Am I making a mistake if I stay on unemployment instead of accepting a job offer?
I (25f) was laid off recently from my job. I didn’t necessarily love my job but I was happy with it because I made enough money to survive. It was $60k a year. I also do not have my degree yet, I am currently taking online classes to finish it. So to me, $60k is a great salary for someone who doesn’t have a degree.
Anywho, I qualified for unemployment getting around $600 a week. Not amazing but not bad either. I also interviewed and got offered a job that is 36 hours a week, $24.36/hr, union, and benefits. This drops me down to about $45,600 at the end of the year- MUCH less than what I was previously getting but more than unemployment will be.
This is my dilemma; I do not think I will enjoy this job, and I will have to get a second job. I am sick of feeling like I have to bust my ass to survive and accepting this job and having to find another means I will be back in that cycle. On top of that I won’t be able to find time to do my online classes moving forward and I want my degree very badly because I feel like it will help me secure a good job in the future. But I am also having a hard time with my mental health as well because of this constant cycle of fight or flight.
So what should I do? Is it stupid of me to decline this job and stay on unemployment? If I accept I’ll have to get a second job and lose time for myself, but if I decline I get unemployment and have the ability to work on my mental health and potentially find a better job. What do I do? (Also please be kind anytime I have ever been vulnerable on this app I have been spoken to very negatively and I am in a fragile state right now, thank you <3)