Time Well Spent

The volunteer work and 'consulting' might seem like a distraction from the central issue of Finding a Job, but to me, they aren’t.  For starters, now that I am geographically limiting my search, there aren’t infinite jobs here.  I can apply to every job in the Greater Seattle Area and still have plenty of free time.  In fact, I think I may have.  And when I am not in the act of applying for jobs, it’s hard for me to feel like I am doing anything to resolve my situation.  Too much free time alone, and instead of focusing on a hobby or unpacking my house, I just feel guilty that I haven’t tried hard enough, or that I haven’t done anything that amounts to anything. Which is point two, doing things that other people value, even if they can only do it with words, really helps keep my spirits up.  Arguably, coming up with questions for an educational children’s game is maybe not the MOST important thing I could spend my time on- but it beats the heck out of squatting on twitter or endlessly searching LinkedIn.  And maybe I get a little experience out of it that someone will value on a job application, sweet.  But mostly I do it to stay sane.