When I was in Class 10, studying Social Science under the MP Board, there was a chapter about population and the reasons behind rising unemployment.
At that time, my father used to teach me. I still remember one particular point from that chapter. The book said that unemployment is not only caused by illiteracy or lack of skills, but also by people who have skills yet are unwilling to work for low pay.
That statement confused me back then.
I used to think, why would someone refuse a job if they have the skills? Something is always better than nothing, right?
Years later, life put me in the exact situation I could not understand as a student.
From Skilled Work to Survival Tasks
I was working on a project where I completed all my assigned development work within 15 days. After that, there was no work left that matched my skills. However, I could not exit the project because it was not ready to go live due to other dependencies.
Instead, I was given work like editing coupon code CSV files, uploading data, and designing email templates using no-code tools.
Initially, I told myself it was fine. I thought I could manage it for a while.
But a while turned into months.
After more than two months of doing repetitive work unrelated to my skills, frustration started building up. I wanted to grow, but instead, I felt stuck.
The Slow Fear of Losing Skills
The most painful part was not the workload. It was the fear.
I had spent countless nights learning new technologies, upskilling myself, and even investing in an expensive certification. Every day, a question kept repeating in my head.
What was the point of all that effort?
Was it just to crack interviews?
Slowly, I felt my skills fading. When you stop practicing what you know, confidence starts slipping too.
Promises, Waiting, and Silence
I spoke to my manager multiple times. Each conversation ended the same way.
“We are planning to move you to the next project.”
I waited.
Weeks passed. Months passed.
Six months were completed, but nothing changed.
At some point, patience turns into exhaustion. And exhaustion forces decisions.
Choosing to Quit Without a Backup
After crossing my mental limit, I made the hardest decision of my career so far. I quit my job.
I did not have another offer in hand.
There was no backup plan.
The market was going through a recession, and calls were almost nonexistent.
But staying in a role where I was slowly losing my skills felt more dangerous than unemployment itself.
Understanding the Lesson at Last
Now, I finally understand that Class 10 textbook line.
Unemployment is not always about lacking skills.
Sometimes, it is about protecting them.
Today, I am unemployed. But I am skilled, aware, and determined not to let my abilities fade.
And that lesson, which once felt confusing, now feels painfully real.