> > Anyway, to make a long story short, the unemployment checks I was getting while I was unemployed were roughly what a minimum wage job would have paid me. So to take a minimum wage job and give up the unemployment checks would mean the same or possibly less money, plus a LOT less time to hunt for another job in my field, and I *would* still have to do that, because our rent and bills far exceeds what minimum wage would pay for. Since Senvy appears to be in the tech industry as well, I wonder if this is the case with him as well.
>
> Yeah, it seems that this is the norm for tech jobs...
>
> Although I have been considering giving up the checks for a part time job, just to engage myself in some kind of non-stuck in the house activity. And I guess that my real problem stems from the fact that the continuous rejection that I'm getting from potential employers has been eating away at my self worth, and a part time job would, in theory, bolster it.
>
> Thanks, Brunnen-G, for your suggestion. I guess what I really needed was a kick in the pants.

Well, I had hoped it wouldn't sound like one, but if it did and that was useful to you, I suppose the point is academic.

I remembered talking to Sam about the unemployment scheme over there, but the details eluded me. Sorry if I ended up asking questions we've already covered here. I can't decide whether or not I like it better the US way. I think both ways have their pluses and minuses.

Senvy -- have you considered doing some volunteer work? There is a big variety of that around, from office work to quite interesting things you might never ordinarily get a chance to do. I assume unpaid part-time work would not affect your unemployment payments, and it would give you something interesting to do until you find a job. Depending on what sort of volunteer work it is, you can also sometimes end up with free training to add to your resume.