As you know, here at Recruitment Avenue we are all about inspiration. So it’s no surprise to find out that we have a few celebrity inspirations. People with story’s that makes us realise we can all achieve our dreams.
Unemployment is for most a very uninspiring time in our lives and the uncertainty of our own future can leave us feeling pretty low. Not only does unemployment see us with financial challenges it can also leave us with social implications. Studies have shown that the unemployed have double the chance of suffering from psychological issues with depression, self-esteem issues and anxiety.
If you find yourself unemployed and out of inspiration, keep in mind that some of the most successful people have had their down time and experienced unemployment like the rest of us. So in true Recruitment Avenue style, here are some inspirational people that have not only survived unemployment, they actually thrived from it.
Susan Boyle
One of the most heart-warming rags to riches stories from the UK. The loveable but slightly strange Susan Boyle tugged at our heart strings in 2009 by entering a little competition called “Britain’s Got Talent”. When Susan left school she took part in a government training programme where she worked as a cook learning her craft while earning very little money. She had to leave that job to take care of her sick mother, and she never worked again.
Then came that moment in 2009 where the UK saw an awkward 48 year old woman walk on stage with promises of showing us talent. Of course at the sight of her nobody took her seriously until she opened her mouth and sang “I Dreamed a Dream”. With that she sang her way in to our hearts and is now a world famous singer that is loved by millions! Today her net worth is estimated to be more than £12 million.
Harland Sanders
Never heard of Harland Sanders? I bet you have heard of colonel Sanders, or more importantly KFC! Colonel Sanders went from job to job and never found his calling. He tried his hand at being a fireman, a sales man and even ran a petrol station. He spent a while unemployed until he opened his first roadside restaurant selling….. You guessed it… Fried Chicken! Then in 1952 he started his own franchise and eventually sold the company for $2 million in 1964.
Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey was a 29 year old New York University drop-out living in an apartment smaller than most people’s living room. While looking for work he had many rejections, including McDonalds! Things didn’t look too bright for poor old Jack until a chance meeting lead him to a tech partnership which saw the creation of Twitter and Square. He went from unemployed to founding 2 of the largest social media sites used today. Not bad for a uni drop out!
Harrison Ford
A young man in 1964 moved to LA to find his dream of being an actor, his name was Harrison Ford and after a few jobs working on films that never made it to the silver screen he was ready to throw in the towel. He was unemployed and ready to give it all in and take a job waiting tables for minimum wage. During his unemployment he taught himself carpentry as a hobby and maybe if things didn’t go well a career. Working on the sets of The Doors as a carpenter, he was asked by George Lucas to do some private work building cabinets at his home. Who would have thought that’s how he got the role of Han Solo. It just shows how one job can lead to something much more exciting.
Walt Disney
This wouldn’t be an inspirational story without our old favourite Walt Disney! Disney was your ordinary every day man, except for his passion for cartoons. That passion was what lead him to create Mickey Mouse! Disney grew up in Kansas City, and that is where his career started. Drawing cartoons where ever he could, he started to get noticed and they become popular in Kansas, so much so he started his own studio called “Laugh-O-Gram Studio”. Unfortunately his lack of ability managing his money saw him broke and the studio to fail.
With not a dollar to his name and unemployed Disney didn’t seem to have much going for him, but he was a dreamer and you can’t keep a dreamer down for long. So it’s no surprise he moved himself to Hollywood to start a new studio…. I think you know the rest of that story!
J.K. Rowling
Last but by no means least we come to J.K. Rowling. Our modern day rags to riches story! There isn’t one of you who don’t know her name, and her books! Harry Potter has been a house hold name, and if you haven’t read the books, I bet you have watch the films.
Before she was so successful and selling more than 400 million copies of her books (which BTW has made it the best selling book series in history no less), Rowling was a researcher for Amnesty International. That was until she lost her job and got divorced. Rowling was in poverty and living on benefits while she wrote her books in coffee shops.
Since then she has been knighted in France, become one of the most well know authors in the world and is worth an estimated £700 million. This is one person who really did do well from being unemployed, but I bet it didn’t feel that way while she was scrapping to get by.
So there you have it, proof that unemployment does not have to drag you down and you really can accomplish something even during the hardest times. Some of the greatest minds have dealt with all the same issues faced by all unemployed people, but look at them now.
Who knows, maybe one day we will add your name and story to this list.