Today the rubber hit the road. After spending months fantasizing about quitting your job, your supervisor summons you to his office. Your stomach drops as you walk by your coworkers. You know they’re chatting about you on IM. You close the door and sit down. He he starts telling you a long story about how things are not working out. You stop listening when you realize he’s telling you that you’re fired.
You can’t believe it!
Sure you’ve been thinking about trying out the freelance life. In fact you’ve been dreaming and fantasizing about it constantly. You’ve hated this job for a couple of years and every Sunday has started to feel like the worst Sunday of your life. You even had a resignation speech prepared (yes you were planning to give a speech). All that was left was to decide whether to bring a mic to the office just to drop it.
You’re Fired Without a Plan
Even if it was what you secretly wanted, getting fired often leaves you feeling high and dry. It’s time to make a plan.
You only had some vague notion of just how great it would be to join the freelancer economy. What skills do you have? What kind of freelancer will you be? How will you get clients? Do people actually make any money from this? These are the questions that have plagued you, but that you didn’t have time to answer. You’re getting fired with nothing more than your passing fantasies and no real plan.
After taking a couple of weeks to quickly run through the five stages of grief, you decide it’s time for action. If you play this right, now could be the perfect chance time to make lemonade from this sour blow to your ego, your professional life and your bank account.
Making The Jump From Fired to Freelancer
If you’ve been dreaming of giving freelancing or entrepreneurship a try and you have savings and a support system, do it now. You probably have a lot more free time now that you don’t have a 9 to 5.
Keep in mind, though, that although it starts with the word “free,” freelancing is no walk in the park. Be prepared for long nights and a lot of hard work. But if this is right for you and you’re able to push through, this could be one of the most rewarding things you do for your career.
Here are some important first steps:
1. Apply for Unemployment Benefits
You’re going to need something to live on. Unemployment benefits can help keep you afloat while you sort things out. Take advantage of this option as quickly as possible after you’re fired. You often cannot obtain back payments if you fail to file right away. In addition, depending on the circumstances of your discharge you may have to go through some kind of hearing process.
2. Apply For Full-Time Jobs
Unless you’re 100% certain that you never want to go back to full-time employment AND you’ve got a mountain of cash to support you, apply for full-time jobs. Do some networking to see what’s out there. Remember that you have to be willing, able and available for full time employment to be eligible for unemployment benefits in the United States. That means you must at least apply to a few jobs a week. Even if you’re set on freelancing or starting a business, it may take longer than you anticipated to get things going. Having a full-time job will set your mind at ease while you build your new career.
3. Cut, Cut, Cut
Even if you’re sure that you have a million dollar idea, you probably won’t strike it rich over night. Take the time to sit down and review your spending plan. What can you cut back on? What is one high cost indulgence that you can replace with a lower cost option. Eat right, exercise and interact with other humans, but try not to waste money doing those things.
Maybe rather than meeting friends for dinner you can hunt down lunch specials or go for coffee. Instead of a big night out at the movies, rent a movie from iTunes or Amazon and pop your own popcorn to share with loved ones. If you live in a good climate, consider finding outdoor activities in free parks. Or you might want to try a no-spend weekend, week or month. The possibilities are endless.
4. Do Some Soul Searching
Take some time for you. Think back to those things that you loved as a kid, but let go of when you started your career. Is there something to that? Something viable? Also consider natural skills or talents that weren’t being put to good use at your old job. Take the time during your unemployment to really think about what you want for your future. Remember that even when you’re fired there’s likely some kind of silver lining. Then think about what you need to do today to get to where you want to go.
5. Do Your Research
Start doing market research. Does anyone want to hire people like you? What do they pay? Is there a niche that friends and family have told you needs to be filled? If you’re interested in building a small business, reach out to local entrepreneurship centers, co-working spaces and your local Small Business Administration office to learn about your options. Look for mentors and build a community of people who can guide you.