We have a few more months left of our senior year so we’ve been stepping into the job market to save up for college funds and a future apartment. I managed to land a job through our school district’s transition program that partners with a thrift store, but my friend hasn’t had any luck whatsoever. He has applied to almost every single entry level business in the area, minus Target, Starbucks, and a local grocery store chain that severely cut hours for workers. We have other friends that had bad work experiences with those places.

Only one food service business responded back. They agreed to do an interview, praised him for how great of an employee he would be, and then emailed him a rejection claiming that there’s “more people applicable for the job”. Do you have to have a degree in quantum physics and an internship for the United Nations to press buttons on a pop machine now?

He’s been dogging this for months and the constant barriers are making him depressed. I even brought him to my workplace after my shift so he could talk with my supervisor about job opportunities which ended up being a bust because the employer never responded back to his online application.

I’m planning on talking with my special ed case manager about the vocational services they help provide to see if my non special ed friend can use them, or at least direct him somewhere. It’s making ME angry seeing him so defeated. He is a hard worker that constantly maintains As and Bs to look good for colleges and employers despite the stress it puts on him. it’s rather upsetting :/