Hellobee Boards

I've never been unemployed but my brother hated hearing advice to just get a job already or maybe you shouldn't be so picky.

Good luck!

I feel your pain! I was unemployed from June 2009 - September 2010 when I started grad school. Now I've finished grad school and am job hunting again. Nothing has wrecked my confidence or self esteem like being unemployed has. I feel incredibly guilty because my depression is really paralyzing, and I'm not being a very good wife right now.

I think the worst part this time, besides constant stress and anxiety about money, is that if I don't have a job by the fall then we'll have to push back our TTC timeline, which is heartbreaking!

@DigAPony: "Nothing has wrecked my confidence or self esteem like being unemployed has. I feel incredibly guilty because my depression is really paralyzing, and I'm not being a very good wife right now."

This in a nutshell! I am a SAHM right now while I'm in between jobs, but I never realized how demoralizing looking for work would be right now. I have OK days, and then I have really low days. It's a vicious cycle.

I hated when people tried to "fix" it-- have you cut cable yet? Well, considering we didn't even have a tv when I did have a job, yes. What about going into X field they are always hiring-- um, I am not qualified and I would be awful at it, or they pay is so bad, and the commute is so long it is literally not worth it financially!

@ali I always felt guilty if I wasn't living up to "perfect housewife" status too, like the house needed to be spotless and a perfect dinner on the table. My husband didn't see it that way thankfully (although he really like the dinner part) and knew that applying takes a long time and also that the process is demoralizing and some days you are just in a funk.

@jedeve good luck to you, it certainly isn't a fun journey but here's hoping it all works out for you in the end!

@jedeve: unpaid leave can still be tough on a business owner?

I was laid off by my company after a year of trying to move around within the company because I knew my position was expendable. HR avoided me for an entire year and strung me along, never did anything for me and then they eventually cut me loose. I was totally heartbroken because I not only loved the company and the work they did, but I absolutely loved my coworkers. We were like a huge family. The day they laid me off I went around saying bye to everyone and I was hysterically crying. It was awful.

It was the first time since I was a young teen that I was not receiving a regular paycheck and contributing to the finances of my own life.

I was able to get a good amount of unemployment because of the awful severance they gave me (1 week! ahhhh!!!) and I had someone say to me, "I hate working... you're so lucky, I wish I would get fired or laid off so I could claim unemployment." I was so mad.

It really sucks that so many of us are going through this / have been through this, but it's good to know I'm not alone.

Another pet peeve of mine is getting rejected for being overqualified. Before grad school I was desperate, applying for anything and everything, and I got rejected from Merry Maids because I had a Bachelors. I should have just left my degree off of my application, but come on! I need money! I can clean houses, I swear!

My job-search-related pet peeve right now is having to fill out online forms with my entire career history and the like. This is why we have resumes, no? Such a giant time suck.