‘Can’t even get unpaid internship’: 24-year-old Yale graduate shares how he faced around 500 job rejections

Jacob Cramer, a Yale University graduate, is using Instagram to shed light on his challenging job search, revealing the harsh realities of unemployment even after earning a master’s degree from one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Known on Instagram as @jacobgetajob, the 24-year-old has shared his experience of receiving over 400 rejections in the three years since his graduation.

Cramer graduated from Yale at just 21, achieving honors and later moving to Spain to teach English on a Fulbright scholarship. At 23, he published a children’s picture book titled Grandma’s Letter Exchange. However, despite his impressive credentials, Cramer has found the job market unwelcoming, returning to Ohio to live with his parents after struggling to find work.

“I graduated from Yale with honors 3 years ago, got a master’s, and still can’t even get an unpaid internship,” he expressed in one of his candid posts. He commented with a growing list of rejections, “After 473 job rejections, I’m 24, living at home, and ready to bring my skills to the right opportunity if my bank account lets me.” Cramer aspires to work in the children’s media sector.

In an effort to cope with his feelings of stress and depression, Cramer has turned to humour, posting, “Jacob thought it would be easy to find a job after graduating Yale. Jacob did not find a job. He’s stressed and depressed. At least he doesn’t have to wake up for 9 am class.”

Cramer’s experience reflects a wider trend affecting many highly educated individuals in today’s job market, as indicated by a recent report from Business Insider, which highlighted the struggles that graduates from elite universities, including Cambridge, have faced in securing employment.