This does not mean they can not find productive and good-paying careers.
I started, with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1972. My first job was doing research on manufacture of fuel for nuclear reactors -- pretty close to chemical engineering.
Second job was development for a company that made electrically conductive polymers -- getting a little further afield.
Retired 13 years ago from a major aerospace company where I was a project manager in their optical sciences department. Not much chemical engineering in there.
But, I accumulated 20 patents over the years, chemical, mechanical, electrical and optical engineering. So lets just say a STEM career can be rewarding even if it isn't in your own field.
You missed the WHOLE point. Without the Indian OTP and H1B trash in this country, these 74% of graduates could work their fields. Yours is a sample size of 1. And being forced to work at Walmart or Starbucks is light years different than working in a related field as you did.
Recent graduates and industry veterans alike are locked out of this entire field due to extreme Indian racism, nepotism, cheating and favoritism.
I guess a patent in flipping burgers is in their future.