Following President Barack Obama’s uplifting “American Jobs Act” speech on Thursday night, two things became clear. The first is the undeniable fact that the Obama 2012 re-election campaign has officially begun. The second, is that American’s need jobs. But what does that mean for nearly 8.9 percent of out of work laborers vying for jobs in New York City? With the recent statistics released last month of no jobs gained nor lost in August and the unemployment rate across the country remaining at a stagnant 9.1 percent, people are forced to go out of their comfort zone and explore their options. Below is an accumulative “To Do” list for the savvy out-of-work New Yorker looking to get by in their downtime.

1. If you have been “released,” “fired,” “let go,” or told to “take a permanent vacation,” the first thing you should do, even before calling your mom, is file for unemployment. Do this immediately, do not even continue reading this blog post before doing so. It’s important. It is equally important to determine whether or not you qualify for unemployment. You can read that here.
2. The next step is to wake up and smell the coffee. Or the strudel or whatever other clever expression you can think of that floats your boat. You’re unemployed now and that can be kind of awesome. It means you’re finally free to do the things you would normally spend your Saturday’s doing-but now you can do it all the time. Take advantage of it. If you find yourself sitting in your apartment desperate and with nothing to do, a good idea would be to sign up for a subscription to Time Out New York. This news daily provides a “Things To Do” list, siting all the best daily deals in arts, music, restaurants, and bars the city has to offer. You can even sign up without a subscription and have the list forwarded to your email each morning, so by the time you wake up around 11 or noon, there will be a list of activates waiting for you to fill your day up with.
3. Read a book. Or if thats not your forte, go for a walk. You live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Take advantage of it, or better yet, visit a near distant burrow you’ve been meaning to go to and sample some of the local cuisine.
4. Travel. If you have the means, maybe a little money stashed away somewhere and you’ve always been meaning to plan a trip but never had the time, now’s your chance. Go for it! If thats not the case, and you aren’t planning on joining the workforce anytime soon, consider teaching english abroad. This is a solid option, and you won’t be the first (or the last) to do it, but the opportunities are endless and you are sure to return changed and for the better.
5. Learn a new talent. It’s important to keep your senses sharp. Maybe try photography or learning a new language. Now is the time to try your hand at a new skill. Maybe that will develop into a new found career.
6. Once you’ve had enough time off or you’re sick of your French tutor, begin updating your resume and revisit your rolodex. Start reaching out to colleagues and friends to see what else is out there. You can visit free resume building sites and begin plotting your future.
7. Get A Job. By now, you’ve explored all five New York boroughs, rode the Cyclone on Coney Island, read Ayn Rands The Fountainhead cover to cover (ok maybe not, that book is a beast), traveled the world like Ferdinand Magellan, taught English to underprivileged youth in Bratislava, and are ready to put your skills to good use. Good for you, now get out there, show ‘em what you’ve got, and don’t take no for an answer. If you need inspiration for how to conduct yourself successfully in a job interview, view this clip here from one of the most memorable (in this bloggers opinion) Will Ferrell moments to date. For the record: Tuxedos were a good choice.