I love this! I mean, not the getting laid off part, but all the rest! I totally feel you on wanting to build up a practice that doesn't depend on outside parties. The entertainment world is so volatile right now, and it doesn't look like it's settling anytime soon.
One of the reasons I applied to UC Riverside is because of the inter-disciplinary aspect of their program. They encourage you to seminars in a variety of genres, and if I end up there I'll definitely be taking advantage of that!