Unemployed by Choice?

[Glava]

In my macroeconomics class, we were discussing the definition of unemployment. One who is unemployed does not have a job AND is not actively seeking one, so perhaps i'm being redundant in the economics sense, but not in the plainspeech one. I am a freshman in college, living at home, and I have chosen not to seek employment. I get a good amount of extra money from scholarships, and my parents do not demand money for bills. I don't have any personal expenses other than textbooks for school (which I use a part of my extra money for), and I want to focus on my education. I am taking 15 credit hours every semester, as mandated by one of my scholarships, and after my first semester, I have a 4.0 GPA. I want to keep it fairly close to that for the future.

I made my decision because of my experience at work. On a whim, I got a job as a cashier at Kmart for $6.25 an hour. I didn't work more than 25 hours per week, but my ability to study and do work for class suffered. To be honest, I am very bad at managing my time, so that was a part of the problem. I realized that having a job in my situation is pretty pointless, as my scholarships bring me more money, AND all I have to do is continue getting good grades (the time that I worked wasn't enough to affect my final semester grades, thankfully). I quit after a month. (Actually, I had my mother call the personnel manager to "quit me" because I am a wimp, but that's another story.)

So my question. Who else here is unemployed by choice? Whether you are in my situation, retired, living on savings, being a full-time housewife, or simply not generating expenses, I would like to hear why you are unemployed and not seeking work.

Their are 168 hours in a week. I am sure if you had the will power you could squeeze in 25 of those to labour. I would like to hear the other story (about your mother quiting a job for you)?

[ChasingAmy]

I am unemployed by choise atm. My wife and I moved away from Lethbridge, Alberta (population 80K plus I think) in December to come to Kimberley, British Columbia (population 5 k if that!). We did this to escape the "big city", Lethbridge in no way was a "bg city" but we just wanted out.

In hindsight I do kinda regret it. There are things here that we do enjoy alot more like open space, trees, mountains... all the things we were raised with in Northern British Columbia. I left my job with the Royal Bank $30k/year to come here to nothing. I thought with my experience (7 years with the bank) I wouldn't have any problem finding a job. Problem is there isnt any jobs for me to find! :P They say unemployment is the lowest ever but... IMO what good is that if there is no growth? Anyways don't need to talk about all that... back to the thread subject...

I am unemployed by choice. I was supposed to be getting some part-time casual work here @ the branch in Kimberley, but haven't been getting enough to make a difference so I have basically given up there. I have the experience that is all I am concerned about! My wife is working almost full time @ the Ski hill day care. But with the shitty weather that will be ending soon. Up until now we have been getting by. Thats all that really matters to me. But with her out of a job that leaves... nothing! I am enjoying my time off. Haven't been all that productive. Chilling out... job hunting once a week but there just isnt any employment out here. Even gone to gas stations! I guess they don't want someone with 7 years solid customer service experience etc etc... there I go again... can tell how I feel about being here? lol

I am enjoying it. But the bills will be neglected in a month or two! :P Lol.

But by your definition I am not Unemployed. I am seeking employment so that I may live. It's unfortunate that everyone is forced to have to work to live. Society eh? My wife just won't let me conivince her to go live the rest of our lives on some beach in a litte hut. I think I could do it.

Anways. Ha! Stupid post. I say too much!

Hope some of it helps.

Cheers!

[Amnesia620]

Meanwhile, back to the thread and it's topic. I've been unemployed by choice, in the past. I'm another, like yourself, who is one that is the most productive when I have one thing to concentrate on. It was just easier to not have to worry about multiple things so that I could benefit from and put the most into my main goal. This isn't a bad idea, but getting used to and learning to handle multiple tasks is great for later on in your adult life.

[amonkie]

Glava, just wanted to clarify one thing for you ( I'm an econ major and couldn't let this go unfixed

- Unemployment is the sector of the population that IS unemployed and IS actively seeking a job. If they are NOT seeking a job, they are actually removed from the labor force pool.

[snowy]

I'm unemployed by choice because I am a student. I have worked in the past but it is my last year at college and I really can't fit a job in on top of several 400-level classes. That just isn't feasible. I also want to have some free/social time with my friends. So no job for me--I get by with the cash I have/cash I've saved from summer work.

[Glava]

Originally Posted by amonkie

Glava, just wanted to clarify one thing for you ( I'm an econ major and couldn't let this go unfixed

- Unemployment is the sector of the population that IS unemployed and IS actively seeking a job. If they are NOT seeking a job, they are actually removed from the labor force pool.

You are correct, and I mentioned in the original post that I am using unemployment in its layman's definition, not the economics definition:

Originally Posted by Glava

One who is unemployed does not have a job AND is not actively seeking one, so perhaps i'm being redundant in the economics sense, but not in the plainspeech one.

[Glava]

Originally Posted by NotMVH

Their are 168 hours in a week. I am sure if you had the will power you could squeeze in 25 of those to labour. I would like to hear the other story (about your mother quiting a job for you)?

Yes, I would. But I am bad at managing my time, as I mentioned in my original post. As far as my mother quitting a job for me, that is the entire story. She simply called the personnel manager and told him that I couldn't balance 15 credits and work, at my request. Not my ideal solution, but it's alright.

[Gilda]

At some time in the foreseeable future, when we have a baby, the plan is for me to be a housewife and full time mommy. I'm off in the summers, so I get to play housewife then, also, which is nice, because I do all of the housework as it is (not complaining, I like it that way), and I get some more me time.

I love my job, and I'm happy working, but I think I'd be a bit happier having someone support me while I cared for the household. Unemployed by choice will be nice when we finally have a baby.

[Rodney]

As a student, I was "unemployed by choice" during my last two academic years (worked summers), in part because I was working on the student newspaper for 15-20 hours a week. I wasn't earning money, but I _was_ making myself more employable upon graduation. It was a decision.

In my life, I've been unemployed by choice for six-month periods several times, as there came gaps in my career when I could take extended time off without repercussions, and I had both the financial pad and a fairly strong expectation that I could get more work when i needed it.

Got laid off in 2002 and, by choice, spent a couple of years finding and getting trained in a new profession -- my wife makes a decent income, and was on board with it. I'm only working part-time now in my new profession but am endeavoring to find better employment.

So I have no problem with employment by choice as long as it's a strategic choice made within the framework of a responsible life plan. Those six-month breaks kept me working in my original field of endeavor long past the point where I'd have otherwise burnt out.

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Glava

You are correct, and I mentioned in the original post that I am using unemployment in its layman's definition, not the economics definition:

You just worded it really terribly. I read it the same way she did.

I was unemployed by choice for a while, but I was becoming annoyed at having to budget my food and entertainment so harshly, so I gave in and got another low-intensity part time job (low intensity in hours. The job itself is actually relatively intense).

[la petite moi]

Originally Posted by amonkie

Glava, just wanted to clarify one thing for you ( I'm an econ major and couldn't let this go unfixed

- Unemployment is the sector of the population that IS unemployed and IS actively seeking a job. If they are NOT seeking a job, they are actually removed from the labor force pool.

Yeah, was just about to correct him on that. (Is in Econ 2, too.)

Anyway, I'm not unemployed, though I get really lame hours- around 8 hours or so a week. I do this not because I don't have enough time, but because I'm lazy. Personally, I think you'd be just fine working 25 hours; I don't know why you wouldn't be. I've worked a 38 hours work week once with 13.5 units. Sure, it was hell, but if you buckle down, you can do it, and have extra money for savings. In my opinion, I think you just couldn't stand it because its lame to work at Kmart.

[lindseylatch]

I'm a student, and I'm unemployed by choice. I'm one of the lucky ones: my parents pay for the majority of my bills (food, gas, rent, tuition).
Eventually, I'd like to get a job from home, like running a dog kennel, or training. That would allow me to set my own hours. If I had kids, I could spend the time they were at school working, and then spend the afternoons/evenings with them and my (theoretical) husband.
Although, sometimes I'm not so good at motivating myself, so maybe I should get a good 9 to 5.

[Spritebox]

I'm unemployed by choice because I hate all forms of unskilled labor. I've tried being a fast food employee; tried washing dishes; even tried loading trucks. I couldn't stand it because I always thought to myself, "a trained monkey could do my job".

Besides that, I hated having to do anything besides school. Not my bag.

[lindseylatch]

Originally Posted by Spritebox

I'm unemployed by choice because I hate all forms of unskilled labor. I've tried being a fast food employee; tried washing dishes; even tried loading trucks. I couldn't stand it because I always thought to myself, "a trained monkey could do my job".

Besides that, I hated having to do anything besides school. Not my bag.

So, you'll be a professional student all your life?

[Spritebox]

That would be the dream. By student I don't mean sitting in a classroom, but learning from life experience. I want to travel the world and learn everything I can from other cultures. I really love french culture, but I also want to go to Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon. I'm infatuated with arabic culture and everything close to it. Especially the music.

[mokle]

After I dropped out of college, I worked in the oil patch for 1.5 years.

I just quit that job 2 weeks ago and moved back to B.C.

I don't have a job here, and I'm not looking for one. I plan on living off my savings for the rest of the year, and then fly down to Australia for the winter.

[la petite moi]

Originally Posted by Spritebox

That would be the dream. By student I don't mean sitting in a classroom, but learning from life experience. I want to travel the world and learn everything I can from other cultures. I really love french culture, but I also want to go to Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, and Lebanon. I'm infatuated with arabic culture and everything close to it. Especially the music.

Not to be rude, but I'm curious as to how you will travel without having some kind of income...

[abaya]

Y'all need to go to graduate school. Getting paid (+ tuition waiver) to study full-time and teach literally a few hours a week is where it's at.

... at least, that's what I thought when I first got here! Now I'm craving the structure/stability of a real job, though. Still, I'm grateful for my relative flexibility, free time, and paid trips abroad to do research, so will give it another year, at least. Don't want to let a good thing go to waste before its time.

[irseg]

Originally Posted by Glava

As far as my mother quitting a job for me, that is the entire story. She simply called the personnel manager and told him that I couldn't balance 15 credits and work, at my request. Not my ideal solution, but it's alright.

Your mom was not doing you any kind of favor by quitting your job for you. That's really rather unhealthy. Life is full of uncomfortable situations, confrontations, etc., and she should have made you learn how to handle that one on your own.

Anyway, personally I've never been voluntarily unemployed. I've always enjoyed work far more than school, for the simple reason that at work I actually accomplish meaningful things, I have responsibilities, and get paid for my efforts.

Compare that to college where I'd just write the same meaningless BS paper that everyone else in my class was doing, whether or not I showed up had absolutely no affect on the school, and I had to pay to have my time wasted when I could be doing something productive instead.

I got my first job when I was 13. My parents reluctantly let me do it, but on the condition that if my grades fell, the job had to go. My grades actually went up, because dammit I didn't want to have to quit that job!

[MH73]

I have to work... Not only is it an economic necessity for me, but if I don't, I tend o get stir crazy and WAY too relaxed...

Get me to that point and I have trouble motivating myself to take out the trash, much less work a 40 hour week...

I say work if ya can, even with the load. Right now I have 2 jobs, go to school full-time and support a family... Don't ask me how I get it all done, all I can tell you is that you would be amazed at the abilities a person has when they put their mind to it.

And I can honestly say... I am NEVER bored!

[meembo]

I was a full time stay-at-home dad for about 11 years, and then I went back to work.

I worked through January, and then I left my job. I didn't plan it at all, but I had a little cash, so I've taken two months off and spent much more time with my kids again, especially in the afternoons. I haven't done anything strictly for myself, and now I feel I want to go back to work again, but I might wait until school is out (and the kids go to camp, gandma's house, etc.).