These Are the Times That Try Men's Souls

It has been almost six months since I completed my master's degree, and I'm still toiling away in purgatory. I am so sick and fucking tired of working retail. I'm so sick and fucking tired of working my ass off, doing what I'm supposed to do (go to college, get good grades, work hard, etc.) and continue to spin my wheels getting nowhere. I recently went up to D.C. for an interview, and despite my best efforts it did not end in a job offer. My student loans will soon be due, and I'm having to cash in my 401(K) just to make rent. I feel defeated.

Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved.
See my heart, all decorated like a grave.
You don't understand just who I was supposed to be.
Look at me now, I'm a man who won't let himself be.

Down in a hole, feeling so low.
I'd like to fly, but my wings have been so denied.

Alice in Chains, "Down in a Hole"