Quote:Jack Weiss, a 30-year-old chemical engineering PhD graduate from Princeton University, has applied for more than 2,300 jobs since completing his doctorate in 2024. Despite his academic achievements and research recognised by the Nobel Committee, he has yet to find stable employment. Weiss, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah, is now living with his parents at his childhood home. According to The Wall Street Journal, his job search has taken him well beyond his field of specialisation, including applications for software engineering roles and even a food preparation job at a company that sells frozen crab cakes.

Weiss graduated summa *** laude from Rice University before joining Princeton's PhD programme in 2018. His research focused on chemical principles and interactions between molecules. His work on ice formation was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024 as an example of the application of machine learning in scientific research.

He initially applied for research positions at pharmaceutical companies and prestigious fellowships at national laboratories, but most applications went unanswered or ended in rejection.

He later expanded his search to jobs across industries and locations, often without securing an interview. Reaching out to alumni from Princeton and Rice University did little to improve his prospects, with some advising him simply to keep checking company job boards.

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/30-year-old...9754/amp/1

The perfect sad story, right before elections, to make you believe this economy, which admittedly isn’t booming but is still running fine at this time, is so horrible (Thanks to Trump/MAGA/Republicans, etc) that this dude with all these qualifications and awards can’t find a job.

This guy is a ChemE grad. Maybe he might have to do something “beneath” him, but I’m sure as long as he doesn’t come off as some entitled academia prick in interviews, he could move down to TX or LA and land a job with someone like Schlumberger/Halliburton, or at a petrochem or LNG facility. Maybe wouldn’t be what he WANTS to do right now, but at least then he wouldn’t have to live in his parents’ basement and cry on the phone to media outlets.

There's obviously something we aren't being told about this dude.

Something seems odd with this story. I'm skeptical.

Like others have said in the thread already, something seems fishy to me. This doesn't pass the smell test.

man, I was doinkin' a chem eng from League City a few (handful now) moons back ... her degree is in DEMAND...

dude moves back with parents??? ... are ya fk'n kidding muh...

just another emo pooswaah....

According to an October 2026 BLS study, the major is in high demand with employment opportunities growing at 5% for the next 10 years. Something must be unappealing about this specific guy.

(10-23-2026 01:44 PM)VA49er Wrote:  There's obviously something we aren't being told about this dude.

Clearly, this.

I'd like to see an employment roster of peers with his resume and see how many are similarly lifes losers.

Go apply at the local WaWa or Bus-ees, get some real life experience.

(10-23-2026 03:15 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  

(10-23-2026 01:44 PM)VA49er Wrote:  There's obviously something we aren't being told about this dude.

Clearly, this.

I'd like to see an employment roster of peers with his resume and see how many are similarly lifes losers.

Go apply at the local WaWa or Bus-ees, get some real life experience.

My guess is the dude either has no work ethic or is a grade A ahole.

Maybe the man has major personality flaws and unwittingly makes folks uncomfortable when he is being interviewed.

It has to be something like this.

He could be like Jerry of Boston Legal fame.

Regardless, 2,300 job applications ... that is staggering.

(10-23-2026 03:08 PM)banker Wrote:  According to an October 2026 BLS study, the major is in high demand with employment opportunities growing at 5% for the next 10 years. Something must be unappealing about this specific guy.

He needs to stop ringing the doorbells of the office buildings and introducing himself by singing “Hello, my name is Elder Weiss…”

If that’s not the issue, he should probably keep his thoughts on Third Nephi to himself and not discuss his favorite things about General Conference, and never, under any circumstances, lecture on D&C 89 while someone is taking a sip.

Or he may just have BO or bring his parents along on interviews.

(10-23-2026 03:37 PM)Todor Wrote:  

(10-23-2026 03:08 PM)banker Wrote:  According to an October 2026 BLS study, the major is in high demand with employment opportunities growing at 5% for the next 10 years. Something must be unappealing about this specific guy.

He needs to stop ringing the doorbells of the office buildings and introducing himself by singing “Hello, my name is Elder Weiss…”

If that’s not the issue, he should probably keep his thoughts on Third Nephi to himself and not discuss his favorite things about General Conference, and never, under any circumstances, lecture on D&C 89 while someone is taking a sip.

Or he may just have BO or bring his parents along on interviews.

Seriously, though. My kid is a recent ChemE grad from LSU. Not Princeton. Graduated with like a 2.9 or something. Had a good job upon graduation. Yes, they have to wear overalls and a hard hat at times, but it pays damn well, and they're off my payroll at 22 years old and not living in my basement.

Well...if I had a basement, it would probably be underwater. But you get my drift.

(10-23-2026 01:25 PM)PetroCajun Wrote:  

Quote:Jack Weiss, a 30-year-old chemical engineering PhD graduate from Princeton University, has applied for more than 2,300 jobs since completing his doctorate in 2024. Despite his academic achievements and research recognised by the Nobel Committee, he has yet to find stable employment. Weiss, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah, is now living with his parents at his childhood home. According to The Wall Street Journal, his job search has taken him well beyond his field of specialisation, including applications for software engineering roles and even a food preparation job at a company that sells frozen crab cakes.

Weiss graduated summa *** laude from Rice University before joining Princeton's PhD programme in 2018. His research focused on chemical principles and interactions between molecules. His work on ice formation was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024 as an example of the application of machine learning in scientific research.

He initially applied for research positions at pharmaceutical companies and prestigious fellowships at national laboratories, but most applications went unanswered or ended in rejection.

He later expanded his search to jobs across industries and locations, often without securing an interview. Reaching out to alumni from Princeton and Rice University did little to improve his prospects, with some advising him simply to keep checking company job boards.

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/30-year-old...9754/amp/1

The perfect sad story, right before elections, to make you believe this economy, which admittedly isn’t booming but is still running fine at this time, is so horrible (Thanks to Trump/MAGA/Republicans, etc) that this dude with all these qualifications and awards can’t find a job.

This guy is a ChemE grad. Maybe he might have to do something “beneath” him, but I’m sure as long as he doesn’t come off as some entitled academia prick in interviews, he could move down to TX or LA and land a job with someone like Schlumberger/Halliburton, or at a petrochem or LNG facility. Maybe wouldn’t be what he WANTS to do right now, but at least then he wouldn’t have to live in his parents’ basement and cry on the phone to media outlets.

This maga economy gave him over 2300 OPEN JOB POSITIONS to apply for.

(10-23-2026 04:14 PM)UofMstateU Wrote:  

(10-23-2026 01:25 PM)PetroCajun Wrote:  

Quote:Jack Weiss, a 30-year-old chemical engineering PhD graduate from Princeton University, has applied for more than 2,300 jobs since completing his doctorate in 2024. Despite his academic achievements and research recognised by the Nobel Committee, he has yet to find stable employment. Weiss, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah, is now living with his parents at his childhood home. According to The Wall Street Journal, his job search has taken him well beyond his field of specialisation, including applications for software engineering roles and even a food preparation job at a company that sells frozen crab cakes.

Weiss graduated summa *** laude from Rice University before joining Princeton's PhD programme in 2018. His research focused on chemical principles and interactions between molecules. His work on ice formation was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024 as an example of the application of machine learning in scientific research.

He initially applied for research positions at pharmaceutical companies and prestigious fellowships at national laboratories, but most applications went unanswered or ended in rejection.

He later expanded his search to jobs across industries and locations, often without securing an interview. Reaching out to alumni from Princeton and Rice University did little to improve his prospects, with some advising him simply to keep checking company job boards.

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/30-year-old...9754/amp/1

The perfect sad story, right before elections, to make you believe this economy, which admittedly isn’t booming but is still running fine at this time, is so horrible (Thanks to Trump/MAGA/Republicans, etc) that this dude with all these qualifications and awards can’t find a job.

This guy is a ChemE grad. Maybe he might have to do something “beneath” him, but I’m sure as long as he doesn’t come off as some entitled academia prick in interviews, he could move down to TX or LA and land a job with someone like Schlumberger/Halliburton, or at a petrochem or LNG facility. Maybe wouldn’t be what he WANTS to do right now, but at least then he wouldn’t have to live in his parents’ basement and cry on the phone to media outlets.

This maga economy gave him over 2300 OPEN JOB POSITIONS to apply for.

That's +3 right there!

So a guy claims he has applied for over 79 jobs month for the last 29 months.
That’s applying for 4 jobs a day every workday for over two years.
That doesn’t pass the sniff test by itself.

He doesn’t say if he’s interviewing or just sending a resume in after applying.

I don’t know anything about the guy, haven’t seen his resume and I already see a couple of red flags.

1. He’s 30 and lives with his Mommy and Daddy. Seriously… go to McDonalds, and a couple of other fast food places, get two or three jobs so you can be out on your own. That reason alone makes me question his drive for success. I see it as a guy who thinks working 2 or 3 jobs is beneath him because of his education. That says he’s lazy.

2. Bet he has the Nobel citation on his resume. Who in manufacturing sciences like pharma or the chemical industry is going to waste their time with someone like that. If I could give him any advice, I would tell him to scrub that Nobel reference from his resume. With the costs of onboarding a new employee, many companies are reluctant to hire someone who’s education isn’t in the same field as the company’s primary focus. Speaking from experience, the guy is over-educated.

I feel sorry for him. He bought the lie.

(10-23-2026 04:14 PM)UofMstateU Wrote:  

(10-23-2026 01:25 PM)PetroCajun Wrote:  

Quote:Jack Weiss, a 30-year-old chemical engineering PhD graduate from Princeton University, has applied for more than 2,300 jobs since completing his doctorate in 2024. Despite his academic achievements and research recognised by the Nobel Committee, he has yet to find stable employment. Weiss, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah, is now living with his parents at his childhood home. According to The Wall Street Journal, his job search has taken him well beyond his field of specialisation, including applications for software engineering roles and even a food preparation job at a company that sells frozen crab cakes.

Weiss graduated summa *** laude from Rice University before joining Princeton's PhD programme in 2018. His research focused on chemical principles and interactions between molecules. His work on ice formation was cited by the Nobel Committee in 2024 as an example of the application of machine learning in scientific research.

He initially applied for research positions at pharmaceutical companies and prestigious fellowships at national laboratories, but most applications went unanswered or ended in rejection.

He later expanded his search to jobs across industries and locations, often without securing an interview. Reaching out to alumni from Princeton and Rice University did little to improve his prospects, with some advising him simply to keep checking company job boards.

https://www.ndtv.com/feature/30-year-old...9754/amp/1

The perfect sad story, right before elections, to make you believe this economy, which admittedly isn’t booming but is still running fine at this time, is so horrible (Thanks to Trump/MAGA/Republicans, etc) that this dude with all these qualifications and awards can’t find a job.

This guy is a ChemE grad. Maybe he might have to do something “beneath” him, but I’m sure as long as he doesn’t come off as some entitled academia prick in interviews, he could move down to TX or LA and land a job with someone like Schlumberger/Halliburton, or at a petrochem or LNG facility. Maybe wouldn’t be what he WANTS to do right now, but at least then he wouldn’t have to live in his parents’ basement and cry on the phone to media outlets.

This maga economy gave him over 2300 OPEN JOB POSITIONS to apply for.

And then there's that.

(10-23-2026 03:27 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Maybe the man has major personality flaws and unwittingly makes folks uncomfortable when he is being interviewed.

It has to be something like this.

He could be like Jerry of Boston Legal fame.

Regardless, 2,300 job applications ... that is staggering.

Or maybe he has some really stupid stuff on social media.

(10-23-2026 04:35 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  So a guy claims he has applied for over 79 jobs month for the last 29 months.
That’s applying for 4 jobs a day every workday for over two years.
That doesn’t pass the sniff test by itself.

He doesn’t say if he’s interviewing or just sending a resume in after applying.

I don’t know anything about the guy, haven’t seen his resume and I already see a couple of red flags.

1. He’s 30 and lives with his Mommy and Daddy. Seriously… go to McDonalds, and a couple of other fast food places, get two or three jobs so you can be out on your own. That reason alone makes me question his drive for success. I see it as a guy who thinks working 2 or 3 jobs is beneath him because of his education. That says he’s lazy.

2. Bet he has the Nobel citation on his resume. Who in manufacturing sciences like pharma or the chemical industry is going to waste their time with someone like that. If I could give him any advice, I would tell him to scrub that Nobel reference from his resume. With the costs of onboarding a new employee, many companies are reluctant to hire someone who’s education isn’t in the same field as the company’s primary focus. Speaking from experience, the guy is over-educated.

I feel sorry for him. He bought the lie.

Agreed. A more applied type of CV that lists the specific skills he brings, of what he can do for a company on a practical, day to day basis.

His resume should focus on industry, not prestige, not awards, and appear removed from the hallowed halls of academia where theory can trump application. Generally speaking at least, without knowing what he’s even applying for.

I also suspect he’s sending out standard resumes and expecting Princeton to open the door for him, when he should be spending more time tailoring each application specifically and putting time into showing exactly how what he offers matches what they need and solves a problem they have.

(10-23-2026 11:18 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-23-2026 03:27 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Maybe the man has major personality flaws and unwittingly makes folks uncomfortable when he is being interviewed.

It has to be something like this.

He could be like Jerry of Boston Legal fame.

Regardless, 2,300 job applications ... that is staggering.

Or maybe he has some really stupid stuff on social media.

I didn't think about that possibility, bullet. Could be the case.

(10-23-2026 04:35 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  So a guy claims he has applied for over 79 jobs month for the last 29 months.
That’s applying for 4 jobs a day every workday for over two years.
That doesn’t pass the sniff test by itself.

He doesn’t say if he’s interviewing or just sending a resume in after applying.

I don’t know anything about the guy, haven’t seen his resume and I already see a couple of red flags.

1. He’s 30 and lives with his Mommy and Daddy. Seriously… go to McDonalds, and a couple of other fast food places, get two or three jobs so you can be out on your own. That reason alone makes me question his drive for success. I see it as a guy who thinks working 2 or 3 jobs is beneath him because of his education. That says he’s lazy.

2. Bet he has the Nobel citation on his resume. Who in manufacturing sciences like pharma or the chemical industry is going to waste their time with someone like that. If I could give him any advice, I would tell him to scrub that Nobel reference from his resume. With the costs of onboarding a new employee, many companies are reluctant to hire someone who’s education isn’t in the same field as the company’s primary focus. Speaking from experience, the guy is over-educated.

I feel sorry for him. He bought the lie.

Quality post, C-Jim.

Not sad to me.

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