“Your mates are out there, doing something meaningful with their lives“..mom yelled at me.I was in the sitting room watching Game of Thrones series at 7 am in the morning.
“Do they have two heads?”
“Why can’t you start something? Anything. Apply For a teaching Job”
These are scenarios a lot of graduates face while waiting for the “perfect job”. {I made a previous about the types of pressures unemployed graduates face
You can’t blame your parents. After putting you through school. Imagine the fees and other expenses, just like any human, they expect a great return on their investment. In fact, they want it to yield greater interest.
And imagine when you are unemployed for over 3 months. They can’t stand it. Truth be told, you’ll be like a football player bought from another club but can’t score goals.
It might be our fault, or not. But the bottom line is you are unemployed.
Truth is that pressure might make you depressed, some take irresponsible decisions, some even commit suicide, some rush into marriage and others yield to peer pressure.
It can either make or break you but you have control over it.
Here are tips to help you ease the pressure from your parents
1. Restore or Build their faith in you
You must earn your parents trust, It is important. Try as much as possible to make them understand your plight. You must also Be open and productive. You must remain idle or stay at home all day long. Go out there, discover new opportunities. When they see all these, they will ease their pressure and give you all the necessary support you need to excel.
2. Make sacrifices, stop demanding
“I need a new phone, pocket money, laptop, shoes……….”.the list goes on.
You must learn to stop being totally dependent on your parents, uncles, and aunties.
Learn to let go of some things especially the excesses. Try as much as possible to save during your “period of Trial”. It shows that you can take RESPONSIBILITY.
3. Do some volunteer work
Join any group, whether at church, community or anywhere similar.
Do some charity work, give back to the society. This will add to your experience professional or not and will help you acquire leadership and management skills.
4. Do not react (The golden rule)
Honor Your Father and Your Mother… It is the first commandment with a promise. Ephesians 6:2
You must not react to the pressure. We’ve seen cases of frustrated graduates hitting their parents or disrespecting them. Don’t forget, You too will become a father/mother Someday. Then you’ll understand their position. Try as much as possible to absorb the pressure
5. Be strategic and update them on progress.
You must be proactive. Finding the best Job can be tasking but it’s very possible. Update your parents on the progress of your Job search and they’ll encourage you
Like I mentioned earlier, do not react. Honor your parents, try to understand their point of view. You are a million dollar prize just sitting on a shelf. They want you to soar, they want you to be their pride and if you have a vision, you’ll make it.
For more examples of pressure you face from parents or elderly folks, drop them in the comment box.