What's the longest period of time you've ever been unemployed?

I didn't work when I was in college for a year. But once I finished cosmetology school, the longest I went without a job was about 2 or 3 weeks when I moved up here from Missouri. I stopped working at the barber shop in April. But I do have a part time job that I do at home. It's a real job with real deadlines, so most people don't think I'm unemployed. Even if I didn't have the job, I would probably still stay home with my son, though. I love being home with my son, and don't plan on going back to work anywhere besides at home for quite some time. I think it's more important for me to be home with him, rather than working for someone else and allowing someone else to raise my child. I wouldn't let anyone else make me feel guilty or useless about not working, as long as they aren't the ones paying for me to not work. Luckily, my husband loves it that I stay home and take care of our family and doesn't want me to go back to work anytime soon either.

So far, the longest period I was unemployed was when I was just out from the university. And it was like 3 weeks. I will be unemployed but I am not sure how long this time of unemployment will be. I try not to think about it. I think the only person who would pressurize me into getting another job faster would be my mom, because I live with her and pay all her bills and stuff.

Mine was when I got hurt at one job and was off on workers comp- I knew I could not go back to that same job- I couldn’t do any lifting- so I was back to college- I was off for almost 2 years- Getting paid by comp and then unemployment – I had to be released to work- to go to college- Nope- no one told me to go back to work- I was working hard on my studies- It paid off in the long run!

Ever since we moved to the USA I have been unemployed and taking care of my son full-time which I consider it to be a job anyways LOL Its been over a year now and once he is settled into school next month, i may take up a part time job - it really depends though on how well he settles into school.

i m unemployed for last 19 years....... n m 19 years of age

i'm unemploee since december 2005 and still don't get a job i have many interviews but they always say... we call you.... and course they never call... now i'm trying to get a stay home job, i'm saving to open my own place... some place were you can sit and drink or eat something but not a bar or a restoran, or maybe kiosc whit a buffet

I haven't actually been unemployed, although I am self-employed right now. Yeah, people have a lot of trouble taking it seriously if you don't work at a job that they understand or perceive as secure and making a lot.

Since turning 15, I have never been unemployed. Of course, one might say that during my 4 years of college when I only worked during the summers and when home on Christmas break that I didn't have a 'full time' job, but I did work. With each of my children, I took 6 weeks off when they were born but went back to work after that. I yearn to not have to work!!!

I too was considered unemployed by many people when I was working online only. It's funny how this attitude can affect your levels of accomplishment and success. Mostly my family, more so my sister and brother in law than my mother were pestering me to find employment. They kept saying that I needed insurance and other benefits. Well eventually I had to because the entrepreneurial and online activities that were providing income for me dried up so I had to go back to a job I quit full time over 13 years ago. I only plan on spending two years at such a job as it is a dangerous job working with psychotic violent people. To me the biggest benefit with a job is time off to do my own thing. I hate feeling owned by any company or by any person for that matter. I would say I've never been truly unemployed for over three months although I can say that I've felt underemployed.

I stopped working in January of 2005, three weeks after I became pregnant with my third child. Morning sickness was so bad I couldn't function so going to work was out of the question. When I was about five months pregnant, the sickness had gone but I fell trying to rescue my chihuahua from an angry chicken (long story) and went into premature labor; the hospital was able to stop the labor but I had to be on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. After my son was born my husband and I decided that I should just stay home since the combined cost of daycare for the three kids plus gas and other expenses would be running too close to what I would be bringing home. So it's been two and half years for me that I haven't been employed by someone other than myself, but I still generate a little cash with farming.

Right now. Although I am still a full time student, the summer holidays is long (3 months) and I always plan to find a job during that time but nothing really happens and I just get lazy and don't end up applying for anything at all which is bad.

i'm only a student and working part time. as for me, i haven't been unemployed yet. but it' pretty hard for me to find a job at the first time.

well i would say the longest time would be 2 days and that was after i had my babies and had a c-section i only rested for two days and back to the drawing board.i'm a stay at home mom,and do hair at home,so my jobs never end and i will always have a job,so im thankful for that because day care centers are so expensive here.its like $600 a month here which is crazy.and people always need their hair done so thats thankful too.

Hello there beautyqueen!Its been 5 years and 2 months since the last time i had a REAL job.I stooped when i became pregnant with my daughter and my hubby liked it so much he wanted me to stay home with her.Now though im working,you could say,for myself part-time,doing garden designs for people.I dont consider it a real job,its just my hobby but im paid for it.Bye!Bye!Later.

I would say that i have been unemployed for about 4 years now. although my youngest is not quite 2 yet, I want to still work at home. I am doing so right now, I started home based business as well. I am doing okay so far, I am getting the word out and so far I have gotten one person to sign up with me per month. That is pretty good for being at this business for only 4 months. So I would say that i am doing rather well and I know that I will continue to do so. I have some more meetings to do this month but I am having an issue with a sitter and I am not sure what to do. I can not afford to hire someone for more than $10.00 an hour but I do not want to be too cheap either. I wll have to look around for more info I think. other than thta, I have been unemployed for a long time. It is hard but I do like that i can do my own thing for the time being. I do mylot and all the other stuff to help with my budget for the real home business....

The longest period I was unemployed was when I actually lost my job and that was around 8yrs back. I was unemployed for about 6 months and its was really horrible. No money, no job, nothing to do the whole day. I was becoming so depressed that I did not even feel like going out for interviews. But I really envy you, its wonderful to be a self-employed mother. You can devote as much time as you want to, to your child and yet you earn enough to take care of your own needs and to keep yourself independent. I wish even I had something similar going for me but as of now, I don’t have a net connection at home so maybe later. And just forget about the stupid few who believe that self-employment is unemployment (how thick can people be!)

Well I only worked for a short time (a little over a year) before I became pregnant with my firstborn. The last time I had a job was back in 1996 so it's been almost 11 years now. I had decided to be a SAHM (stay at home mom) when I first became pregnant, though I do miss working and receiving a paycheck every now and then. Luckily no one is pressuring me to go back to work, unless I count myself. :P Though it wouldn't make any sense for me to go back to work as I wouldn't make much anyway. :(

I've never gone a drastically long time without having some kind of money coming in. But if you're talking about working for a company with a boss and the works, then I've been unemployed since October 2001. That's when I got fired from my last job. I had already been selling stuff part time on eBay for pocket money, but after I lost my job I turned it into a hobby/business. I was making ok money for a while and then in 2003 when the US went into Iraq people stopped buying. It went from good to nothing overnight. I had some money saved up so I decided to just take a break. I was going to take 6 months off and then go back to what I was doing, things should calm down by that time. Unfortunately in that 6 month break my body decided to fall apart. I developed a severe sleep disorder, depression, high blood pressure, Fibromyalgia and arthritis all took hold in a matter of a few months. Now I can't work a regular job or full time because of health problems. But I make jewelry and sell a few pieces here and there. I also sing with my band and make a few bucks at that. And now with myLot I have a little more pocket change. It's funny, I've been working almost non-stop since I was 14 yrs old. The only time in my life I stop working and I fall apart... hmmmm. Guess I was made to be a worker bee instead of a Queen bee... just don't let my husband know that. LOL!

Right after college graduation, I did not get a job immediately, so I enrolled in a Physical Education major class...that was for almost a year...for me that was the only time that I became unemployed...once I was hired by a mining company in 1979, I have been working non-stop up to today, 2007! Unbelievable...it's good you asked this question because I never ever imagined myself working this so long....but maybe I will just have 10 more years before I finally retire, and I'm preparing for that financially and psychologically...

For me ,on the weekend~