Unemployment Benefits. Jobseeker's Allowance. The Dole. Signing On. Whatever name you want to give it, the fact remains that it's a sensitive subject. A lot of people have a lot of polemic opinions on it. In fact I discussed this phenomenon about a month ago.
In that post I talked about the idea of social responsibility. This is also something I mentioned when listing the things that I would put in Room 101. I hate people who blunder through life expecting things to be done for them - to take, first you have to give.
The reason this post is take two of the 'unemployment benefits' chat is not because I am once again going to rake up and regurgitate the arguments for and against, but I'm going to look at a different kind of unemployment benefits: those that aren't related to money.
I am a MASSIVE Formula 1 fan. I LOVE it. When March arrives, ok I'm excited about Spring, but I'm SUPER-EXCITED about the start of the F1 season. I was seriously annoyed with the BBC for selling the rights for the F1 coverage to Sky: I don't mind paying for certain things in life, but television is one of those that I do get a little annoyed about. I pay the licence fee, why shouldn't I get the stuff I want - which, let me tell you, isn't Only Connect and Don't Tell the Bride.
Being the F1 fan that I am, I decided the only option was to sign up to Sky, after all they seemed to be singing from the same hymn sheet as I was - 'a whole channel dedicated to F1' - now that's what I'm talking about. The unfortunate price tag of £30.25 a month is, well, just that - unfortunate.
So right now I'm none too bothered about not having a job because I can watch Friday practice 1 and 2 on the new Sky F1 HD channel. It's pretty special. There's nothing I love more than watching FP1 & 2 and getting into the spirit of the weekend. For me it's like Christmas Eve. On odd occasions, therefore, I am quite glad I'm unemployed, and then I shake myself out of it and realise I would quite like a job and because of the wonders of Sky+ HD I can record FP1 & 2 in glorious technicolor and watch them when I get back from a hard day's work.
Is there a solution? To be honest is there actually a problem? I've got a solution already - you've just read it, but I still don't have a job. I know I may have an interview coming up and the next two weeks are going to be super-busy for me, but I'm not counting any bits of miscellaneous poultry just yet. So back to the original question... is there a solution? There is one, but it's full of what you might call pitfalls.
One of the things I long for in a job (and partly the reason I still don't have one) is that I'm looking out for something that won't feel like a chore because I'll be doing something I'm really interested in. I found that with the job that I've got the interview for, but as I say, there's no guarantee I'll get it.
So one of the criteria I have when looking for a job is things that interest me - Formula 1 is one of those things. Formula 1 is also one of the hardest industries to break into, whether it is working for the teams, the broadcasters, or the circuits. It still doesn't stop me trying and neither does it stop me failing monumentally on almost all levels.
So as the engines fire up for qualifying tomorrow I'll be watching with great enthusiasm, cheering for my favourites and wishing like mad that I was there...
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