Not only do most applications take time, I&#x27;ve found that no-degree jobs take <i>far longer</i> to apply for than fancy &quot;skilled&quot; jobs like software work.<p>The full interview funnel is long in software, but the first step is something like &quot;upload your resume to some sites&quot;. Decent low-education jobs, meanwhile, require proprietary sites and lengthy applications. It&#x27;s not uncommon to be asked for 5-10 years of past residences and credit information. Verizon (for a floor job) put me through a 2 hour personality test (as an <i>initial application</i>), then never contacted me again.<p>I can&#x27;t speak to people coming out of trade school, but the only no-degree jobs that you manage 5-10 applications per day for are the really crappy ones like fast food. Anything better than that has a swarm of applicants, so they&#x27;re free to be as demanding and time-wasting as they want.<p>I can&#x27;t really imagine doing 10 applications per day for the sort of job where many companies demand several hours work and none of it transfers to the next place.