I don't know what to do anymore
I might be dramatic because I'm still 23, but I’ve had a very rough year and a half of unemployment after graduating college. I think I've applied to almost a thousand jobs now, with 16+ interviews and 5 final-round rejections. They were all entry-level desk jobs that fit my experience. Retail jobs wouldn’t even give me a chance to interview.
I started considering further education, and t give me hope. But now, with the Department of Education passing the loan limit, it means I’d have to take out around 100k in private loans for PA school, and I’d need loans for other Master's programs too. I'm very apprehensive of it because of the bad reps that private loans get.
It makes me sad because I thought there was a way out if my hard work applying to jobs didn’t pay off, but now it feels like there isn’t one. I thought I was being smart by working hard and applying to jobs first before pursuing a Master's, but I literally just wasted a year of my life being stressed and depressed with nothing to show for it because nobody would give me a chance to earn a minimum wage salary.
I just feel screwed, I have no money, my family has no money. I gained work experience but I didn't get a good internship and now my whole degree is useless. The world is a mess, AI is taking jobs, the economy isn’t going to get better, and I honestly don’t see the point of doing anything anymore.
Jobadvisor
I hear you, and I want to validate exactly where you are right now: You are in the "The Trough of Sorrow."
It is not dramatic to feel this way. Rejection trauma is real. Getting to the final round five times and hearing "no" five times is emotionally devastating. It feels personal, even when, in this economy, it is often purely statistical.
You feel like you’ve hit a dead end, but looking at your story objectively, I see a few different paths that are obscured by the fog of burnout. Let’s break this down, separate the emotional exhaustion from the tactical reality, and look at your options.
1. The "Wasted Year" Fallacy
You said you "wasted a year." I need you to reframe this immediately.
The Market is Broken, Not You: You are graduating into one of the weirdest white-collar recessions in recent history.
The "Almost" Metric: If you have had 16+ interviews and 5 final rounds, your degree is not useless.
If your resume was bad, you wouldn’t get the first interview.
If your interviewing skills were bad, you wouldn’t get to the final round.
The Reality: You are top-tier competitive. You are likely losing out by a 1% margin to someone with 6 more months of experience. You are doing everything right, but the slot machine hasn't hit yet. That is infuriating, but it means you are employable.
2. The "Survival Job" Strategy (Retail)
You mentioned retail won't hire you. This is a common paradox for graduates.
The Problem: They think you are "overqualified" and will quit the moment you get a desk job (which is true).
The Fix: You need a "Dumb Resume."
Delete your college degree.
Delete your internships.
List "availability" as 24/7.
Make it look like you are looking for a long-term career in retail or service. You have to "under-sell" yourself to get these survival jobs.
3. The PA School & Private Loan Fear
You are right to be wary of private loans, but you need to look at ROI (Return on Investment), not just the total debt number.
The Math of PA School:
Physician Assistants (PAs) often start at $105k - $120k+.
Taking out $100k in loans (even private ones with higher interest) is terrifying, but it is mathematically serviceable on a $115k salary. It is "Good Debt" because it buys you a high-income asset (your license).
Contrast this: Taking $100k for a Master’s in English is dangerous because the salary outcome is low. Taking it for PA/Medical is a calculated business decision.
The "PA Loophole" for your current unemployment:
To get into PA school, you usually need Patient Care Experience (PCE) hours (usually 1,000 to 2,000 hours).
This is your immediate path out of the house.
Look for jobs as a Scribe, CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant), Phlebotomist, or Rehab Aide.
These jobs pay low wages, BUT:
They count as "experience" so you aren't doing "nothing."
They are required for PA school anyway.
They get you out of your head and into a workflow.
4. The Federal Loan Limit Clarification
There is a lot of confusion regarding Dept of Ed changes.
Grad PLUS Loans: Generally, for graduate school, students can borrow up to the full "Cost of Attendance" (minus other aid) using Federal Grad PLUS loans. These are federal, not private, and have income-driven repayment protections.
Unless you have an adverse credit history or specific disqualifiers, you typically do not have to rely entirely on private loans for Grad school.
Note: If you are hitting the "Aggregate Limit" for Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans ($138k for grad students), Grad PLUS loans usually kick in to fill the gap. Don't write off the federal route until you speak to a literal Financial Aid officer at a school.
Summary of Options
| Option | Pros | Cons | Verdict |
| Keep Applying (Desk) | You are getting final rounds; you are close. | Soul-crushing; no money coming in. | Keep doing this, but only 1 hour a day. |
| Dumb Down Resume | Gets you cash flow (Retail/Service). | Low wage; ego blow. | Do this immediately for survival money. |
| Pre-PA Route | Highest Value. Gets you PCE hours + sets up a high-income future. | Requires grunt work (Scribe/CNA). | Best Strategic Pivot. |
Immediate Mental Shift
You are 23. You feel like the clock is running out, but you are in the first 5 minutes of a 24-hour day.
The economy acts in cycles. It will turn.
AI is changing jobs, not deleting all of them. Healthcare (PA school) is one of the most AI-resistant fields in existence.
30 Years Old, Software Engineer 4.5 Years of Experience thinking of pivoting after being laid off.
Hi all! As the title states, was recently laid of about 4 months ago. I have a security clearance and experience of about 4.5 years working in DoE and DoD programs. I now apparently have the stank and cannot even get recruiter calls anymore. Most of my experience is in Embedded work. I do have a Bachelors in CS with a minor in Mathematics, and I'm trying to explore new potential fields, or really if I should stick it out.
For the record, I absolutely love coding and wish to continue with it as a profession as much as I hate corporate coding at times. Before majoring in CS I started in accounting, and I was thinking about looking into it once again, but I'm sure the field is also struggling with the fake AI layoffs and might have repercussions for lower level work being eliminated in the future. So I'm really at a loss, and not sure what to really even do anymore. I don't wish to go into trades / physical work and expedite the breaking down my body.
I have a small family I need to provide for and really don't wish to move / sell our house we worked so hard for, but I unfortunately for now need to make at least 25-30 / hr to keep the lights on at bare minimum within the next year, before I'm forced to prematurely pull 401k and roth account funds.
Jobadvisor
This is a stressful situation, especially with a family and a mortgage, but I need you to take a breath and look at your profile objectively. You are in a much stronger position than you feel.
You are experiencing "The Stank" (market silence), but it is not because you are damaged goods; it is because the hiring funnel for tech is currently clogged. However, you possess a "Golden Ticket" that 90% of the applicants flooding LinkedIn do not have: A Security Clearance.
Let's break down your situation, why pivoting to Accounting is likely a mistake right now, and how to get that $30/hr immediately while saving your career.
1. The Reality Check: Don't Abandon the Ship Yet
You have 4.5 years of Embedded experience and a CS degree. You are a mid-level engineer.
The Accounting Pivot: Do not do this right now. To make decent money in accounting, you often need 150 credit hours and CPA eligibility. Starting over would likely put you in entry-level AP/AR clerk roles which pay less than your $25-30/hr target and are highly susceptible to automation.
The AI Threat: Embedded Systems is one of the safest harbors against AI. LLMs are great at generating Python scripts or React components; they are terrible at debugging timing issues in an RTOS or managing memory constraints on custom hardware. Stick with code.
2. Your Strongest Lever: The Clearance
You mentioned you worked DoE/DoD. If your clearance (Secret or Top Secret) is still active (or reachable within the 2-year window), you are in a completely different market than the rest of the tech world.
The Strategy: Stop applying to "generic" software listings on LinkedIn/Indeed. You are competing with thousands of laid-off FAANG engineers there.
The Fix: Go to ClearanceJobs.com.
Recruiters there only care that you have a pulse, a degree, and a clearance.
Because getting a new clearance takes 6-12 months and costs companies money, you are a "discount" hire because you are already cleared.
3. The "Keep the Lights On" Bridge Job ($30/hr)
You need $25-30/hr to survive without tapping the 401k. You don't need to work at McDonald's. You can use your tech background for "Bridge Roles" that keep your clearance active and pay the bills while you hunt for the next engineering role.
Look for these titles immediately:
IT System Administrator (Cleared): These roles are everywhere in defense towns. They often pay $35-$50/hr. It’s not coding, but it keeps your clearance active and pays the mortgage.
Test Engineer / Integration Engineer: Often less competitive than "Software Engineer" roles. With embedded experience, you are perfect for this. You test the hardware/software integration.
Technical Writer (Defense): Writing documentation for code. Boring? Yes. Pays $30+/hr? Yes.
4. Diagnosing the "Silence"
If you aren't getting calls, your resume might be failing the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) or you are targeting the wrong industries.
Embedded Specifics: Are you listing the specific microcontrollers (STM32, PIC, ARM), protocols (I2C, SPI, UART), and RTOS you used? Generic "C++" listings get lost.
Industry Pivot: If defense is dry in your specific area, look at Medical Devices or Automotive. They need Embedded C++ engineers desperately and often value the rigor that comes from a DoD background.
Summary Plan of Action
Immediate Income: Apply to "System Administrator" or "IT Support Tier 2/3" roles that require a Security Clearance. This will easily hit your $30/hr target and stop the bleeding.
The Platform Switch: Create/Update your profile on ClearanceJobs.com. Set your status to "Immediately Available."
The Resume Audit: Ensure your resume explicitly states "Active [Level] Security Clearance" at the very top.