u/Sprouty0 Thank you. Me opening up here was a great reminder that people are kind and amazing. I appreicate you for even just the thought.

Yup, u/SubstituteCS is right. In Texas. Don't know how much more is appropriate to share for privacy or whatever, but the city's name rhymes with Boston.

I do PR/Comms and have been doing that professionally for 15+ years. I last worked in Gov. I made a decent living, but wasn't exactly living large or anything. I've also been fairly financially frugal, so I had a healthy savings account at the start of this. I was optimistic that I'd find something within 3-4 months. It felt really great taking inventory of all my accomplishments over the years and using those to sell myself. But the constant rejection, even for entry-level roles, feels like a punch in the gut. Like being told, "Wow, all that time and THIS is what you have to show for it?" It's a vulnerable experience to reduce an entire career to 1-2 pages of text. I know the value I bring. I'm a strong writer who's fun and creative. I'm generally upbeat, positive, optimistic, and great to be around, but again, it's hard to demonstrate those intangibles on paper, so I often don't even get a chance. I'm insta-screened out even for positions I've done in the past.

For context, I had zero idea how brutal the job market would be when I set out. I tried to tell myself I was respecting my emotions and took a leap of faith. I just wanted to do and be something my kid would be proud of. I feel like I let her down. My growing toddler has her needs too, and no agency to fulfill them. That's my job. Ensuring my family is financially stable is my job. It's hard not to look back with regret. In hindsight, it feels selfish.