Are you, or have you ever been a NEET?

[Sunstone]

Not in
Education,
Employment, or
Training.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEET

I'll try to keep this short.

So ever since around late June, I have spent almost all of my time sitting around at home and...not doing a whole lot really.  Provided I have been job-hunting and have applied for a lot of jobs, I have had no luck, sadly. I have been living as a NEET for about two-and-a-half months now, and counting. While this isn't the longest amount of time I have been NEET, two-and-a-half months has been quite some time to be doing this. This lifestyle certainly has it's ups and downs, but I know I can't live like this forever. Seemingly having all of the free time in the world probably sounds like luxury to some, and while yes, it can be luxurious... it does start to get incredibly boring after a few weeks. I personally sometimes feel really embarrassed and annoyed at myself for ending up in this situation, in fact a lot of the time it feels like I am one of only a few people in my age group who live as a NEET, even though I know for sure there are plenty of other people out there who are in the exact same boat as me. It's kind of hard to describe...

I really want to find Employment, or maybe even go back to college to resume Education, but I worry the longer I remain a NEET the worse things are going to get.

So my question to all of you is: Are you, or have you ever been a NEET? If yes, what was it like? What did you do to pass the time? How did you get out of being NEET? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[Eros Angel]

There are several points in my life where I have been a Neet and I actually found it quite enjoyable. Once I got over the feeling of being kinda a loser because, you know, we live in a society where it tells you you always have to justify your existence by being productive in the business sense, I had a great time.

I read a large number of amazing books, spent months creating interesting projects, and took long naps out in the sunshine in the middle of the day. It was sweet.

As far as getting out of being a NEET I am blessed with having my own independent money which I manage well so I honestly didn't even need a job, though I got some anyway doing various things I found interesting before becoming a stay at home parent.

Now days I work from home but honestly not that much or that hard and am enjoying my semi-Neet lifestyle. It's very  neat!

I guess from an advice standpoint I would say if you find yourself in a NEET situation and are embarrassed and can't get out of it there are a couple of perspective things you can consider.

I think the embarrassment and pressures of such a situation, beyond the need for money, are mostly based on expectations and judgements, both yours and others. Like I intimated above our society is a very ambitious one and folks are judged mostly on wealth and achievement and being between jobs or training can produce a lot of stress in this regard. It can make you feel like you've failed or are stuck standing still.

Self improvement though doesn't stop at a job or training, you can spend your free time studying subjects that interest you, exercising, learning new skills, etc Rare knowledge can be quite an asset at surprising times and can round out your skill set and make you more attractive to certain employers.

Or you can tell the world to stuff their dumb opinions and go the Buddhist monk route, getting in touch with the world around you and yourself through mindfulness practice and really living your life awake and way less stressed out.

There are a whole lot of interesting things to do with your free time if you think of your time as a NEET as a blessing instead of a curse.

Finally if you're in a situation were you lose your job or finish school and have no prospects, etc. It can be good to realize that this isn't your whole life, even if it lasts awhile. It's just a moment in time and things will change for good or ill sooner then you might imagine. Enjoy being alive as best you can.

[Sunstone]

I forgot about this thread. o.o But I was happy to see that it eventually got a reply. Thank you, @GM Angel.

It's been over a year since I created this thread, and things have changed in my life since then - I've spent the whole of 2019 in college (I'm graduating in less than two weeks), though I will be returning to the NEET lifestyle from December onward into 2020 while I focus on job-hunting. ...I personally hope my next stint being a NEET won't last for too long...

Quote

There are several points in my life where I have been a Neet and I actually found it quite enjoyable. Once I got over the feeling of being kinda a loser because, you know, we live in a society where it tells you you always have to justify your existence by being productive in the business sense, I had a great time.

I read a large number of amazing books, spent months creating interesting projects, and took long naps out in the sunshine in the middle of the day. It was sweet.

I can definitely relate to this. The way I've usually felt about it is that in the first month-or-so of being a NEET it's really enjoyable - few responsibilities, endless free time to play games and read books and stuff, but then in the months that follow it really starts to wear on you and you feel more and more hopeless about your situation and feel like a burden to everyone around you and society in general.

Honestly, I don't think I would feel as bad about being a NEET if it weren't for the fact that a lot of pressure and guilt is put onto me by others who have high expectations of me (mostly from family, sometimes from friends as well). I know they only want the best for me... but the constant nagging and complaining about me being unemployed makes me feel worse rather than being motivated to make a change. It doesn't help.

The NEET life certainly has its ups and downs. I'm glad to hear that you were able to make something good out of your time as a NEET. I try to do the same - asides from job-hunting I like to catch up on my backlog of games, go for walks and explore shops and whatnot, visit the library, work on personal projects and skills (practice learning a new language, design graphs and charts, write stories and an autobiography which is taking an eternity to complete xD). It's good to keep active during time as a NEET.

Quote

Now days I work from home but honestly not that much or that hard and am enjoying my semi-Neet lifestyle. It's very  neat!

This is something that I have considered as well, but have never quite been able to establish how I would go about it. It's like I'm lost in the middle of a traffic intersection and each road leads down a different pathway, and I can't decide which pathway, if any, I should go down. I've mainly thought of self-employment via:

* Being an author / publishing books.
* Making my own music (I do own a synth I play sometimes).
* Getting into livestreaming and/or "professional gaming" (maybe even Speedrunning/E-Sports - there's lots of tournaments for that kind of thing).
* Focusing more on graphic design and animation (which I have a history with and am passionate about) and working from home doing that.

There's probably more, but, I feel that this reply is getting quite long so I won't ramble on with that.

As for the advice, I greatly appreciate that and I agree with the points you made. I intend on practising and taking those points into consideration when I resume being a NEET starting next month, the self-improvement and staying active is really going to help me, I think. I guess it mostly boils down to staying strong and not giving up... maybe focusing on the positives will help a lot too - I think I might put my energy towards that as well.

And yes, I have even considered the mindfulness and meditation stuff as something I could indulge in long-term. Who knows, I might even give it a try. xP 

 

[Kuramitsuha]

It has been a month since the last post buuuut...Eh, I think its not dead yet, heh.

I graduated highschool in 2017, and since then...Well...I've been a NEET heheh...heeeeehh. During the final year of highschool I wasn't really much invested into my studies, since our last year here in my country is dedicated to review the past years and focus on entrance exams (And to be honest, I was doing pretty well without exhausting me. The 3rd year here is incredibly stressful and harmful to some people. So much pressure and expectation is put, that the smartest kids screw up easily all thanks to being EXTREMELY nervous). So I was chill and all. Here in Brazil we have a pretty big public exam (The word 'vestibular' exists out there?) and that year he got some pretty big changes and a ton of people suffered into their scoring aaand that includes who? MEEEE Yaaaay! 

Jokes aside, I didn't make to a good university and chose to wait another year and try to History one more time. So 2018 I was just chilling home, getting a "rest year" like other ronins (Graduated people trying to get to college by themselves) did. This was a very awesome year that I used to develop my creativity and some other talents. I like to draw, write and study myths. It was during this year I made my mind up and decided that my work for life would be: A Writer. Since childhood I loved to create stories and I would express them via Tabletop RPG (Something I played a lot during my neet times). I applied to the Entrance Exam (It occurs in november) and booooom in January my results were good, and I could go to College! 

The first semester was very cool and stuff, going to college and trying to write my novel during freetime. But things would soon get expensive, and cutting details, It was very improbable I could get a work. College would soon become a source of stress and family problems, so I dropped it! But I will return in 2020. 

Its almost there again. But fantastic changes ocurred to me. I became even more secure of my choice to become an author and I'm working on my first decisive novel (Already wrote one in the past) for almost two months. I became friends with someone pretty awesome that helped me get out of a near depression and things are proceeding.

So basically...I'm a NEET for almost three years. One could say that I'm working with the book, or training my writing or that some of my studies in Mythology would consider "education". But here in Tupiniquim Lands...Its not viewed this way asuidhiausd

I do searched for a variety of jobs, but you knoooow the country is in the middle of an crisis heheh.

I don't really think that not being officially in any type of activity is all bad. That was a time I used to grew up as an person, read, deepen my knowledge on matters I care about and like. Just satting idly is somewhat negative so...I think being a Long-Time or Semi-NEET is all about learning how to deal with your own endless freetime. I'm always on the creative side so my completely biased advice is:

Quote

* Being an author / publishing books.
* Making my own music (I do own a synth I play sometimes).
* Getting into livestreaming and/or "professional gaming" (maybe even Speedrunning/E-Sports - there's lots of tournaments for that kind of thing).
* Focusing more on graphic design and animation (which I have a history with and am passionate about) and working from home doing that.

THIS! 

Heheh. This worlds deserves and will always need some new artists, won't it? 

Yep...I didn't help much auishduiasd But don't know, sharing a story always looks nice. 

[Sunstone]

19 hours ago, Kuramitsuha said:

It has been a month since the last post buuuut...Eh, I think its not dead yet, heh.

That's totally fine! Anyone's welcome to post in this thread at any time. I appreciate your contribution to this thread.

19 hours ago, Kuramitsuha said:

I graduated highschool in 2017, and since then...Well...I've been a NEET heheh...heeeeehh. During the final year of highschool I wasn't really much invested into my studies, since our last year here in my country is dedicated to review the past years and focus on entrance exams (And to be honest, I was doing pretty well without exhausting me. The 3rd year here is incredibly stressful and harmful to some people. So much pressure and expectation is put, that the smartest kids screw up easily all thanks to being EXTREMELY nervous). So I was chill and all. Here in Brazil we have a pretty big public exam (The word 'vestibular' exists out there?) and that year he got some pretty big changes and a ton of people suffered into their scoring aaand that includes who? MEEEE Yaaaay! 

Jokes aside, I didn't make to a good university and chose to wait another year and try to History one more time. So 2018 I was just chilling home, getting a "rest year" like other ronins (Graduated people trying to get to college by themselves) did. This was a very awesome year that I used to develop my creativity and some other talents. I like to draw, write and study myths. It was during this year I made my mind up and decided that my work for life would be: A Writer. Since childhood I loved to create stories and I would express them via Tabletop RPG (Something I played a lot during my neet times). I applied to the Entrance Exam (It occurs in november) and booooom in January my results were good, and I could go to College! 

Yeah, I understand that the end of high school can put some students off from staying motivated and getting stuff done. I can definitely relate - especially with my final year of high school, at that point I didn't care about the work and just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could... and I did. A little earlier than most students in fact.

I had my "Gap Year" in 2016 ~and~ 2017 (that sounds like inverse bragging >.>). I definitely had plenty of time to think about stuff and come up with ideas on how I can maintain productivity through creative writing, studying, etc. I think a lot of NEETs experience that. The desire to learn is natural in most if not all people, regardless of any limitations, real or perceived, that might be barring them from accessing learning resources.

19 hours ago, Kuramitsuha said:

I think being a Long-Time or Semi-NEET is all about learning how to deal with your own endless freetime.

That's a really good way to put it~! I really like how you've put that.  Being a NEET is not always doom 'n' gloom. It definitely allows for plenty of opportunity to learn and (try to) manage the situation, and I see that you did this both via teaching yourself some skills and focusing on hobbies (like your novel writing), as well as enrolling into college (although I am sorry to hear that college didn't work out for you. I hope you'll succeed with college in 2020).

19 hours ago, Kuramitsuha said:

Yep...I didn't help much auishduiasd But don't know, sharing a story always looks nice. 

 You did help.  I got a few ideas while I was replying to your message on stuff I could do with storywriting and whatnot. Thank you.

And... I think that's about everything I can think of in my reply to your post, @Kuramitsuha! Again, thank you for making your post! Good luck with your future endeavours!

[Whoreo]

Yes but only for at most.....a month. and that was a difficult transition from my previous job to the one that I am in now. I can't actually stand being unemployed. I just sit around at home doing fuck all and it gets me antsy.

[AromaticPee Deactivated]

Yes, but only for a few months at a time: one period in the summer, one period in the winter. The last two always apply, but education is something that keeps coming back to pull me in.