Can't Find a Decent Job and Suicidal About It

[moonmoon]

I just graduated in 2023 with a degree in computer science and two certificates in related subjects. Made the mistake of not getting any internships. I've sent out 200+ applications for anything from internships to entry-level positions. The best I've gotten were around 10 rejections out of all the applications I've done.

I fought so hard for so long to finish my degree. It took me 6 years and I nearly killed myself multiples times throughout college. I kept pushing even though it was hell because I was hopeful I would get a job and finally make enough to afford to improve my quality of life immensely. Now, here I am, 5 months after graduation still working for a retail store. I've read and heard so many stories about how it's impossible to find an entry-level job or land an internship from people who are way more qualified than I am in my field. One of my tutors told me he was only tutoring because he was laid-off and still looking for work even though he'd been in a programming job for 5 years at that point.

Everything feels like it was for nothing. I'm stuck in a shitty manual labor job and I come home covered in cuts and bruises everyday with 40K in debt. Everyone is telling me, "you will find something!" and suggesting things to try and land a job like I haven't been doing everything in my power to land a job. I am so tired of fighting and struggling. I knew it was stupid for me to be hopeful, but I did it anyways. If I never had hope, it wouldn't have hurt as bad; I'm a moron for thinking my suffering would end.

Been thinking about going back to trade school to be an electrician, but I just feel like it'd be my luck to not land a job. I'd just be wasting my time suffering when I could be dead and at peace.

 

[Kalista]

it's too late until you actually reach the end of the line for education. the amount of effort that kids place for some fucking degree is insane and very unnecessary. the amount of money that's spent just so you can get that one job you were aiming for since the beginning is robbery. now you have to place more effort into getting a job that will pay you enough to pay all of your debt overtime. that's not even factoring the type of work environment you'll be in whether you'll get treated like shit or you'll get lucky to find a healthy work space. if the former, then that's more mental stress you'd have to deal with.

the ridiculous optimism that others place when they say "you will find something!" is very ignorant. these tend to be older generations who had a much better time getting a job when they were younger versus now.
that optimism is also a trap a lot of the time as you've now experienced.

i can only hope no one is pressuring you further to find a job. you need a fucking mental break after studying for years and working your ass off trying to meet every ridiculous deadline the professors set.

know that there are people with masters degree out there that works in a minimum wage job and struggles to find a job that fits their skills. doesn't help your situation, but the point is the optimism placed in this situation is not realistic.

the people close to you didn't properly prepare you for the real world and this falls on them. you've done your part well enough.

 

[Beyond_Repair]

Hey at least you got your degree in something useful and not psychology like me, lol

Not that I don't think you'd eventually find a CS job, but getting into a trade wouldn't be a bad idea imo. They are always needing people and generally pay well.

My dad's an electrician, step-dad's a mechanic, they've both said there's a shortage of young people wanting those types of jobs

 

[Ambivalent1]

Hey at least you got your degree in something useful and not psychology like me, lol

Not that I don't think you'd eventually find a CS job, but getting into a trade wouldn't be a bad idea imo. They are always needing people and generally pay well.

My dad's an electrician, step-dad's a mechanic, they've both said there's a shortage of young people wanting those types of jobs

Why don't you do a trade?

I just graduated in 2023 with a degree in computer science and two certificates in related subjects. Made the mistake of not getting any internships. I've sent out 200+ applications for anything from internships to entry-level positions. The best I've gotten were around 10 rejections out of all the applications I've done.

I fought so hard for so long to finish my degree. It took me 6 years and I nearly killed myself multiples times throughout college. I kept pushing even though it was hell because I was hopeful I would get a job and finally make enough to afford to improve my quality of life immensely. Now, here I am, 5 months after graduation still working for a retail store. I've read and heard so many stories about how it's impossible to find an entry-level job or land an internship from people who are way more qualified than I am in my field. One of my tutors told me he was only tutoring because he was laid-off and still looking for work even though he'd been in a programming job for 5 years at that point.

Everything feels like it was for nothing. I'm stuck in a shitty manual labor job and I come home covered in cuts and bruises everyday with 40K in debt. Everyone is telling me, "you will find something!" and suggesting things to try and land a job like I haven't been doing everything in my power to land a job. I am so tired of fighting and struggling. I knew it was stupid for me to be hopeful, but I did it anyways. If I never had hope, it wouldn't have hurt as bad; I'm a moron for thinking my suffering would end.

Been thinking about going back to trade school to be an electrician, but I just feel like it'd be my luck to not land a job. I'd just be wasting my time suffering when I could be dead and at peace.

Trade school seems to be your option. If it doesn't work, the bus is always there.

 

[Beyond_Repair]

Why don't you do a trade?

They're still pretty male-dominated and from what I've heard I don't think I'd fit into the culture well. I only brought it up bc they seemed to be considering it

 

[Ambivalent1]

They're still pretty male-dominated and from what I've heard I don't think I'd fit into the culture well. I only brought it up bc they seemed to be considering it

What will you do then for work?

 

[SMmetalhead36]

Hey at least you got your degree in something useful and not psychology like me, lol

Not that I don't think you'd eventually find a CS job, but getting into a trade wouldn't be a bad idea imo. They are always needing people and generally pay well.

My dad's an electrician, step-dad's a mechanic, they've both said there's a shortage of young people wanting those types o

Hey at least you got your degree in something useful and not psychology like me, lol

Not that I don't think you'd eventually find a CS job, but getting into a trade wouldn't be a bad idea imo. They are always needing people and generally pay well.

My dad's an electrician, step-dad's a mechanic, they've both said there's a shortage of young people wanting those types of jobs

I can relate. I made the mistake of stopping nursing to pursue psychology after taking a developmental psychology prerequisite course. It was then I fell in love with psychology. Fast forward, I got an an Associate, then a Bachelor's and I thought I was set. WRONG! I remember crying for an hour thinking about time I wasted and I realized I couldn't do as much as I thought I could luckily I had no debt due to pay as you go. Fast forward, up till now I got a masters in general psychology and I get discouraged seeing mostly clinical job postings and I refuse to do anymore schooling because I been in and out of school for 8 years.

 

[Beyond_Repair]

What will you do then for work?

Hopefully nothing if my plan to CTB works out lol

 

[Green Destiny]

I'm in a similar predicament. I've spent ten years working a very labor intensive job and it's catching up to me physically and mentally. I honestly just want to quit because I don't want to work there anymore but I don't have alternatives.

 

[Zanmato]

I've sent out 200+ applications for anything from internships to entry-level positions. The best I've gotten were around 10 rejections out of all the applications I've done.

Damn, I can relate so much.
I'm just so tired.
If they ever call back, they just disappear right after.
Sometimes, I know for sure that they call other persons too, but then they write another job announcement again
I mean, wtf?
No one is good enough?
I just can't believe that.

 

[moonmoon]

it's too late until you actually reach the end of the line for education. the amount of effort that kids place for some fucking degree is insane and very unnecessary. the amount of money that's spent just so you can get that one job you were aiming for since the beginning is robbery. now you have to place more effort into getting a job that will pay you enough to pay all of your debt overtime. that's not even factoring the type of work environment you'll be in whether you'll get treated like shit or you'll get lucky to find a healthy work space. if the former, then that's more mental stress you'd have to deal with.

the ridiculous optimism that others place when they say "you will find something!" is very ignorant. these tend to be older generations who had a much better time getting a job when they were younger versus now.
that optimism is also a trap a lot of the time as you've now experienced.

i can only hope no one is pressuring you further to find a job. you need a fucking mental break after studying for years and working your ass off trying to meet every ridiculous deadline the professors set.

know that there are people with masters degree out there that works in a minimum wage job and struggles to find a job that fits their skills. doesn't help your situation, but the point is the optimism placed in this situation is not realistic.

the people close to you didn't properly prepare you for the real world and this falls on them. you've done your part well enough.

Thanks this means a lot to me. Everyone kept telling me that I would find something, but I just laugh at them. My second to last semester I asked the guy tutoring me why he was tutoring. he said "oh because I can't find work even though I've had over 5 years in the field." So, I was fucked and knew it. tried telling my family to back out of the degree and cut my losses short, but they told me to finish it. I did and shocker.... no job.

Everyone told me to keep looking and make a portfolio of code, so I built up a portfolio on github and it didn't make a difference at all. I'm glad though that at least you understand thanks again friend.

Damn, I can relate so much.
I'm just so tired.
If they ever call back, they just disappear right after.
Sometimes, I know for sure that they call other persons too, but then they write another job announcement again
I mean, wtf?
No one is good enough?
I just can't believe that.

Probably just fake job postings! Up to 40% of companies put up fake postings so it looks like they're growing to stock holders! :) isn't that super awesome? Fuck this dogshit country and every fucking CEO and billionaire in it.

 

[walliwalli]

oh damn. i read the title and thought, yup, this is super relatable these days, then was surprised to see the original post is from 2024. i guess things have been shit for a while.

i'm a soon-to-be data science grad and also live with someone who graduated from a top university and does not have a job after a year. the job market is definitely fucked, but people aren't talking enough about how that's impacting the mental health of recent grads and anyone seeking employment. it is torturous. i have zero hope for my adult life because i am burnt out and don't even want to attempt to face a post-grad job search. so you aren't alone.

i don't know if your situation has changed, but i hope your day-to-day is okay. i know it's disappointing and embarrassing to be in that situation after completing your degree, but it really isn't your fault, and i feel like if you're able to shake off some of the expectations and pressure, you may be able to live more peacefully. it's okay to take it slow or give up. i know a degree is a big deal and you should be proud of the work you did in college, but it also doesn't define the path you need to take. there's no shame in finding work in other ways.

 

[moonmoon]

I can relate. I made the mistake of stopping nursing to pursue psychology after taking a developmental psychology prerequisite course. It was then I fell in love with psychology. Fast forward, I got an an Associate, then a Bachelor's and I thought I was set. WRONG! I remember crying for an hour thinking about time I wasted and I realized I couldn't do as much as I thought I could luckily I had no debt due to pay as you go. Fast forward, up till now I got a masters in general psychology and I get discouraged seeing mostly clinical job postings and I refuse to do anymore schooling because I been in and out of school for 8 years.

Really sorry that happened to you. I can tell you have a passion in it and I really wish that you found something that wasn't ass.

It's funny because you said "at least it wasn't something useless," but it is actually something useless, ha! No company is going to want to take on a new person when they can have an AI do a shitty job or just outsource the job. My brother got an IT internship and they told him over 500 people applied to the postion. So, the thing is a paper weight at best.

I'm a girl too :) but I'm going back to school to be an electrician. I'm afraid of going into the field because I've been sexually harassed at 2 of the 5 jobs I've had. I think I'm just going to carry around pepper spray and unload it into a guy's eyes if he touches me because I'm sick of freaks. Idgaf if I go to jail. I know you're apprehensive, but if you do trades, someone like me would be ecstatic to have another female coworker. Pro tip: if the men are creepy, quit right away and find a new place. Just lie about why you left. My favorite is "I got a major illness that prevented me from working, but I'm all better now :)" they can't pry because it's illegal.

Wishing you the best in life and I hope some magical opportunity blows your way; hang in there :)

 

[aallsskksskk]

Hopefully nothing if my plan to CTB works out lol

this is so real. just the anxiety of thinking i could drown under the stress of the job market is killing me.

time to put professional ctb'er on my linkedin, new meta you guys need to tap in to

> I'm a girl too :)

This thread is really sad to read, im really sorry you have to go through this. while i know handfuls upon handfuls of skilled male friends in the sector, i always respect the women i see there, knowing how hard it is to break through into these jobs. wish you the best of luck, and i really hope things get better for you <3 stay strong, youve made it this far

 

[moonmoon]

oh damn. i read the title and thought, yup, this is super relatable these days, then was surprised to see the original post is from 2024. i guess things have been shit for a while.

i'm a soon-to-be data science grad and also live with someone who graduated from a top university and does not have a job after a year. the job market is definitely fucked, but people aren't talking enough about how that's impacting the mental health of recent grads and anyone seeking employment. it is torturous. i have zero hope for my adult life because i am burnt out and don't even want to attempt to face a post-grad job search. so you aren't alone.

i don't know if your situation has changed, but i hope your day-to-day is okay. i know it's disappointing and embarrassing to be in that situation after completing your degree, but it really isn't your fault, and i feel like if you're able to shake off some of the expectations and pressure, you may be able to live more peacefully. it's okay to take it slow or give up. i know a degree is a big deal and you should be proud of the work you did in college, but it also doesn't define the path you need to take. there's no shame in finding work in other ways.

Crazy I saw this because I just remembered I made this thread! I was embarrassed and ashamed for a while, but now I'm more livid than anything. I got 40K in loans for a paper weight. I know 40 isn't bad, but it isn't good either. I bust ass in a warehouse for little money now. I literally studied the shit that took my job LOL. I was too optimistic about the good things AI could bring (like helping figure out protein folding! Yay). I forgot that this world is mainly oriented around greed and siphoning every last cent out of working class people's pockets.

Really hoping things are different for you. Maybe since you have your graduates it'll be better? The only tip I have is to email your school's career center about finding a job. Getting a good job is mostly (if not all) about networking and connections now, so if the career center knows anyone you might get lucky there. Wishing you the best.

 

[walliwalli]

haha anger probably feels better than embarrassment, at least. i saw your other update and i'm glad you were able to try a different path. hope it goes well.

oh sorry, i mean grad like someone who's graduated. i'm an undergrad student, so i'll only have my undergrad degree. tough either way. and yeah it fucking sucks that it's all about connections. job postings are useless. the only successful people these days are those getting nepotism'd into jobs. blah. much to be angry about.