Unemployment is stressful

Well I'm still unemployed and it isn't for lack of trying.  I've applied to twenty business in the 3 weeks that I have been unemployed and have had two interviews.  The problem isn't that I am a square who doesn't know how to fill out an application or conduct a proper interview, or that I'm applying for jobs way out of my league (I've only done that twice and they were only slightly out of my league so I still had an outside chance).  It's the economy, and yes, what an obvious statement, but it's good to remind myself that as I look for work along with thousands of others qualified people.

I went to Job Service ND yesterday to sign up for a refresher course in interview skills and I thought the place would be dead.  Apparently I'm an idiot because at 1 pm on a Wednesday, the place was packed. I got a sinking feeling when I saw what I knew to be true, that there a lot of people fighting for the type of job I'm seeking.  I have a philosophy degree which is useless in this world (no, it is, don't let anyone fool you into thinking it isn't).  So all the jobs I seek are entry level positions, jobs that anyone with a GED or high school diploma can get.  I have experience in health care but why hire me when that will command a hire price?  Experience isn't cheap, unless you're hungry, but you can't tell people that until you get into the interview and in this economy, that's a hard thing to get.

I'm not going hungry.  I have unemployment and food stamps but suddenly all those stories about people going homeless is suddenly very real to me. I never could imagine how a person with an apartment could become homeless but if an unemployed person isn't resourceful or too full of pride (hello fast food, I have no problem serving fries), rent will come due and unemployment will expire.  While I'll never go hungry or homeless ( I have family who'll take me in) I don't want to rely on them for my survival.  I do have some pride.  I want to make it on my own, even when it's tough because they won't be around forever.  What if I'm in my 40s or 50s and this happens again?  I need to know how to survive.

This is an adult worry.  I have friends who are in school (undgrads and grads) who are living off of school loans but overworked by their classes.  They are stressing out but as I pointed out to one yesterday, it isn't the same type of stress and as he pointed out to me, I have adult stress, even though we are the same age.  I am stressing about losing my apartment (which I really love) and the possibility of going hungry (however remote) and he's worried about getting his work done. I'd much rather have his stress.  I'd much rather worry about grades than employment.

I'm really glad I have unemployment.  It allows me time to get a job but in a way it just stretches out the stress.  If I wouldn't have gotten it, I'd be out of money in a few months, so I was working the pavement every day looking for work.  Now I don't have too and the stress has decreased to a dull feeling but in a few months when my unemployment nears expiring it'll be back to a full roar.  I kind of wish (but not really) that I'd not gotten unemployment so I'd be forced to take whatever job I could find, then the stress of homelessness and hunger wouldn't be over my head and I could just stress about bills which is a better worry.

Picture taken from http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/images/unemployed_comic.gif