I've been where you are. I was already up to my ears in credit card and student loan debt, plus I had a car payment. I quit a job that I just couldn't stand any more (bosses screamed at employees). I was out of work 4 1/2 months, and literally spent all my savings, used my full $2,500 checking overdraft and borrowed $2,800 from family. I had no assets/house to fall back on.
To slow down on the worrying, stay busy! Start a new hobby, go for a walk, run, or bike ride every day, spend time with your friends, take a class in your community, do some volunteer work - anything to get your mind off of what's going on.
Getting an MCP is a very good idea and shouldn't cost you much to do. Get a study book for Windows 2000 Pro, and maybe buy some practice tests. Go down to your local park/lake/river with lunch, find a bench and study there. If you were an NT Admin, it shouldn't be too difficult to pass the 2K Pro test. You can also show prospective employers that you were productive during your time off.
Don't buy a $10,000 car. Drive your old one into the ground. Then, if you've got that kind of cash, get a three to five year old Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla with 60,000 to 90,000 miles on it. You could probably drive one of these for the next two years with no problem. You've set yourself up VERY well for being out of work, and I think you're doing OK. You've got a lot of time left, and this is a very good thing.
Think about taking a temp job as a desktop support tech. It will keep some money coming in, keep your skills sharp and you can even leave it off your resume if you want. You're much more qualified than most people applying for this type of job.
Just remember that you're doing OK because you have a LOT of time to find a job before the money runs out. Good luck!
To slow down on the worrying, stay busy! Start a new hobby, go for a walk, run, or bike ride every day, spend time with your friends, take a class in your community, do some volunteer work - anything to get your mind off of what's going on.
Getting an MCP is a very good idea and shouldn't cost you much to do. Get a study book for Windows 2000 Pro, and maybe buy some practice tests. Go down to your local park/lake/river with lunch, find a bench and study there. If you were an NT Admin, it shouldn't be too difficult to pass the 2K Pro test. You can also show prospective employers that you were productive during your time off.
Don't buy a $10,000 car. Drive your old one into the ground. Then, if you've got that kind of cash, get a three to five year old Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla with 60,000 to 90,000 miles on it. You could probably drive one of these for the next two years with no problem. You've set yourself up VERY well for being out of work, and I think you're doing OK. You've got a lot of time left, and this is a very good thing.
Think about taking a temp job as a desktop support tech. It will keep some money coming in, keep your skills sharp and you can even leave it off your resume if you want. You're much more qualified than most people applying for this type of job.
Just remember that you're doing OK because you have a LOT of time to find a job before the money runs out. Good luck!
