Did you find a job after a very long time looking?

[Anonymous]

I agree with renting out your house. Even if you don't get the full mortgage payment, as long as the difference + rent is less than your mortgage, you will be cutting back. Any part of the mortgage that isn't covered by the renters can be written off on your taxes.
If you are making any car payments, than sell the car.

What is your degree in?

Give your resume to every headhunter you can find - they will do the job search for you. Also, make your resume searchable on all of the job listing sites. Then apply, apply, apply. Something will come your way.

[Anonymous]

I agree with getting your name and resume out there as much as possible, and network like crazy. A friend got a call back for a job she interviewed for a year earlier! She couldn't believe it when the phone rang out of the blue. And she got the job. She'd been temping, but she didn't have a child at the time, which made it easier. Can you do any part-time consulting or work at home? Telecommuting is so common these days. And if you find something you can do at night and on weekends, then DH can manage the child care.

The job market is slowly getting better, so don't despair. Keep looking. You never know what will turn up. Once you give up, you lose.

It might be a good idea to take out a home equity line of credit to cover your mortgage, but that brings you further into debt. Renting might work if you find good tenants who don't damage your home.

You are not a failure, even though you may feel like one at the moment. Five months of searching is not much time in this dreadful market, especially if you are in a specialized field. You have to stay positive because something will come up and you will find work. Or maybe your DH won't get laid off, or he'll find work quickly if he does. It's not as bad as it seems at this moment. Despair is your enemy. You have to keep trying and maintain a good attitude for the sake of your family, hard as that may be to do.

[Anonymous]

Immediately out of law school it took me almost a year to find a job. After 18 months that firm went belly-up (no fault of mine) and it took me another 8 months to find a new job after that. It sucked so bad, and I kept thinking that if I just sent out enough resumes sooner or later something would take, but at the same time the longer I was unemployed the less marketable I became. Eventually I found a job paying much less than I'd made before, with a much longer commute and no better hours. It was hard not to be bitter but I did my best to embrace the new position. I learned a lot there and it enabled me to make contacts and build skills to get the job I have now, which I LOVE and which pays just fine.

The only thing I wish I'd done differently was to be less picky from the beginning. I actually turned down an offer in my first month of looking because it wasn't enough money, and 7 months later I was happy to accept even less. The job you get now doesn't have to be your permanent job forever, but it is a foot in the door and a way to get back in the game. It's much easier to find a new job when you have one already.

[Anonymous]

15:33 here. I wanted to add that I went to a top-20 law school and had good grades and decent work experience. I just didn't have a really focused field of expertise/interest, and I kind of slipped through the cracks while lots of other people I knew with lesser qualifications were getting jobs. You just have to keep at it, even when it gets discouraging. Network, network, network.

[Anonymous]

Yes - it took 18 months of looking and staring in the face of having to sell the house and move when something finally came through - and I couldn't be happier now. Chin up!

[Anonymous]

No - I interviewed in my field w/ nearly 20 yrs experience and landed nothing. no.thing. So i went back to school and got a teaching certificate.