8 months unemployed, finally broke through

I was laid off July 2024 due to budget concerns after 4 years, despite being the most tenured employee in my dept, and my job hunt since has felt just as bleak and hopeless as the countless posts I've read here. I applied for local and remote positions, interviewed at least once every 1-2 weeks, but I was rejected time and time again. I have 5 years experience in my field (sales ops), but despite being highly qualified in my applications, it seemed I was never good enough to secure an offer. This is the 2nd prolonged job search I've endured - the 1st was just prior to my last job, which ran almost 11 months of unemployment during COVID. Despite concluding sooner, this recent unemployment felt worse than 2020 - I've felt hopelessly alone and seriously contemplating ending my life.

Surviving the last 8 months would have been impossible, had I not withdrawn my 401K. My unemployment benefits amounted to slightly over half of my former income pre-tax; had I opted for taxed unemployment payments, it would have been less than half. Maybe I've been fiscally irresponsible, but my bills (rent, phone, utilities & food - no car) have exceeded 50% of my income my entire life (mid-30's). When I asked my state's unemployment office how people are expected to survive on 40-55% of their former income while job searching, I was told, "Unemployment benefits aren't intended to replace income, only supplement it." Except if you report more than $200 earnings per week while unemployed, the excess is deducted from your unemployment benefit amount. I'm not sure if this value scales with former income, but if the unemployment amount is deducted after only $200 per week, it's clearly not intended to "supplement income" - it's either / or.

So my severance package and feeble savings ran dry around November, and I couldn't make ends meet on unemployment alone, even while donating plasma twice every week and refusing to report the income. Goodbye, 401K! I was never banking on retiring anyways, just surviving long enough to outlive my mom so she won't have to deal with my death.

But today, I received an offer for a position better than any I've ever had - higher pay, better benefits and fewer responsibilities. Part of me wants to cry in relief or celebrate somehow, but I've become so emotionally numb by constantly steeling myself that I can't muster anything beyond grim determination. It should have never come this far, and I'm fully aware that many of you have suffered far worse - I truly feel for you all.

I'm relieved, but angrier than ever. I'm starting over deep in the tax hole with no retirement, and it will take time to recover. Late-stage capitalism and the tax-dodging billionaires can eat shit. I've been active in my local administration protests, and I intend to continue whenever I can. I encourage you all to do the same.

To all of you still suffering through unemployment, keep going. Job hunting is a cold, heartless numbers game, but you can't succeed if you don't play. Remember that these hardships don't define you, and you don't "deserve" to endure them. With enough resilience and persistence, you can overcome. I hope you receive a worthwhile offer soon.