In February… North Carolina came in fourth with an unemployment rate of 10.7 percent. I was laid off on February 28th, due to the budget being affected by the economy. At first I was in complete and utter shock. First thing that raced into my mind was fear. Fear of not being able to make my recently new mortgage payment. After speaking with my mother, I learned about unemployment benefits. I just had to simply fill out a form online and update my status weekly. It’s a very easy paycheck and keeping me from having to pickup a crap part-time job while I search for a job. It’s not as much as I was making, but it’s definitely better than nothing.

I never thought I would be laid off, I thought it was the sort of thing that only happened to factory workers. I know searching for a job is rough, at least in my field. It can become very emotional, I will get excited about the jobs that are being advertised on Careerbuilder, Monster, SimplyHired, and Craigslist. Problem is, I know there’s so much competition out there. On a previous interview, I asked how many applicants they had apply while they were advertising Careerbuilder. I was shocked to hear the number 350+! Made me feel excited just to get to the interview! Then waiting starts to get to me and I start to question myself. Am I not good enough? Did I just waste my time in school? And then I will get confirmation that I am good enough when I get a call for an interview and they rave about how great my portfolio is.

And then I’m waiting for a phone call again. It’s such a rollercoaster. I try to distance myself and not get too excited until I get an offer, but it’s hard. I just hope I to get a good job with a good company and good people, with an acceptable salary in the not too distance future. There’s only so much yard work and house work to keep me out of boredom.