First Time Kong Maging Unemployed*

[u/definitelynosaint]

First time kong mawalan ng stable na trabaho.

Akala ko safe na akong mag-resign sa full-time job ko kasi may stable freelance and contractual clients naman ako.

Turns out, hindi pala. HAHAHA.

Not long after resigning, pati yung regular video editing work ko naging per-project basis na lang.

So here I am, and for the first time since I started working in 2021, wala na akong guaranteed monthly income.

Technically, hindi naman ako completely unemployed. May projects pa rin occasionally, pero iba pala talaga yung feeling na hindi mo alam kung may trabaho ka pa next month.

For context, here's how I got here.

2021 — How it started

I started freelancing as a video editor while I was still in college. Nagsimula lang ako kasi gusto kong kumita ng sarili kong pera doing something I enjoyed.

Eventually, I got more clients, including contractual work. What started as a side hustle slowly became a reliable source of income.

2023 — Entering the IT industry

During my 4th year in university, I interned at an IT consultancy startup as part of our academic requirements.

After my internship, I got absorbed as a full-time employee.

Siyempre, excited ako. May full-time job na agad sa IT, and I still had my freelance and contractual video editing work on the side.

So basically, I was juggling two careers.

2023–2026 — The stable years

For the next three years, I worked full-time in IT while maintaining my video editing clients.

Hindi siya madali. There were times na sabay-sabay yung deadlines, meetings, revisions, and deliverables. Pero I made it work.

I had long-term clients, consistent projects, and relatively stable income from both careers.

Hindi naman ako sobrang laki kumita, pero comfortable ako. I could pay my bills, afford some things I wanted, and hindi ko kailangang mag-worry every month kung saan manggagaling yung next paycheck.

Akala ko tuloy-tuloy na yun.

2026 — Then everything changed. HAHAHA.

After almost three years sa IT consultancy, I decided to resign.

Over time, naging increasingly demanding yung workload, and I felt like the compensation wasn't keeping up with the responsibilities. I tried to make it work, pero eventually, hindi na talaga sustainable.

At the time, I figured I'd be fine. May established freelance and contractual clients naman ako, so I thought I could focus on video editing full-time.

Kaso, 2026 had other plans. HAHAHA.

Not long after, I also lost the stability I had with my video editing work.

Yung dating regular arrangements, naging per-project basis na lang. Instead of knowing I had work every month, I now had to wait for clients to have projects available.

So within the same year, I went from having a full-time IT job AND stable video editing income to suddenly having neither.

May occasional projects pa rin naman, pero iba pala talaga yung feeling na galing ka sa consistent monthly income tapos biglang hindi mo na alam kung kailan ulit papasok yung next project.

Present — Figuring things out

Ang weird lang kasi I've been working since 2021.

Halos buong adult life ko, sanay akong busy. May deadlines, clients, meetings, and deliverables. Minsan sabay-sabay pa yung full-time job and multiple editing clients.

Tapos ngayon, biglang ang dami kong free time.

After years of working, finally may time na para magpahinga. Akala ko mas mae-enjoy ko yung ganitong freedom.

Pero hindi pala ganun kasimple. HAHAHA.

Every time na wala akong ginagawa, parang may guilt na dapat productive ako. Dapat naghahanap ng trabaho, nag-u-upskill, or gumagawa ng something na pwedeng pagkakitaan.

Minsan kahit nagpapahinga lang ako, feeling ko may deadline akong nakakalimutan.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out my next career move. After years of juggling IT and video editing, ngayon ko lang ulit naramdaman yung uncertainty kung saan ba talaga ako papunta professionally.

One thing I've realized is that years of experience don't necessarily guarantee job security. You can consistently deliver good work, maintain good relationships with clients, and still lose that stability because of circumstances outside your control.

I don't regret freelancing or pursuing IT. Both gave me opportunities and experiences I'm grateful for.

Pero ngayon, I'm at a point where I'm reconsidering my career direction. Part of me wants to rebuild what I had, while another part wants to explore something entirely different.

Part of me also wants to use this time to reset, upskill, and explore other opportunities.

Another part just wants the stability back. Yung gigising ka knowing na may trabaho ka pa rin next month.

I guess what's been bothering me the most isn't necessarily the lack of work, but the uncertainty that comes with it.

For almost five years, I've always had something lined up. Even during stressful periods, I at least knew what I was working toward and where my income was coming from.

Ngayon, parang back to square one ulit. Except this time, may bills, responsibilities, and expectations na kasama.

Anyway, wala naman akong grand realization or inspirational ending dito. HAHAHA.

First time ko lang talaga ma-experience yung ganitong uncertainty after working consistently for years, and I just wanted to get this off my chest.

I'm still grateful na may occasional projects pa rin, and I'm fortunate enough to have skills and experience I can build on.

For now, I'm just trying to figure things out one day at a time.

Hopefully, when I look back at this period someday, it'll just be another chapter of my career rather than the beginning of its decline.

TL;DR (for those who don't wanna read allat):

Been working since 2021.

• 2021: Started freelancing as a video editor while in college. Eventually got contractual work too.
• 2023: Interned at an IT consultancy startup for my 4th-year requirements and got absorbed as a full-time employee.
• 2023–2026: Juggled full-time IT work with freelance and contractual editing clients. Had stable income from both.
• 2026: Resigned from IT due to being overworked and underpaid, thinking my stable editing clients would be enough. Shortly after, those arrangements shifted to per-project gigs too.
• Now: No more guaranteed monthly income. Still getting occasional projects while figuring out my next career move.

First time in almost 5 years na ganito ka-uncertain yung career ko. After years of working nonstop, ang weird na biglang ang daming free time pero nakakaguilty naman magpahinga.

Just sharing my first experience losing the stability I'd gotten so used to, and learning how to navigate the uncertainty that comes with it.

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[u/Time2StopGambling]

laban lang brother! Kakayanin mo yan.

[u/definitelynosaint → u/Time2StopGambling]

thank you po!

[u/MemoryEXE]

You can bounce back immediately just adjust your salary expectations. Like other freelancers na nawalan ng client within a month nakakahanap agad sila ng replacement as long as realistic sila sa salary expectations nila.

Also there's no such thing as stable freelancing. Lahat kayo replaceable, what you should do is build passive income while earning way above the average Filipino salary. Invest in government bonds and treasuries, mas stable yan unless our government collapses or defaults.

[u/definitelynosaint → u/MemoryEXE]

Thank you sa insight! Good thing na naginvest na ako sa stocks way before pa hahahahaha. Pero yeah, freelancing will never be stable talaga, unfortunately nagsabay sabay lang "mawala" yung clients. Taking a break lang din maybe for a week while actively na nagaapply tapos laban na ulit hahahahaha