• Name: Wilma Bauer, 56
• Place: Twin Cities, Minn.

I've been actively looking for work for more than three years, after I was laid off in 2009.

I worked in the printing industry in customer service and account management. When I started doing this kind of work 30 years ago, you didn't need a college degree.

Now, employers want a degree.

I was fortune to get into a state program that retrains laid-off workers in dying fields. I graduated in December 2011 with a two-year degree in accounting.

As I apply for jobs, though, I find companies are looking for accountants with four-year degrees. Even though I have experience with payrolls and invoicing, I don't feel like I'm getting credit for my years of experience.

I'm still looking. I send out resumes nearly every day and I'm networking.

Meanwhile, I'm relying on money I had left over from my student loans. I'm way too young to retire, and I can't afford to retire.

NEXT: I want to make my life valid again