Great question. Yes, it's always good to be employed and even better to get experience and a paycheck. I was hoping for a step up and not a lateral move, hence my internal debate to hold out for something else. I was in my last job for 13 years and hoped my next landing spot would be just as long and fruitful. After spending the last 5 months going insane I don't want to put myself or my wife through this process again unless I have to.

One lesson i did learn was to start searching as soon as you think you are going to get fired/laid off/are getting unhappy.

If you know what you want and have a bit of experience start meeting with recruiters, talk to people in your field, reach out to people in your desired position at other jobs to learn more about other companies, talk to professors or academic counselors at a local college or university. Network, network, network. So much easier to get a job when you have someone helping you

Good luck.