Funemployment? Sure thing, Jan.

A little more blue in these skies wouldn’t hurt, but not the artificial kind.

Part 12 in this series.

Somewhere in the middle of August, I stumbled on a TikTok video of a woman also looking for work. I expected a set of tips on using AI to make applying easier or things to avoid putting on a resume.

Social media content about job searching is an industry in and of itself after all.

Instead, she was exhorting people to see their time between jobs as “funemployment.”

“Rest,” she said. “Don’t feel guilty about visiting a friend in the middle of the day or reading a book at a coffee shop. There’s no rule that says you are only allowed to look for jobs when you don’t have one. You might just enjoy yourself. And when will you have this opportunity again?”

The next morning, I filed for unemployment benefits. Another first in my professional life.

We have a house to feed. Two of my children were looking for work of their own and the third was starting high school. Our bills are only climbing like everyone else’s. Unfortunately, I can’t impose ridiculous tariffs on people in my life to offset my lost salary.

So, yeah, I’m not experiencing funemployment. Most of us aren’t. We’re tired and worried and stuck in a loop of applications and ghosting and interviews that go nowhere.

I do have pastimes. I write and submit. I play in a band, and we rehearse once a week. I watch my son’s soccer matches (after paying his league fees on a credit card out of necessity). I’ve gotten pretty good at Fortnite via late evening sessions.

But all of it carries guilt. You should be looking for work, the voice in my head murmurs.

Grind culture is bad and its everywhere, but it’s survival in unemployment.