I feel for you, Deborah. Finding & keeping a job has been something I've struggled with all my life. I'm not clinically depressed, but it's enough to make ANYONE depressed. I've gotten laid off many times through NO FAULT of my own. They are going out of business, they are downsizing, etc. Nothing to do with how smart or skilled I am, or anything I did wrong. Also, many employers won't even consider someone who is out of work. No matter how bad the economy is, I get the message it is MY FAULT. I mean, there ARE people working out there, right? Maybe at a lot of low-wage jobs.

I've run myself ragged with volunteering and "getting out there." Personally, I think networking is a THEORY. It may or may not work for someone, or if it does to some degree, it won't work the way the books or "career counselors" say it should.