I have been unemployed 7 and a half years. (it is true) In the middle of it all, my special needs kids qualified for assistance/welfare and I took advantage of it to meet household expenses. I am indebted to grad school loans of $80,000. I have typical expenses of anyone with 8 kids (as of last few months half moved out) I have no specific, solid specialization or license in any occupation, but I have experience in mental health. (Master's in psychology, computer degree, police training). I'm not even sure what this site is about. I was told by my grad school career counselor to apply to Home Depot because My grad school does not place their graduates nor do they have any relationships with mental health job agencies. After an unsuccessful job search for a year, my counselor said to go to Home Depot. I realize any desperation or sympathy on my part does not increase my chances. Everyone has advice for the unemployed. Small adjustments on one's resume, LinkedIn, Facebook, interview skill, or attitude, all make a difference in order to remove things that ruin one's chances of being hired somewhere. I've learned that every case is different. Mine is unique since I have kids who require 24 hour care. My wife's situation complicates things but the solution is for me to get a stellar job somewhere. The closest Home Depot is about a mile from me.