I've got a small piece of job advice for anyone looking and willing to try something new: Machine shops. My dad was a machinist and his dad and his dad before that. One thing I can tell you about the trade is there's always a job somewhere. I'm a cnc programmer at a medium sized shop. I got the job after 7 months at a trade school specifically for machinists; NTMA training centers. There's only 2, and they're in Southern California; Norwalk and Ontario. If you're in the region I'd suggest checking them out.
Here's the cool thing about machine shops though; you don't necessarily have to have any skills at all. At the place I'm at, there are at least 4 guys who started here sweeping the floors that are now machinists or hold other skilled positions at the shop. Eventually, they get trained on a machine or something else, and somebody else gets hired to sweep.
Go find as many machine shops as you can; and I can practically guarantee that they're everywhere, and ask if you can have a job sweeping the floors. It's a paycheck for the time being, and a gateway to a lifelong career if you're willing to work hard and learn.
