MONROE — Patty Hamilton was used to breaking the bad news when laying off employees, but in Sept. 2008, the business operations manager for Johnson Controls was on the receiving end.

The paychecks stopped just months before she earned her master’s in business administration from Wake Forest University, but she has still found a way to use the degree.

“It seems like you have either time or money,” she said. Although unemployed, Hamilton, 50, has used the free time to her advantage, benefiting other job seekers at the same time. The Weddington resident spends 12 hours a week offering job skills and finance training through Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.

“I felt like it was better than sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring,” she said.

To keep with the routine she had while employed, Hamilton makes a point to be up by 6 a.m. during the week. She makes coffee, takes time for prayer and resumes the job hunt.

“My days are completely different,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m rushing everywhere. At the same time, you have to get very focused.”

Hamilton said it can be easy for those out of a job to become lazy and “end up doing things that don’t serve their best interest,” like sitting in a coffee shop for an hour or waking up late every morning.

Shortly after losing her job, she saw a commercial for job training through Goodwill. She applied to help out and said she gets just as much out of it as the people she teaches. It also takes her mind off of her own situation.

When some students come in, she said, their heads are down and they have no idea what to do after losing their jobs. After volunteering for more than six months, though, Hamilton has seen some of them graduate, heads held high.

“That’s the level of confidence that comes across to an employer. ... I’ve hired people based on that.”

Hamilton also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, “even though I’m not that handy.” She has worked on four houses. Jobs come and go, she said, but with Habitat, she enjoys “putting your stamp on something that is going to be there for years.”

She has also spent more time with her 17-year-old son, who will be leaving for college next year. They have taken several college tours — something Hamilton isn’t sure she could have done while working nine to 10 hours a day. Hamilton’s mother, who lives in Virginia, has had more opportunities to visit as well.

Hamilton has even had more time for cooking.

“There’s absolutely nothing I’ve gotten good at making,” she said. “Although my hamburgers do rival McDonald’s.” She doubts anyone will miss her meals when she finds another job, but relishes in the opportunity to cook anyway.

The layoff has also given her a chance to find her passion.

“This is the second half of my career coming up and you want to be doing something you really love doing with a company that you really enjoy being with.”

That doesn’t mean she never gets discouraged.

“I’ve got this new MBA and what’s it doing for me? I go through that.”

After dozens of applications and follow-ups, she said it is hard not to see “the ideal fit.” Hamilton said she knows what it is like to work at a job she hates and wants to avoid that, but also needs an income before she goes through all of her hard-won savings.

It is disheartening to hear the constant focus from media, “especially national media,” on unemployment, or to have people feel sorry for her.

“I don’t feel sorry for me,” she said.

And while she considers her free time a “blessing,” the strain on finances is not.

Hamilton draws unemployment and has savings to dip into, she said, but would rather have a paycheck. “At some point, you want to think about retirement, but I guess I can’t think about that right now.”

At the same time, she said she can only move forward and “make some lemonade” out of her situation.

Hamilton’s advice to other job seekers: get involved, “whether driving a nail or conducting an interview.”

“That’s what you do,” she said. “Give back.”

OTHERS GIVE BACK DURING JOB HUNT

The number of Goodwill volunteers has nearly doubled in the past year, from 113 to 205, Goodwill spokesman Armando Barragan said. That translates to nearly 1,900 volunteer hours this year.

“We’re blessed with so many quality volunteers,” he said. “They’re helping us in their time of need.”

In reference to Patty’s situation, Barragan said the “amazing” part is that “she’s unemployed herself, yet she continues to give so freely of her time to help others find work. That’s one of the positive things we’ve seen during this economy — unemployed people who want to make a difference instead of moping around at home.”

Volunteers come from several areas of expertise, including hospitality, construction and banking. They teach financial literacy, basic computer skills and participate in mock interviews with students.

Goodwill assisted 6,500 people through job training and job resource centers in the Charlotte metropolitan area in 2007. The company assisted about 13,000 in 2008 and expects to help 17,000 by the end year. That covers 18 counties.

None of these services would be available without Goodwill donations, Barragan said. Without donations, there would be no customers, and with no customers, no money to put directly back into job training.