So my job, right? The place where my first COVID scare started? Please tell me you’ve been following, this is only the second post in this blog after all. So, anyway, yeah I lost it.
I mean, I was “temporarily laid off,” technically, but you can never know with all the madness that’s been happening. I’m not too mad or shocked about it either. Millions have been losing their jobs every day throughout this pandemic so what makes me so special? The reason I was laid off and not sent home with a non-paid vacation was (or so I was told) so I’ll be able to file for unemployment. Makes sense. The government eased up on the requirements, so even though I haven’t been employed for 18 straight months, I’m still eligible for unemployment. So no stress, right?
Oh ho ho ho…. Wrong!
Now, I don’t know how far this blog is going to reach, but I’m about to describe my experience of applying for unemployment in the great state of Florida (already funny, isn’t it?).
First, I must say Florida did do a good job making the registration site easy to find and having videos to walk you through the process and all. I just wish it went as smoothly as is does on those videos. What started off as “yeah, just give me a minute to register for unemployment, then we can watch another episode of Tiger King” turned out to be a three-day battle which felt like either a resilience test or as if the Sunshine State is trying to play me into giving up on my unemployment benefits. I don’t even know where to begin explaining how slow and glitchy this website is.
Pro tip: learn to use the Tab key on your computer, it will be your best friend in this. You need to fill up every page as quickly as possible and without any mistakes because any little interference will send you back to start the whole process from the beginning (if the page manages to load at all). It’s as if the system has major ADHD and completely loses focus every few minutes. It’s like you’re being questioned by Dori from Finding Nemo. It’s horrible!!
I myself felt like I lost some of the best years of my life completing this application, so if you managed to do so too, congrats! You deserve a medal. Now good luck with logging back in to give proof of 5 job searches every week.
That’s right, *low tone evil voice* EVERY WEEK (cue the thunder sounds).
P.S: Here’s some Glass half-full for ya. Personally, if I had to choose, I couldn’t think of a better time in my adult life to be experiencing this. I’m still young, no kids, I don’t have a mortgage to pay, I have some money saved up, and I still live with family so no rent (I promise I was just about to sign a lease). But also, If I still had my full-time job, I would probably be too comfortable and lazy to sit down and start writing this. You too can find the positive side to this quarantine, and try to make the most out of this awful situation. Start that project you always wanted to work on, learn a new skill or language, do some exercise (more on this soon). I believe every setback in life happens for the best. It’s up to us, however, to turn it into that.
* Mic drop. Clapping, Curtain closes. Credits*
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