> A lot of the entry jobs in tech though are not complicated and can easily be taught on site but even then, companies have defaulted to requiring years of prior experience even for those positions.

I graduated with an AS in programming in the mid-late 1990s. I continually sent resumes for 18mos and got back 2 replies.

I had 2 major strikes against me. I was a new coder. I worked in a region that was reluctant to consider new hires (even for no-skill jobs) w/o an introduction.

My scholarship came with job placement but the entire program was axed by the Contract With America prior to me graduating. Apparently the animosity toward helping folks off the bottom rung outweighed any platitudes about jobs.

I eventually eked out a living doing local IT work but I never did reach a living wage.

The Contract On America as many of us called it. And Newt's legacy has metastasized into even more virulent forms.