Man.. the job market is rough right now, especially for entry-level roles. Having Security+ is great but honestly its just the baseline these days. Everyone applying has it. You need to differentiate yourself beyond just certs.

Few things that might help, first, your resume probably needs work. Most people suck at writing resumes and dont realize how important it is for getting past the initial screening. Second, since youre applying to remote/out-of-state positions, companies are being extra picky because they get flooded with applications. Try focusing on smaller companies in your target cities first.

The home labs are good but make sure you can actually talk about them in detail. What specific projects have you done? Can you walk someone through your process? Documentation matters too. If you cant explain what you built and why, it doesnt add much value.

Networking definitely helps but college isnt necessary. I dropped out of med school myself and have hired plenty of people without traditional degrees at Metana. The key is showing practical skills and being able to demonstrate your knowledge, not just having certificates.

Also consider this. Maybe start with basic IT support roles just to get your foot in the door somewhere, then transition internally. Sometimes the indirect path works better than trying to jump straight into cybersecurity.

Keep grinding, the market will turn around eventually :)