When did becoming a published novelist turn into my fall back plan?

I found out today that I didn't even make it to round 2 of interviews for my dream job. And they liked me. That's how bad the economy is. I applied for a job for which I'm imminently qualified and they liked me, yet I still can't get it. And it would have been a $4000/year paycut for me. It's probably a $10,000+ paycut for people with more experience than me and that's what it came down to. It's impossible for recent grads like me (and I've had 4 years) to compete with people who've been working for 7 or 10 or 15 years. I've now had to replace my freelance copy editing gig with a retail position that pays less than half. And if I fuck it up and they fire me, I lose all my unemployment benefits. Although unless I qualify for the government's emergency extension or whatever it's called, my benefits will barely last another month. I've been unemployed for nearly 8 months. It was easier getting a job straight out of college than it is now. My mom's idea is that I buckle down and finish my novels. And at this point, I might as well being a starving writer. It's not like I'm making money either way. And I may love shoes, but I don't think I can sell them forever.