Weeks blurred into each other, each one more colorless than the last. Liam had stopped counting the rejection emails—automated replies that all said the same thing in different fonts: “We regret to inform you…” It didn’t matter whether he applied for senior architect roles or entry-level drafting jobs; once his name hit their system, the door slammed shut.

The whispers hadn’t stopped, either. Online forums mocked him with new memes weekly. “#ReyesCollapse” trended longer than ...