How I Survived a Stretch of Unemployment

Unemployment is something I never had to think about, until the final months of my senior year in college. It was obvious at that point that the unemployment numbers repeatedly being broadcast in the news were for real. During the recruitment period of my senior years, very few big corporations sent their staffers out. Most of the companies there were unknown, and some even tried to take advantage of the unemployment situation. One of those "insurance companies" that promised quick riches, only after you paid them to hire you and provide training, had the nerve to come out and try to recruit us! It was then I realized unemployment was a possibility in my near future, and started making plans to deal with it.

I've always been smart when it comes to personal finance, and I already had a small nest egg I've been working on since high school. Being an Economist, I decided to take advantage of irrational behavior by the stock market in an attempt to make some money. During the BP oil crisis, many investors lost confidence and started selling of their shares of BP. The results were a dramatic drop in share prices. I did some analysis, and from what I saw, I was very confident BP stock would return to its' original value in the long run. I invested my entire life savings in BP, and bought all the shares I could at $35.44.

I also started working as a freelance writer, to bring in some extra cash. It also didn't hurt, since instead of telling people I was unemployed, I could just say I'm was writer! I started making a few bucks here and there, but more importantly, it reminded me of just how much I enjoyed writing. If I had never had to deal with unemployment, I probably would have never decided to become a writer. Between the extra cash I raised from writing and scaling back my bills; to only include things I really needed, I was able to come out on top of my monthly bills.

A year after my initial investment; I had made approximately 35% return on my initial BP investment, and the stock is now trading at $49.23. My earnings were enough to pay my bills for approximately a year, which allows me to dedicate myself to writing and investing. Strange as it seems, but unemployment actually turned out pretty good for me. It forced me to figure out how to earn a living on my own. Now less than a year after my graduation, I no longer spend my entire day filling out job applications, and when I say I'm a writer it's no longer code.