[hoosierham]

Right out of high school in the 70s I was turned down for an $8+ per hour job and ended up taking a harder job for half the pay.My years of labor on the farm would probably have been a better recommendation for that first $8 job than any academic achievement.Teachers tend to make recommendations ought of touch with the working world.

Smart people need to eat ,too;and some are quite willing to do whatever work is at hand.I read that Nikola Tesla worked digging ditches and similar labor when he first arrived in the U.S.;and all the while he had in his head the ideas that became the vast electrical power system that changed the world.

I think it may actually help to simplify one's resume to "graduated from school X" and emphasize work as similar as possible to the job one is seeking if you find yourself seeking(desperate) for just any work.I think it is better to keep working at something that keeps some money coming in while looking for that perfect spot..

[BenKenobi]

So do I, but it’s difficult. They take a look and they keep asking why are you here?

I don’t fit in with their preconcieved notions.

I tell them, it’s honest work. Hire me, I’ll work hard for you until the contract is done.

I wouldn’t be surprised about Tesla. Einstein was a patent clerk too.