I'm in the same boat as a lot of the people in this forum... have applied for possibly hundreds of jobs now but either never get a call back, even when I follow up, or am told that the position is filled, but that I was a "strong candidate" (like that helps). Fortunately my parents are okay with me living off them, but I feel ashamed and depressed nevertheless. I have a Facebook and I try not to look at it because most of my "friends" are still comfortably in school or are doing something with their lives while I'm sitting here stagnant and alone. What hurts most is that the person I used to spend the most time with, who is going on with their PhD in the same program we both graduated from, now doesn't even talk to me anymore.

I was going to grad school in Canada right out of college but hated the program and the area and felt extremely suicidal, so I left for a short-term internship. The internship was fantastic, but as it was short-term it had to end, and with it my employment. I did a few volunteer activities after that but still wasn't able to secure anything. Now I'm starting to regret all of my choices, thinking if only I'd transferred to a better Bachelors than what I did, if only I'd kept on with my grad school degree, if only I'd done more in college, &c. I have the resources to go back to school, but my fear of choosing something wrong AGAIN is stopping me. My mother has been asking me what I want for my birthday, which is coming up in a few months, and I've actually refused because I felt so ashamed at being such a freeloader and a failure.