Heck, I myself would never hire someone who had been unemployed for a year and lacked the ability to either get a job or start their own thing. No matter how g

Heck, I myself would never hire someone who had been unemployed for a year and lacked the ability to either get a job or start their own thing. No matter how good you are, long-term unemployment will fuck up your confidence, especially after 50 when you're supposed to have your shit together. I've seen it happen to some really stellar people. Financial stress poisons everything, and only a small percentage of people (maybe 5%) can prevent that sense/fear of letting their family down and being a drain on society from crushing them. Trust me on this one. It's easy as hell to find work (consulting or full-time) when things are going well, especially in our industry. It's not so easy for people who take a fall, especially when it's unexpected.