What did I do while unemployed?
Two years ago, I was earning 12,500 yuan a month. I was laid off in December 2024, right at age 35. After 2025 began, I got by on 2,090 yuan a month in unemployment benefits for a year and eight months.
Here's what I did during my year and eight months of unemployment:
1. April 2025: Sold my Toyota RAV4 for 78,000 yuan.
2. Spent 300,000 yuan renovating my new home.
3. August 2025: With no car, getting around was inconvenient, so I spent 10,000 yuan on a Suzuki UY125 motorcycle.
4. September 2025: With a motorcycle and nothing to do while unemployed, I worked part-time delivering food for Meituan for four months and earned 6,000 yuan, but all of it went toward the renovation of my new home.
5. December 2025: The renovation of my new home was finished, and I'd bought all the essential furniture and appliances. All that was left was for my wife to pick up a few odds and ends.
6. Early 2026: With the main things at home taken care of, I needed to figure out how to find a new job. I could keep sending out resumes for software development jobs or switch careers. But at 37, with only a high school education, and with the AI revolution underway, I knew I no longer had any chance of competing in IT. So I decided to switch careers...
#unemployment