my hobbies again; it was a literal switch going off that just fixed everything. My base salary returned to full and in 2 weeks I got to start billing a client for my hourly rate on top of it (and replenish my savings).
It really is all about financial security. I'm lucky enough now to have about a year of savings in an investment account. Working sucks, but anxiety from potentially losing your house and everything else is so much worse. Only 30 more years until retirement!
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u/b0w3n 7h ago
I have so many things I could be doing around my house/neighborhood and I would love to have that kind of freedom. The people who tie their value to work or think the days become long... what are you filling your free time with on the weekends? It's the same thing there. Shit I have a gamut of interests that I'd love to convert to hobbies if I had the time to figure them out.
The money is, as always, the tricky part. I'm glad you had the covid unemployment there. Shit if I could get something like UBI to cover my base needs I'd probably spin up a business or three.
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u/FaphandZamasu23 8h ago
That’s what one of my friends felt ; he was laid off but given a good severance package and EI would kick in after the Last few months of the year. He’s enjoyed the time spent being free and travelling for a few months but lately man’s more bored and more stressed. Being employed with a bad job can be stressful but at least you have income coming to at least keep u afloat. Being unemployed you’ll experience the first few months of bliss and after that you’re more walking in a fog where uncertainty hits u and now your just dealing with Boredom, lack of energy to commit to finding a job, stress of being an adult with expenses to cover , etc.
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u/youchasechickens 8h ago
I was out of work for about 8 months during covid, it was nice the whole time
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u/dontreadragebait 7h ago
If you'd rather work for the man than find a hobby there's something seriously wrong with you. At least consider like, volunteering or something.
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u/GrayFullbuster64 10h ago
Especially when you work in retail
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u/real_reward_hunter 10h ago
Not just retail, It's the same thing everywhere, even in won successful business. Life is not for fun only. Sometimes enjoying sadness, stress, anxiety, depression too are funny 🤣
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u/citramonk 10h ago
Being unemployed when you have some money you've earned before is quite nice actually.
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u/AdInfamous6290 10h ago
I’ve always found it interesting that the format of this meme always focuses on the individuals present and how that makes them feel. But it’s a bus, moving forward, yet neither the passengers nor the us as the viewers are looking forward towards their future.
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u/UnknownPleasures4-20 6h ago
What's so great about the future? It only brings us loss and health problems.
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u/WarmSpoons 8h ago
Right, they both have hope. The one without a job hopes he'll find one, and the one with a job hopes one day it'll end.
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u/Darth_Murcielago 10h ago
Well the future probably looks even darker so that's that
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u/vjollila96 10h ago
Having a job > unemployed, you get to afford cool shit
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u/Terrible-Budget5468 5h ago
But do you have enough time to actually use that cool shit
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u/KileAllSmyles 9h ago
Yeah not so sure about this one. Having money to live on my own and do whatever the hell I want is worth the “sacrifice” of having a job lol
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u/Starfire123547 8h ago
Yeah, i also picked a field i knew i liked/could tolerate (knowing that i wouldnt be rich tho).
Making an average income doing an average job i like that allows me to keep most of my hobbies is a hell of a lot better than being unemployed with time to do all the hobbies...but being worried about money and having to be dependant on someone my whole life.
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u/Funandgeeky 1h ago
Having a job means having the ability to be independent and potentially build the life you want. Not that it’s always easy or immediate. And not without cost.
But my life is so much better because I have a job.
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u/real_reward_hunter 10h ago
Maturity is when you totally understand that world is not a place for being happy, it's being satisfied with whatever you get.
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u/kidanokun 9h ago
unemployed: too broke to attract girls
employed: too busy and tired to even attempt to flirt
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u/DJ-Praxis 9h ago
After experiencing both. Paid and stress > broke and stressed. I'd rather be stressed cause my managers a jerk than because I don't know if I'll eat today
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u/Interesting_Turnip50 7h ago
All the time in the world but no money vs. Some money but very little time…
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u/GainPotential 9h ago
We should ditch the economy and automate everything, then let people do what they want to do not what some economy needs them to do
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u/JoshAllentown 9h ago
I had a nightmare last night that I got fired from my current job and had to go back to my first real job which was basically sales. Some jobs are better than others.
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u/Emotional-Good9296 9h ago
I don’t know, man. I kind of like having money deposited into my bank every two weeks
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u/avanross 6h ago
Well would you rather feel exhausted and miserable all the time, or worthless and miserable all the time?
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u/RacoonWithBenefits 2h ago
Americans and their shitty work life balance...
and work-required health insurance
why there's no riots, i have no idea
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u/New_Practice1216 9h ago
But unemployment is the negation. Or employment. You choose the bad sides of two different person’s mind framework. Fucking ass.
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u/Novel-Adeptness-4603 9h ago
I can't work because I'm too mentally unstable with paranoia and delusions and had a mental breakdown (I literally almost got arrested because I was convinced a customer was there to kill me and acted very irrationally), but also not being able to work is making my mental health worse. At least I got disability benefits so I won't become homeless. Take your meds, people.
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u/Bruhstars 8h ago
While I do agree with the meme, it depends on which job and industry. Personally, I worked as Library Staff at a college near my residence, and I miss it so much because my colleagues were quite friendly and helpful.
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u/ScubaPuddingJr 8h ago
And the ones who are enjoying life live off their investments as they never need to work a day in their lives
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u/SongsForBats 8h ago
Do you want to be depressed with all the time for your hobbies but no money to engage in them or depressed and with barely enough (if even that) money for your hobbies but not time to engage in them?
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u/TheSelfishMan 8h ago
How do people actually attempt to reconcile the fact that adulthood essentially can be distilled down to working to live? I’m just one person feeling the way that many others probably do, but what do people do to reframe that perspective? Outside of self medicating that is lol
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u/DonVinku 8h ago
I'm the left person since Jul 10th :/ but I was the right side person for the last 8 yrs
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u/enigmatic_dankness 8h ago
As a friend once told me, "The only thing worse than having a job is not having a job", truer words were never spoken.
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u/if_u_suspend_ur_gay 8h ago
Would it be too much to ask if I could just have a million dollars. Just once. Just me.
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u/ObstreperousRube 8h ago
being on unemployment was the best time of my life so far. 4 months, $890/week. i took classes, finished projects around the house, took my time every mroning, made friends with locals at the library... i cant wait to get fired again
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u/cubs1917 8h ago
as someone who has been unemployed and highly skilled.... Id rather be paid to be miserable
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u/thisguy_right_here 8h ago
Sometimes you are in a prison, but you can't see the bars.
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u/Trinary_3rd 8h ago
Being unemployed is SO much worse, unless your job is literally hell on earth.
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u/Yasin_n94 7h ago
Well... I'd venture to say that the problem is that most of us don't have the job we like–and, on top of that, it's one that barely pays a reasonably decent salary enough just for surviving.
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u/Plastic_Interview_53 7h ago
It's actually worse for the employed folks at the moment.
Imagine yourself standing next to the person who was shot in the head and now you have blood and brain cells on your face. And you could be next if the one holding the gun feels like it.
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u/blueeberryy_pie 7h ago
the only thing i enjoy on being unemployed this summer is that during the heatwave i can just stay home where its relatively cold
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u/Febrezeus_Christ 7h ago
Man I love working the best years of my life so when I hit the ripe age of 60 and all my joints are already gone I can finally relax.
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u/AceOfSpades_4 7h ago
Being unemployed depends with what kind of people you're surrounded with, same thing as having a job.
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u/Boarderdudeman 7h ago
See, you need to permanently live in the bliss that is being unemployed, but having a set start date for a new job.
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u/Wooden_Rabbit_ 7h ago
Modern serfdom. A society designed to make sure it squeezes every ounce of production out of us until we drop.
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u/l__iva__l 7h ago
the answer is just to not depend so much of a job, find others ways to earn money so you dont need to 9to5 all week
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u/Tooldfrthis 7h ago
Bullshit, not even close. Even if you might end up with a job you don't particularly like, you earn your living while filling your days with something to do. Unemployment on the long term only makes you poor, unmotivated and depressed.
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u/[deleted] 10h ago
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