In the wake of President Obama’s jobs speech, many are lamenting the dismal job market. Many more, about 14 million people according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, spend their days finding what little jobs are posted in Craigslist and Monster.com. Still there are others who are taking advantage of the Great Recession and allowing themselves to reevaluate their goals and enjoying the time they didn’t have before.

Here are five ways to enjoy your unemployment, or for those who are underemployed, stifle the ennui.

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It’s a tough time for us. Not only is the field of journalism in a constant upheaval and the jobs scarce, our role within the field is murky at best. Are we students? Freelancers? Bloggers? Professional journalists? Consider also what is now considered news. With emerging platforms, a twitpic, tweet or a popular blog post could very well land on the front page of established publications. Without a concrete definition, the legal consequences can be financially and professionally devastating for the writer and his or her sources.

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