Hey everyone,
I could really use some advice because I'm running into an unusual problem that is making it difficult for me to find a job. For context, I went to school and studied computer science and mathematics, and got a bachelor's degree in both. After graduating, I initially had a resume which listed my degrees along with research, publications, RA/TA experience, and personal projects.
I was applying to jobs in my area, pretty much trying to find anything I could. I wasn't looking for anything fancy because applying for high-paying white collar jobs is too much of a headache and I just wanted to pay my bills. So, I applied to warehouses, gas stations, retail jobs, and other similar positions. After getting nothing but rejection, I did a little research and read that sometimes it's possible to be "overqualified" for a job.
After learning this, I removed most of my college-related stuff from my resume and simplified it a lot. I removed my computer science degree so it looked like I only got a degree in math, and I briefly listed my small amount of work experience, which was some paid TA and RA work at my university along with driving Uber on the side.
After doing this, I was actually getting responses from people and I had a few interviews lined up. I managed to get a job at Domino's, but it wasn't really working out for me because I was making the minimum wage of $7.50/hr and struggling to pay all my bills. I was looking for something that paid a little more. Eventually I got to the interviewing stage with a couple other companies.
The first was this factory about 20 mins away from my home that paid $19/hr and was full-time. I really wanted this job because the job description made it sound super fun. I would've gotten to do measurements and operate equipment all day and it seemed like a really cool, hands-on job. But when I got to the interview, they started grilling me about my math degree and said something like "I bet you're just looking for a temporary job until you find something in your field." I told them it wasn't true and I just studied math for fun but it seemed like they didn't believe me or something? They even told me at the end of the interview that if I could get a degree in math I wouldn't have any difficulty doing this job. I took this as a positive sign, but the next week they still rejected me.
The second was this part-time job at a farm nearby that paid $16/hr. I also really wanted this job because I like being outside and doing hands-on work. But when I got on the phone with them, they did the same thing and started grilling me about my math degree, and seemed really suspicious about why I'd be applying for their job. The day after the phone interview, I got rejected again.
Anyway, a similar thing happened to me a couple other times too for jobs I didn't care about as much. It seems like I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I only have a few options:
Be honest about the fact that I went to college when applying for entry-level jobs. This has not been working for me so far.
Apply for jobs I'm actually qualified for. I've tried doing this a little bit when I was applying for internships in college, and it's basically a dead-end too. I applied for literally over 100 and got nothing but rejections.
Lie about ever having gone to college. Then, I have nothing to show on my resume since I have very little work experience, and there's nothing on my resume to make me stand out.
So what should I do? It seems like I'm screwed no matter what. I'm living in my parents' basement right now and I'm trying to move to a new state and find work, since we live in a small town with few employment opportunities.
Any advice you have, I would really appreciate. Thank for you reading.