[morgango]

Sorry to hear about this, it stinks and you don't deserve it.

One thing that we don't talk about is how adversity changes us and pushes us forward. Not that it is easy or fun, but it does help us focus on the future.

Let me give my personal example --

I started back in the job market in 1994 after a stint in the US Marines and things were very, very, very bleak (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_1990s_recession ). I was planning on getting a college degree and was living at home with my parents and planning on working part time, likely for minimum wage (then $3.25/hour) in a two-bit town in Arizona.

In my job search at the local unemployment office I found a post for a job that paid a whopping $7.25 an hour, doing telephone technical support for a little startup by the name of America Online. I was discouraged from applying as I didn't have the skills and should focus on something like security or food service. To be honest, I had no degree but did have PC skills, although no telephony experience. So, I went out and bought one and started learning as much as I could in a short period of time. I got the interview and the job, and about a year later the company exploded and I got to ride the wave into a degree in math and career in tech.

Now, I am not a boomer saying that "you need to try harder." I am also not saying that you just need to find the next hot startup and everything will be fine. Neither of these are true and it sucks that you are in this crisis. I was insanely lucky multiple times.

However, what I will say is that when the current economic model isn't working you have the rare opportunity to take a risk and move towards the future. Desperation doesn't feel good, that is why it is such a good motivator. Take advantage of it.

All the advice around here about networking are spot on. What you need is a job or a degree program that will keep you pointed in the right direction. I don't know if you are an international student or not, but if you are then the only thing that matters is getting a work or study visa. If you are lucky enough to be authorized to work in the US then any job that will keep you fed and in a single room in someone else's apartment in Boston is great. Or, find ANY graduate program ANYWHERE in the country that is vaguely palatable to you. Don't go back to a place where you don't want to be.

Again, this sucks, and I am so sorry that you are caught up in this. Your feelings are justified and valid. But you are caught up in this need to accept where you are and move forward. You will have an Engineering Degree from MIT, and that means you are smart and motivated. This is the definition of "grit", and it will be the next step into your future. You don't have anything to lose.