I graduated college during the Carter Recession, got a job upon graduation and was laid off after four months. I moved back home for awhile and then moved in with friends before I finally got a job as a telephone operator. It wasn’t anything I had trained for during college but I was running out of lifelines.
Other than a year off to write a book, I have been drawing a paycheck ever since. It was not what I wanted to do or thought I’d be doing but I’ve made my peace over it. Ultimately, having a track record as a good worker is more important than a sheepskin.
Good on you for keeping up your work ethic. After the Civil War, I am sure that a lot of Southern aristocrats were impoverished and did stuff they didn’t like or planned on doing. But they did it and got working.