Are generations divided around job seeking?—Unemployed man with 13 years of IT experience faces pressure and demands from his parents and their unrealistic understanding of the job market: 'Most people apply for a job and have it in a few days except you'

The candidate explained how their parents bewilderingly both:

1. Want them to find a job.
2. But also give up on their 13-year career because of one bad interview and a stagnant job market

This places them in a difficult situation where their parents have somehow convinced themselves that their son is the problem and not the current state of the job market amid masses of ghost jobs, a flood of AI applications, and ruthless AI hiring programs that act as barriers to the hiring process. 

This candidate shared their frustration in a post to a popular Reddit subreddit where job searchers share their experiences.

The following is how the candidate began their post.

Hi. Me again. Here to b*** and moan about my folks again.

My dad wants me to give up on an IT career. He says, "Because you have had opportunities come by and they don't pick you, it's not the job opportunities," and then shrugged. All because I bombed an interview with a company he helped me get an interview at. 1 interview I did bad at, and suddenly I'm the entire problem. Not that hiring is fundamentally broken right now or everything is AI slop and recruiters don't want to get back to me for whatever xyz reason. 

It's me. 

Then my mom says, "Most people apply for a job and have it in a few days except you". 

I almost screamed. I calmly said, "That's not how things work anymore," and she also just laughed it off.

They elaborated on how their parent's expectations were basically impossible.

So just to clarify, this is what they want from me:

Find a full-time career that isn't IT-related despite me being in that area for over 10 years.

Find immediate work. Like wake up tomorrow and immediately have a job.

Accept that the IT career is not going to happen, BUT don't give up on it because it could still happen.

Do all this as soon as possible in a world where IT people take WEEKS to even respond

The candidate's father, clearly frustrated, seemed not to understand that when even recruiters aren't responding with jobs, then that means things in the job market are very bad. 

Then, my dad asks me about the recruiters I spoke to a week ago. "What about all the people who told you they can get you back to work?" I tell him, "I have followed up and heard nothing". He just shrugs and goes, "How much longer are you going to be doing this until you realize it's not gonna happen?" and I just walked away.

They have worked in IT for 13 years and can't comprehend starting over with their career simply because they can't find work right now. 

How am I supposed to come to grips with the concept that I've wasted the last 13-ish years studying IT and just "move on" to a new career that I have no clue what it could be. I have zero idea right now what I can do. Realistically, I want an IT engineer job, but that is just not happening, not for a lack of trying. There is an insane amount of pressure on me, and I feel like I'm ready to burst.

Also, keep in mind last Wednesday I managed to start part-time work with a guy I met driving who I can bill for $45 an hour, and he pays. I made 900 bucks in 3 days last week. "That's nothing," says my mom. "You need something more". Something to get you "out of the house and motivated". They also claim I have zero motivation in life. Not that I'm under tremendous pressure from all sides at all times and deal with d**pression ("We all get a little sad sometimes," my mom says).