About a week before Christmas, I was laid off for the first time in my career and was given two weeks severance. I worked for the company for six years and survived four rounds of layoffs, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise when it happened. The real surprise was how unprepared I felt for being unemployed. They don’t teach you about this in school and you’re pretty much left on your own to figure it out. Here are some things I wish I’d known and things I learned in the first six months of unemployment.

Unemployment Benefits #

Prior to being laid off, I had never used unemployment benefits. I’d always had a new job lined up and never went more than two weeks between jobs. This was a new experience for me, so I had to learn about California’s Employment Development Department (EDD). They have a bunch of resources besides signing up for unemployment, but like any government site, it’s in dire need of an overhaul.

You’ll need to gather a bunch of information, like your pay stubs, to register. Getting all this started early is important because the registration process takes a while. The weekly payout ranges from $40 to $450* depending on your previous salary. Either way, you’ll want to opt into withholding taxes or face a large bill at tax time. You’ll need to keep records of your job search to certify for unemployment every two weeks. Online certification and setting up direct deposit make this a less tedious task. No, this paycheck doesn’t last forever — you get six months.

• Fun fact: The $450 weekly cap has existed since 2005 and the cost of living in California has increased by more than 70%.

Budget #

Now that you know how much monthly support you’re getting from unemployment, compare that to your monthly bills. Unemployment probably doesn’t cover your bills and you will need to supplement that with the emergency fund I hope you’ve built. It also helps to audit the monthly and yearly subscriptions you have and cancel what you don’t need. I was able to remove a couple of monthly subscriptions and a yearly membership to save $150 per month. It also helps to cut back on dining out and ordering food delivery.

Level Up #

Now that you have more free time, look into taking a class to level up. This also loops back into unemployment benefits. If you’re in California, you can apply for California Training Benefits which gives you an extension past the six-month cutoff. I wish I had taken advantage of this, but you must register within the first 16 weeks of benefits and I thought I’d have a new job by then.

I did, however, take courses through boot.dev and found it a great way to refresh things I’d learned and to learn new skills. I also kept reading articles and newsletters, and watching YouTube tutorials to keep up on the latest technology.

Taskmaster #

You can only take in so much training, so I also made a running checklist of things I needed to get done. Some were things I had neglected while I had a job and others were things that came up over time. It’s not fancy — just an Apple Note called “Joe’s Funemployment To-Do” with an unordered checklist. Some days I started by checking the list to see what I could accomplish. In the first six months of unemployment, I was able to complete 70 tasks of varying levels of time commitment.

Routine #

Before the layoff, I would get up early to work out and that routine continued into unemployment. Having something outside of your work schedule helps with the transition. I was also able to take my time because I didn’t have to rush back to work. You also start getting into a groove with taking a class and completing things on your to-do list.

Networking #

Supporting your old coworkers is important. Your network will help you land the next gig or at least generate leads. You also need to have a public presence in your industry. This includes things like a public GitHub profile, blog, and portfolio. Being active on public Slack groups and meetups also helps. Don’t wait until you need a job to start working on these things. Building relationships now will be way more productive in the future. I’ve had several people reach out to me on Slack groups with job opportunities — some I decided were not a good fit, and others where the hiring team decided it wasn’t a good fit. I appreciate every lead I get, even if it doesn’t work out. The right opportunity will present itself and it’s important to make sure that you don’t rush into anything.

Wrap Up #

Honestly, being worried about getting laid off was scarier than those six months. I’ve been able to focus on my family, health, and career. It’s been a reset I’ve needed for a while. I wish others could experience it without the fear of worrying about money or healthcare.