Yeah, that is the strategy I am pursuing. Seems the odds are better.

By the way, I am bugged in today because my access out to the west is crawling with fire, police, etc. as Stockton's finest knockdown a brush fire along Interstate 5 that spread into a condo complex and single family areas. From TV coverage it looks like some 4-6 8-unit condos and some 7-8 homes have been lost. This is all about 1/4 mile to my west and south.

My access to the east is doable but would require going through the evacuation center area set up in a large local church. I figure traffic is a mess there, too, and they don't need any more folks going to and fro. This is all about 1/4 mile or less to my east and south.

[Because I live along a slough there is no ingress or egress to the north.]

I took my Master's off my resume in order to better the odds a bit. Since I am retired military I can "afford" to do something a little less "aggressive" income-wise. I do not in any way want this to be construed as "rubbing your face in it" because of my retirement income. The point is altering the resume to fit the situation.

I had a hard time getting over the feeling that not telling them I had an advanced degree was not a lie. It is just giving the necessary information to get the job. Over-qualified? Probably. Employed? Yup. Let the other experience you have slowly, if ever, creep out over time. You can present it as dabblings or experimenting with new and different things. It will show that you have the desire and ability to learn new things.

Just a few random thoughts and babblings.

2 cents.

I noticed an article on CNN a few weeks ago that ranked OKC as the #1 US city best suited to weather the resession. I noticed today that CNN is running a story today that says OKC was ranked last among 50 U.S. cities in a recent study on areas best able to cope with high oil prices.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/12/news/economy/cities_oil/index.htm?cnn=yes

Why can't they just admit that don't know anything? lol

I can tell you that the housing bubble did not happen here. Wages are low compared to the coasts, but the cost of living is just about the cheapest around. Gas has yet to hit $4.00 a gallon.