title says it all … your thoughts, your 2ct …thanks
All contextual, and how long for.
I have certain views on social security and welfare… probably too long to type out though 
In saying that, I just recently quit my last contract, and am now back to being self-employed… working on the OSE full time to pay the bills, lol.
I’ve just lost a job of mine last week…an important one…But:
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” [A.Einstein]
I don’t like to be pretentious…but it’s up to us…(re)starting from a shitty job can always develop in something better.
As a good friend says: “keep your chin up!” , is it right avantronica? =)
1 Like
All cool, use the last of our money at aldi and buy cheap shit load of food and wine
Dumpster dive ?
Hole up in you house/apart and Make some fine music
Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Do cash in hands job to pay rent and avoid selling elektron gear
Swim at the beach/ski , meditate, be a hardened anti consumer
All the best, live it up
1 Like
I just stumbled upon this the other day.
(myself self-employed, developing my own stuff)
Reflection of a true humanitarian crisis is expecting our politicians to survive solely on £60,000pa
Apologies in advance if none of this is remotely helpful.
Hardest part for me was maintaining self esteem. It can be hard to keep your chin up and not take things personally when you’re constantly getting knocked back. Despite systemic changes to the labour market here in Australia (eg shutting down manufacturing, sending jobs offshore, and rorting of the skilled worker visa system) and a shortage of available jobs, there’s plenty of people out there that love nothing more than to kick people when they’re down - politicians & media outlets included.
Given that long term unemployment runs the risk of changing one’s personality, perhaps the best thing to do would to use any extra free time to actively pursue a program of self improvement.
Give yourself a project that you can treat as a job - and stick to it. If you usually write songs that are independent from each other, planning and implementing a coherent concept album is a great idea. (I called mine “Ragnarok: The Musical”).
It’s important to not wear pyjamas all day. Maintain personal grooming standards.
If you’re not already exercising on a regular basis and don’t suffer from some sort of debilitating condition, then start. If you already exercise, then train harder. Endorphins are awesome! And they’re free.
Work on your budget skills - the more detailed you can get it when it comes to planning for future expenses, the better. Spreadsheets are your friend.
Shop monthly for groceries instead of weekly if you can - less trips to the supermarket can mean less impulsive purchases. Supermarkets are generally set out in a specific way to encourage those kinds of purchases.
Farmers markets usually offer cheaper & better quality food than the supermarkets - there’s less chance of having distribution costs worked into the price, and seasonal food is healthier anyway.
Learn to bake bread.
Last but not least, don’t become isolated.
All the best…
3 Likes
Could you be more specific/clearer/descriptive? I’m struggling to ascertain your views here! 
My wife and I are in education, I’m a 5th grade teacher and my wife is a school psychologist, and I always feel like we’re just barely keeping our head above water. I also work on Sundays doing valet…We both got into education not necessarily planning on having a family right away, and lo and behold, she got pregnant 3 months after meeting her (we married 2 days prior in secrecy). Food stamps saved us so much and made that first year a hell of a lot easier on us.
Our son is now almost 2 years old, and he’s seriously the best thing that has ever happened us. Anyhoo, we’re preparing on having a second child and our big dilemma is if one of us should get out of education so that we can actually make some decent money. All of the holidays is an awesome perk, especially with a family, but it makes it almost impossible to save money.
Any suggestions on a fairly easy job to get into that makes $60K+ starting? I have a bachelors in history and masters in elementary ed. My wife has a bachelors in psychology and specialist/masters in school psychology. Thoughts/suggestions?
Sell the children. You can make more.
true.
.
all too easy to say but difficult to do, toddlers will lift the heaviest chin tho
.
as baddcr point out, the society in the uk is fucked (legacy of historical and continued inequalities and prioritisation of the wrong values)
but the OP isn’t interested in the bs here i guess
.
solution (naive?) = scandinavian model (less the monarchies)
2 Likes
Sell the children. You can make more.[/quote]
Our first is pretty cute, we could at the very least put him into the modeling biz and retire young. Maybe we’ll do that, thanks!
If you know your way around a computer then studying for an MCSE is pretty straightforward - just learn to use Microsoft SQL server using online documentation, pass 5 exams at $150ish each and then you have a licence to print cash.
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Microsoft_Certified_Systems_Engineer_(MCSE)/Salary
Not the most rock’n’roll job but the average salary is approx £35k p/a and if you cram it all in you could probably get through all 5 exams within a year.
https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-gb/mcse-sql-data-platform.aspx
If you know your way around a computer then studying for an MCSE is pretty straightforward - just learn your way around Microsoft SQL server usingf online documentation pass 5 exams at $150ish each and then you have a licence to print cash pretty much.
Not the most rock’n’roll job but the average salary is approx £35k p/a and if you cram it all in you could probably get through all 5 exams within a year.
https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-gb/mcse-sql-data-platform.aspx
[/quote]
Is that £35k a year? What does the p/a stand for?
I’m pretty good with a computer, I’m just not terribly good at math.
I got laid off at the end of January from a job I hated due to corporate restructuring (they eliminated the position they had just promoted me to a few months prior). I probably should have panicked, but I didn’t. If I’d needed to, I was eligible to collect unemployment (at least in the US/my state, you can only collect unemployment based on certain conditions), but as luck would have it I started a new, much better job the same week I would have been first eligible to file for unemployment. I’d have had no qualms about collecting it if it had been necessary-I paid my bit into the system.
At least for myself, I need to keep working if I’m going to be creating-if I don’t feel comfortable that I can cover my living costs, it is hard to feel motivated in the studio.
Sell the children. You can make more.[/quote]
Our first is pretty cute, we could at the very least put him into the modeling biz and retire young. Maybe we’ll do that, thanks![/quote]
I am impressed how you managed to "kill the troll with charme ! … respect for this comment zfigz! …
I ( the OP ) … will give this thread another day or two … thanks all for comments so far!
As for welfare, I see no problem with it whatsoever. It saved my family and I when it came to making ends meet. My friend had unemployment for over a year and he grew tremendously during that year (he traveled around the US).
If you have the opportunity to get some government help, I say go for it. It’ll give you the cushion to make your next move in the game of life.
2 Likes