Today I realized what my bank statement really is - a countdown clock to homelessness. I have been unemployed for nearly two years and through literally a thousand job applications. Networking? That assumes you have a network connected to the right people. Michigan Works? Utterly useless advice - and a totally useless jobs data bank.

I am an editor and writer with a Master of Arts degree in a fairly useless field. Don't think that I have just been looking for jobs in my field. If there had been a thousand jobs for writers and/or editors I would probably have a job. I have applied for warehouse work, retail, temp jobs, even fast food. Nothing. One person told me they wouldn't hire me because, with my background, I would be gone as soon as something better came up. I couldn't lie to them; of course I would take a job editing over warehouse work.

Month after month goes by and I keep paying my bills. Fees for the occasional freelance gig come in - sometimes. Getting paid as a freelancer is often harder than finding the work. Mostly I sit back and watch my savings shrink. With every statement, I am one month closer to broke, one step closer to living out of a car.