I've had a few stints of unemployment, several for a full year, some for no work, but a couple of times for back pain. In either case, it's a real blow to the spirit. When I had the time/energy to build, I had some supplies, but no plans, no kits, no engines.
I've been stockpiling since '99, but haven't gotten fired or pink slipped since then. My conclusion is that you gotta stock up on all the kits and engines you could possibly use, for job security. I hope you're well stocked, but maybe you haven't been doing a good job of stockpiling kits and such.
The other thing I've noticed, is that I get job offers two or more at a time. I've almost always taken the first firm offer, which maybe was a mistake. It may be a good idea to figure out how to keep 'em hanging until that second offer becomes firm. One job came to me because I saw an ad in the paper. It just gave the phone number, but I'm maybe not great on the phone, so I did some research and figured out who and where, and walked in. Pretty good job, until the boss went off to prison! Then things went in the dumper, of course. Several other jobs came to me because I knew somebody. I wasn't always looking for a job, but just stopped in to see them, and they wouldn't let me out the door. "How much do you want?" "All I can get!" Worked for me, several times!
Good luck and get out there and find a job, even if it isn't what you want. Sometimes a career change is a good thing.
Steve