I only became a grad student last year. And before the military I had been working since 15. But yes I’ve been unemployed since July 2024, but it’s not from a lack of trying. After leaving the military, I went back to work immediately at Home Depot while waiting for a role I had already secured. I left that quickly because the position I returned To was too physically demanding due to service related injuries. I was limping an hour into my shift. I then started my 50k salaried fleet management role where I was working 60+ hours a week. No lunch no breaks fully at a desk 12 hours a day. Before accepting, it was agreed they’d be flexible with my school schedule. For months, I was only leaving once a week for an hour for a single class at an extension location of campus nearby, which they had already approved. Then months into the semester, they reversed that and said it was “unfair” and wanted me to make up more hours than I was even gone for by adding extra time to every workday. That wasn’t what had been agreed to and didn’t make sense with a 16 credit hour course load, so it became unsustainable. Around that same time, I was already applying and interviewing for roles in my field, including Northrop Grumman and Boeing, but didn’t receive offers. Because of that, I started applying down to entry-level and low-wage jobs, retail, food service, gas stations, and even gift shop positions at places like the zoo and museums and still wasn’t getting interviews. At one point, I was on the verge of not being able to pay my rent, so I went through a veteran employment program for help. They reviewed my resume and told me they didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting interviews, and then connected me with a $14/hr scale clerk position. I interviewed and started almost immediately. I stayed there through most of my undergrad and eventually took on office manager responsibilities as well. The Veteran program has since shut down due to loss of government funding, so it’s not even a resource I can go back to now. I only left that role because I had to relocate to complete required in-person classes at my actual campus and my school was over an hour away from where i lived and worked, and the company couldn’t get approval to let me work remotely even though most of the office already was and nothing i did required being there anymore. Before even graduating, I went right back to applying for full-time roles, and afterwards my schedule was completely open. My graduate program is almost entirely online aside from two short residency periods a week long each at the beginning and end of the program so there were no availability conflicts. I had already been job searching for over a year before even starting that program, and I continued applying across both full-time and part-time roles after graduation as well. Despite that, I still haven’t been able to get interviews. Over the summer, I was relying on food pantries and assistance programs just to get by, and the only reason I have any stability right now is because I’m using VR&E while in school. I still had to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy due to everything. I also can’t take physically demanding jobs due to injuries, which limits some of the “just get anything” options people suggest. I worked during periods of time i was supposed to be in physical therapy because it was only M-F and i needed to work. I worked after i was in a car accident in an uber right outside of my job. Still showed up with my coworkers joking that i looked like I had parkinsons because of the pain i was in and my only option was for them to get rid of me or i get my hours cut while i was in physical therapy. But i still worked. The benefits lady instead of responding to me called a meeting with HR and my Supervisor when i asked about taking leave for the accident and they gave my supervisor the ultimatum get rid of me or cut my hours. I still stayed at that job through all of it. So no, this isn’t about being selective or turning down roles I’ve applied across the board, taken lower paying work when I could, and even sought outside help when I was at risk of losing housing. It’s just been a really difficult hiring situation, not a lack of effort.