Fighting Chance blog 18

The cost of employment

For most young adults, having a job is something they identify with (specifically if their chosen career field requires them to work their way from the ground up) and getting a job is hard enough as it is, at the best of times.

Please note that it’s not just a generational thing because there are genuinely honest and hard-working people (like myself) out there who just want to be given whatever work opportunities we can get our hands on.

But what if your work position was jepordised by physical injury (even permanent paralysis) and caused you to have to change your employment direction and/or take on an unpreferred position?

Newcastle Knights player Alex McKinnon was in negotiations to have his contract extended for another 2 years, before his career as a football player came to an abrupt end when he broke his neck in a tackle whilst playing against the Melbourne Storm last month which left him wheelchair-bound.

While he didn’t have to contemplate and/or sacrifice leaving the job he loves, and was able to maintain his job by getting a permanent position on the NRL injury board instead, I regrettably had to leave my previous job, in search of something which eventually did go on to help me fulfill and grow my passion for writing further – Fighting Chance Australia.

As disheartening as this was for me, it also gave me some perspective in helping me realise how hard and tedious it is for school leavers to get a job and to not hope (especially if the work field that you’ve chosen is harder to crack – for example: singing/songwriting, journalism and/or acting) because while they’re all creative mediums that fuel one’s passion, you’re often required to have a second job to help maintain social stimulation and generate a financial income.

In concluding this article, my final message will be one of hope, which is that rejection is a part of life and can sometimes test you but it’s in no way whatsoever a cause to give up on your hopes and dreams but can make you a stronger and better person by instilling resilience in you, because although Alex McKinnon will be on a journey to rewrite his own story, let this be proof for all readers that you can still maintain their job positions after setbacks, adversity and/or injury, you just have to find a way to use it differently.