[S_A_P]

Question- are you just worried about not having a job or are you at a point where money is tight. If it’s the former I suggest taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that things will get better. If you need money now I would bet there is a less than ideal job available now. From the small amount of text you have written I can deduce you seem motivated and at intelligent. I have been in the position to hire people in several previous roles. One red flag I always shied away from is desperation. It’s not an automatic no, but I wonder what is going on if someone is recently out of work and upset about not having the next gig lined up. Again you have limited space to plead your case so if I misread the situation then please accept my apology. My perspective on things is that yep this sucks and I will tighten up my belt but it’s not Armageddon just yet. If we all look for (even virtual) community things will work out.

[confused-c]

Thanks, S_A_P, for responding. I do still have some money left, but the coronavirus lockdown and widespread talk of hiring freezes have me a little on edge.

I would not say I am desperate. But, as my moniker suggests, I am confused -- mainly about how to find opportunities to which I am suited (even if they're not my personal ideal.) Sometimes I wish I had left Mandarin aside as a curiosity, and gone all-in on computers. Other times I wish the opposite. Ah, well.

[6ue7nNMEEbHcM]

Re desperation/difficulty in finding a job - there are people recruiting who don't care, to whom all that matters is the ability and whether you're easy to get along with. If you get upset about not getting a job there's no need in being even more upset about being upset ;).

IMHO: People go through various things in their lives and troubles are often just temporary and if someone's going through hard time it doesn't have to indicate there's anything wrong with them.