In between jobs the first time (part 1)

With January 2012 starting, I was able to enjoy a few days off of work. One of the first things on my to do list was to file a claim at the unemployment office. Since I was laid off due to a lack of work, I was eligible for the benefit. The hardest part of the process was just waiting for the claim to be processed and getting the money in my account. It must have taken over five weeks but the workers at the office said that was normal to expect. They told us to keep doing job searches and keep submitting for the benefit. I was quite surprised at what I could qualify for. Even after electing to have taxes withheld from the benefit, I remember collecting over $200 a week. Since my monthly expenses were only $550, I was still able to save a few hundred dollars at the end of the month. It really took a lot of pressure off. The benefit would last for 12 weeks and I would have a good amount of time to find work.

It was a better situation for me. I had $22000 saved up, more work experience, and a better plan. While looking for work, I had the idea of getting my life insurance licenses in order to start selling policies. My previous boss had an insurance company and he would pay for his employees to take the exam for property and casualty and start working under him. Faye encouraged me to join her financial organization to sell life insurance and told me that the cost of the exam was only $150. Both classes could be completed in a very quick amount of time. Classes for life insurance lasted one week and classes for property and casualty lasted one week as well. More importantly, if neither of these job opportunities worked out, I would still have the licenses and could probably find work at a different insurance company or related business.

Initially, I reached out to Faye to cancel my life insurance policy. Without a steady job, I didn’t feel like I could afford the benefits later on in life. Eventually, she convinced me to join her organization. I wasn’t thrilled about it but I saw it as an easy way to get the insurance license. I had the classes scheduled for February, but I started attending the meetings to see if it was possible to make any money sooner.