Unemployment Tips for Your Involuntary Hiatus

By Erica Coco

Unemployment can be stressful; without the structure of deadlines and meetings, it’s easy to become apathetic. Yet, many opportunities for stimulation and enrichment do exist; in fact, this may be the perfect time to update your skills, volunteer for worthy causes, and network with other members of your profession.

Return to School Via the TUI Program

Setting goals for yourself can help keep your energy high and your mind sharp. As such, this may be the perfect time to return to school. If you have been laid off or have been the victim of a plant shutdown and are collecting unemployment insurance, you may qualify for the Training while on Unemployment Insurance (TUI) program through the State of Oregon. As a recipient of TUI, you can collect unemployment benefits while attending school. To qualify, you must enroll at an accredited institution and take at least twelve credit hours’ worth of classes. The program was originally designed to cater to workers seeking specific job training, such as auto repair or bookkeeping. For whatever reason, the TUI program has not been well utilized despite Oregon’s high unemployment rate. Consequently, the parameters of this program have been expanded; individuals enrolled in a variety of classes aimed at improving their job skills may be approved for TUI. For example, a person enrolled in computer classes, technical communication, or business classes may qualify for TUI due to the practical nature of their coursework.

To see if you qualify for TUI, go to the Oregon Employment Department and talk to an employment specialist.

The employees at the larger branch locations tend to be rather busy, and may not have time to process your request. As such, I recommend going to the Employment Department’s small branch office at 18624 NW Walker Road, in Beaverton, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. The office is located right off of 185th Avenue, in the Capital Center. There, a displaced worker/business and employment specialist will help you. As an added benefit, at this particular office they place a much greater emphasis on helping qualified people receive training. You’ll be required to complete some paperwork, which will ultimately be forwarded to the State of Oregon’s Salem headquarters for final approval. At all stages of this process, the representatives at this branch office will help you on your way.

Choose a School, Choose Your Classes

Many local colleges offer worthwhile courses. However, you may be on a very tight budget and therefore limited in your choice of schools. In that case, your local community college may offer the best value for the money, despite recent budget cuts. For example, Portland Community College (PCC) offers a variety of online classes to fit your busy schedule, along with daytime and evening classes. Moreover, PCC works with the State of Oregon’s Displaced Worker Program—by signing up at PCC, you may increase the likelihood of being approved for TUI.Even if you already have your degree, you can update your computer skills at PCC, without registering as a student in any particular program. Most of the following computer courses are offered all year long:

• Web Design: Microsoft® FrontPage or Macromedia DreamWeaver
• Spreadsheet applications: Beginning through Advanced Microsoft® Excel
• Database applications: Beginning through Advanced Microsoft® Access
• Word Processing: Learn to use Microsoft® Word’s Advanced functions
• Desktop Publishing and Graphics: Adobe Illustrator®, QuarkXpressTM, Microsoft® PowerPoint.

Volunteer

After the first few weeks of unemployment, you may start looking around for an activity more stimulating than cleaning the house and re-arranging your knick-knacks. Maybe you’ve been meaning to volunteer your services, but were always too busy. Now’s the time! At your local STC chapter, you can always apply your skills to long-term or short-term projects. Moreover, the editors at your local chapter’s newsletter are always on the lookout for new writers. Volunteering at STC provides:

• New skills, or refreshes your old skills
• A sense of accomplishment and a feeling of camaraderie with other technical communicators
• Connections with fellow members that may lead to future employment opportunities

There are other valuable professional and volunteer organizations at which you can volunteer your time. Perhaps you’ve always had a special interest in a local charitable organization such as the Humane Society or The Red Cross; many non-profits use volunteer writers and editors for their publications, and would appreciate your time and interest. You often hear of individuals who got their “foot in the door” via internships and volunteer work. When a job does come open, they are often the first people to be interviewed.

Unemployment, while stressful, doesn’t have to be an unproductive time. There are many opportunities available for self-enrichment. Moreover, taking classes and volunteering your services may ultimately give you the “edge” you need to embrace a good job opportunity when it does come along.

Erica Coco is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Communications. She is currently a student in the Technical Writing Certificate program at Portland Community College, and has recently become a member of STC. You can contact her at scorpiogirl1171@yahoo.com.