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Lee, you a got a point! Our next door neighbor's son did the exact same thing. He is 32 and he lost a computer engineering job. Fortunately, during his teens, he had apprenticed for a plumber and took to that again within months, in addition to living with his dad(he is not married or anything). He is doing quite well for himself as a plumber and stays with his dad now to help him out. Despite being "overqualified" to be a plumber(as some here like to say OVER AND OVER AD NAUSEUM), he got out there and worked anyway and at least has made an income and decent one at that over the last 2 years! In my opinion, he's the one with the leg up. If there is never a strong market for his old profession again, this guy already has years invested in another career and one that's not likely to dry up anytime soon. I'm not thinking this "overqualified" whining is all that genuine. It seems to be used as an excuse to keep oneself out of the "general labor pool" as someone else so rudely said.

PS my husband is a professional who has been laid of TWICE in the past 2 years so don't give me the, I don't know what it's like line. If push came to shove, he would have taken any job over loosing our home. I don't see how an average job blemishes your prescious resumes. If anything, it would show your employer your resiliency. I would think too long of a stretch without any work would be more of a problem than working as a manager for Walmart for a while. Employers aren't stupid, they know how hard economic times are--I find it hard to believe they will begrudge anyone a job who had to find work in another field while things were hard in their original field, particularly if that person keeps their skills in order. In fact, I think it shows a commendable willingness to work and, like I said before, a resiliency. Can't any of you do something privately in your field while working full time in another field? Lessons? Tutoring? Teaching? Writing manuals? Questions for engineering or software textbooks? Developing software on your own to have a portfolio to make up for your employment gap or diversion? This is how I am keeping my skills fresh in my field while I am home with the kids and it's good solid money for part time work--much more even with the occasional gaps in work than I could make full time as a clerk somewhere and I get to stay home doing it.

"Employers aren't stupid, they know how hard economic times are--I find it hard to believe they will begrudge anyone a job who had to find work in another field while things were hard in their original field, particularly if that person keeps their skills in order."

Unfortunately, the mass layoffs generate massive numbers of applicants. Some employers tend to screened entire catagories (eg ex-telecom, ex-dot.com) in order to reduce the processing load to a manageable level. I understand that in the South Eastern US most recruiters were instructed by major construction contractors, not to refer candidates with telecom/dotcom backgrounds. It is just a question of shear numbers, and most of these would be marginal candidates to begin with, since they lack direct experience in the field. The effect is to close off many avenues such as placement and recruiting services to many of those who have lost their jobs.