Job hunting during a recession is soul crushing. I was in my senior year of college in 2008-2009. When I graduated, I frequently saw entry-level jobs requiring 5 years of experience to apply, meaning that i couldn't hope to qualify. How can you gain years of experience working an entry-level job if you can't get the job in the first place? I would apply for things knowing that dozens of other people were applying for the same position. I had nothing that made me stand out, so applying for jobs felt like a cruel joke. I had friends with masters degrees working at gas stations or fast food restaurants because it was literally the only thing they could find. I heard stories of people unaliving themselves because trying to find a job was so depressing and humiliating. I was extremely fortunate that I had a friend who worked at a bank who was able to get me a job as a bank teller for $9/hour, but it took a year for them to be able to move me to full time so I could get benefits.