If the COVID-19 crisis taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen to your job, and in some situations even a well-managed career isn’t enough to completely save you. That’s why it’s important to plan for those situations, and have some idea of what to do when they arise.
To begin preparing for “anything,” which might include suddenly finding yourself without a job, you first need to contemplate what kinds of problems might occur. That way, you know what you’re attempting to mitigate. This list will vary tremendously from person to person, and especially from region to region, but you should consider events like these:
- Getting laid off, for any number of reasons outside your own control—like an economic crash that forces your company to reduce headcount.
- Having an accident and becoming injured or extremely ill, forcing you to leave your job or take significant unpaid time off work.
Spend some time thinking about what might go wrong, because these are the things for which we’ll need a back-up plan. But sometimes, “preparing for anything” can mean preparing for something good, like an amazing job opportunity that just comes out of nowhere! Since that type of event doesn’t usually result in panic, a loss of income, and other negative elements, it’s easier to plan for—but it’s still worth planning for it.