Job hunting is making me depressed
I'm 24 and recently graduated from university. For the past 6 months, I've been looking for and applying to jobs but the whole process is taking a huge toll on my mental health. I've applied to probably 100+ things but I almost NEVER hear back and if I do, it's a rejection. This has been awful for my RSD, it's almost physically painful and makes me feel so inadequate. I have no motivation anymore. I hate blindly applying to all these jobs on Indeed and I know they're probably not even being looked at but I don't have many other options because my social circle is nonexistent. This entire system is deliberately set up to weed out people like me and it feels deeply hostile and demoralizing.
I've definitely made progress in the past 6 months even if I don't have a job yet: I received my official autism diagnosis, I reached out to an employment centre and they've paired me with a customized employment specialist who helps people with disabilities, I've been attending job fairs (although those are a recipe for overstimulation and burnout), and I went through the long process of applying for disability benefits. I'm receiving income assistance while I wait to hear if I got approved.
I feel like I'm doing everything I can but it's taking everything out of me. I see a lot of posts about struggles at work (which are entirely valid) but I can't even GET a job in the first place which just makes me feel like a massive failure. I don't have a lot of work experience because I couldn't cope with having a job on top of uni and I've never had an internship or anything like that. I feel so ashamed and like I'm way behind my peers even though I know that comparing myself isn't useful or healthy. It just hurts ):
Posted Jun 13, 2025, 10:42 PM UTC