5 Tips for Finding a Job While in Recovery

When in recovery, maintaining sobriety should be your number one priority. An effective way to prevent relapsing is to maintain a healthy state of mind and develop the ability to manage stressors without the need for substances. But, focusing on your health can become difficult in absence of a job. To help individuals overcome this barrier, Dr. David Salvage explores various employment options through which one can earn a liveable income while on their path to recovery.

Utilize the Gig Economy

Compared to traditional full-time jobs, gigs are easier to apply for and secure. There are numerous freelancing marketplaces such as Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, and more which post hundreds of gigs a day.

Additionally, many gig employers are open to hiring candidates with little or no prior experience as well. The pay for gigs can range between $10-$1000 or more, depending on the employer, scope of work, and duration.

Apply for gigs that’ll allow you to leverage your skills and experience, which can include:

• Blog writing
• Graphic design
• Front/Back-end programming
• Editing
• UI Design

Freelancing allows you to control your earnings and time. On days when you feel you need time for yourself, you have the freedom to take the day off and focus on your health.

Explore Ride-Sharing Opportunities

If you own a car, becoming a driver for Uber or Lyft can provide a steady source of income. As reported by Go Banking Rates, the average annual median income for ride-sharing drivers falls between $33,000-$45,000 when working 40 hours per week. Your earnings will depend on location, demand, and the number of hours worked. On top of pay, you are also eligible to earn tips. Hence, if you are a people person, use your social skills to increase earnings.

Become a Landlord

According to Pew Research Center, 36% of all households in the USA are rented, and this figure is expected to increase further in the coming years. Becoming a landlord is one of the best ways to earn passive income. Renting out an extra bedroom, basement, or den in your home can help you earn between $700-$1000/month.

To increase the demand for your space, you can choose to rent it as a furnished unit, providing the necessities such as a bed, closet, table, and lighting. Young adults are one of the biggest groups that rent and providing these amenities will allow you to tap into the market and earn a steady monthly income.

But, as a landlord, you will be responsible for the upkeep of the property such as making repairs, maintenance, cleaning, etc. Additionally, given that you will be sharing the space, ensure to screen candidates thoroughly and choose those who you consider a good fit.

Start Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to build experience and learn new skills. Additionally, it allows you to meet new people and develop a strong social and professional network which is key for having a successful career.

When looking for volunteering opportunities, look for those that interest you and allow you to learn skills that can be used in the future. For instance, volunteering as a fundraiser for an NGO can help you develop skills for becoming a sales associate. Additionally, having volunteer experience on your resume will help you stand out from others when applying for jobs.

Create a Limited Liability Company

Working as an individual leaves you open to the dangers of malpractice and litigation. If a dispute with a client transpires into a court case, your personal assets such as the home, car, investments, and bank savings can be brought under litigation and used to settle debts.

To safeguard yourself from such situations, establish a Limited Liability Company, under which you’ll sell your services. Additionally, you’ll be eligible to pay lower taxes and use business expenses as write-offs. LLC registrations are state-specific, for instance, if you're based in New York, you’ll need to register a New York LLC. To avoid doing the leg-work of researching requirements and filing paperwork, hire a formation service to handle the registration for you.

If you plan to start construction work or as a general contractor, be sure to implement cloud-based construction bookkeeping to keep your books. This will help you control job costs as well as make things easier at tax time. Also be sure to brand your company. You can create free online logos to try out and customize to your liking. These will help your new company stand out.

The options provided in the article will allow you to balance your health and finances, increasing your chances of a successful recovery. There’s plenty of help available as you go through this challenging time.

David Salvage, MD, FAPM, p ractices psychiatry, and psychotherapy in Brooklyn and Financial District in lower Manhattan, New York, where he combines humanism and warmth with careful clinical understanding, with the overriding goal that each patient benefits from a complete recovery. He ensures that his clients understand both the nature of their illness and the wide array of treatment options that are available, including psychopharmacology. In this capacity, he often works with therapists from other disciplines as part of a team approach to integrated care.

For more information, please visit his website or contact him today!