This kind of self-awareness is more valuable than any on-the-job skill. It (obviously) makes you confident and prioritizes the choices you make.

You might also like this: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/graduate-school-for-unem...

Agree, People can learn alot from unemployment & job hunting. It took me months after school to get a job.

It's good that you know what you don't want.

I remember reject a job after accepting & meeting the team/company ... With the Silos, I couldn't see potential for opportunity within the company move-around. Like Rebecca said, it was empowering + a sigh of relief.

Remember: Although don't focus on the $$$ too much; look for what you can learn to get the job you want to get after this one, as well.

I've learnt similar. I've been unemployed for a yr. I've been volunteering with various charities. A year ago, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life career-wise... Now, I know what I want.

I've learnt that a job does not define me and to be more content and relaxed.

Mainly, I learnt not to be afraid of being out of work.

I absolutely agree with the notion of holding out for something worthwhile. I was (up until this week, actually) unemployed, and had been since February. While unemployed, I put in about a thousand different resumes to numerous companies and feverishly searched for a job that would fit my personality as well as my financial needs. It was frustrating, and sometimes even depressing. It's hard to reconcile the difference between your checking account and your incoming bills all while trying to be picky about what type of job you acquire.

But I also think it's a much better option than taking a job just because it's a job and then leaving them in the dust as soon as something better comes along. If you get desperate for money, then this is definitely the route to take;however, hold out a little longer if you're financial resources allow for it.

Here's some pointers that will let you be successful in your job search: apply, apply, apply! Make the job hunt your number one priority and apply to at least a hundred places every single day, including cover letters stating why you're so incredibly awesome for the job :)

Not having a degree is okay, but you have to really highlight those aspects that make you stand out from other candidates. It just means you have to prove yourself that much more to them. Luckily, it seems you have a nice hold on your employability and professional worth, so that should be no big deal.

Best of luck to you! Keep your goal at the front of your mind and you'll definitely succeed.

@JRandon42 While I agree with you that it is vitally important to have benefits, it is also very important to get in with a company that one will enjoy.

Most employers make you wait a period between 90 days all the way up to 6 months before you can even apply for benefits anyway, and then it will be another month before you're able to utilize them. And unless you get in with a company such as Starbucks, most employers will demand a forty hour work week from their employees to get benefits.

If you take a job "just for the benefits" you'll more than likely compromise your morale and work ethic, contributing some not so wonderful performance. The importance of holding out, so to speak, is to not only land a job with benefits, but to also get in with a company that will inspire longevity and upward mobility.

Solution: buy short short term health insurance.

However, if you can't afford to do that, then you can't afford the luxury of holding out for an ideal job match. There ARE some that need to take any filler job to make the bills, ensure health stability, etc.

It's up to the person to gauge what they can and cannot do and what will be in their best interest. This isn't a blanket statement saying that everyone, even Sally, who is a single mother of five, shouldn't take just any job because she's worth something better. While that could be a true statement, Sally has five other mouths to feed and her priorities aren't the same as a young, single adult. The same goes with someone who has a chronic condition needing attention, their priorities say they cannot hold out for the perfect job while remaining unemployed.

You do what is feasible in order to appease whatever part of your life needs adjusting.

Firstly, whoa. A few posts ago I typed "If you get desperate for money, then this is definitely the route to take;however, hold out a little longer if you're financial resources allow for it."

-you're +your.

As a grammar enthusiast, I'm disappointed in myself.

Secondly, the point is that everyone's needs differ. That's why, as stated before, it's up to the individual to gauge what they can and cannot afford to do. Those with pre-existing conditions where insurance coverage is a non-negotiable will need to do whatever necessary to get the best insurance for the best rate and make their plans accordingly.