Maurice Johnson Is Homeless With 2 Master's Degrees (VIDEO)

He's articulate, intelligent and very well educated, but Maurice Johnson says he can't find a job.

The 55-year-old homeless man has a master's degree in plasma physics from Dartmouth College and a masters in Electrical Engineering and acoustics from Purdue University, according to a video from 60 Days and 60 Nights.

Johnson says he's been looking for work since November.

"It's just simply bad luck," Johnson says. "When you have no money, it's very difficult to start over."

Johnson's LinkedIn profile says he formerly worked as a senior research engineer at Lockheed Aerospace Corporation and as an applied physicist at Aerodyne Research Corporation.

The Daily What notes that Johnson "challenges the popular perception of homeless people by being an unemployed aerospace engineer with two Master’s degrees."

WATCH:

Comments

[Over Fifty and OutofWork]

03:48 AM on 09/04/2011

The unemployment problem should be number one in the government's agenda. Right now more than 25 million Americans are out of work and among them are millions of baby boomers. Check out our documentary and multimedia project on people Over 50 and Out of Work. www.Over50andOutofWork.com.

[twin1616]

06:53 PM on 08/14/2011

This is a pure shame. Clearly this man can be a positive influence on society and yet he can't find a job.

[Kelly5472]

01:04 PM on 08/14/2011

So, now that I've watched the video, I still think, there's more to this story. He says he took everything he had and paid off his parents home. Now both his parents have passed, so where is the house? I understand he came to Boston for a new job, and it fell through. So why doesn't he go back to wherever his paid off house is? Even if he has siblings, he is entitled to a portion of it, especially if he paid much of the money into it. Why doesn't he go back to wherever that house is (Cleveland?) and apply for jobs from there, as he did before. He could get a job doing pretty much anything, while waiting for a job in his profession. And, for those people who say he is "overqualified" for many jobs, I certainly wouldn't apply for a job at WalMart and put that I have 2 PhD's on the application. What, will they fire him for not listing all his education? Who would even know? Just saying....it does not seem to me that this guy should be homeless, seems a bit foolish to me.

[AMARTAL]

03:50 PM on 08/14/2011

absolutely, this man and no one else "should" be homeless...

on the other hand, it seems that you think this man is to blame for his situation..."blame the victim" approach may help to justify the predicament imposed on the USA workforce, including the man and question and me, by our politicians and wall street...

i have a masters and a ph d degree and held one-year "visiting professorships" in various state universities after which you are left on your own again! lecturer, adjunct, visiting positions are the academic equivalent of the walmart position...

after 2 years of unemployment, i landed a $13 per hr. job-no benefits-which i got because as my interviewers put it, they could not believe why was i applying for such a low paying position!
i worked for that organization for one year after which it closed due to the economy laying off the entire staff...AGAIN, i am looking for work after having heavily invested in my degrees financially and time wise...

[Kelly5472]

11:27 PM on 08/14/2011

No, I am not blaming the victim, but in this case, according to what he says, this man has a house somewhere that is paid off. Instead of living on the street, which I can only imagine makes it pretty hard to get a job, why wouldn't he go back to the house and apply for jobs from there? As I said, there is more to the story......Also, how many people move for a job without verifying they still have the job? He said he arrived in Boston from Cleveland to take a position that they gave to someone else. Really, he hadn't checked in with them before travelling to Boston? He didn't have anything in writing before up and moving?

I can't speak for you, as all I know is what is in your post. I am sorry that you are in such a spot, but what sort of masters and phD do you hold? I know a lot of people that hold such degrees and got them to teach. Well, then yeah, you have to take what you can get in the academic world. When all else fails, you must re-assess what you are doing and find a job that will pay the bills instead of just doing what you like. I give you a lot of credit for taking a $13 an hour job to get by. I hope you find something more suitable, but I commend you for doing what you need to do.

[Danny McGlashing]

05:16 PM on 08/18/2011

I'm Danny, the one who made the youtube video, and the answer to your question is the housing market in Cleveland. Houses in Cleveland went from around 250-300k to bout 10k in the years after his parents died, the neighborhood got so bad he was kicking gangs of drug dealers of his lawn, and he was one of the only ones left on his street, look at what happened to Detroit -

[Kelly5472]

06:50 PM on 08/18/2011

Thanks Danny, I appreciate the info. The video makes it seem like his situation came up since last fall, and in 6 months he went from a job to homeless. If his situation with his parents was years ago, then where was he working before he came to Boston? Was he unemployed that whole time? I know it's because these internet stories are somewhat abbreviated, but someone with a good job, should have had severence and/or unemployment to fall back on when he lost his job. Believe me, I know plenty of people who have been working the unemployment system for YEARS! So, this story still just doesnt' add up!

[williamwilliam2]

10:15 PM on 08/13/2011

This is likely very true. There was a 'perfect storm' the last few years hitting many 50+ workers: loss of jobs, loss of savings (investments, home equity), and loss of health (parents, self, or kids). People really have to be prepared for the worst and live paranoid of economic lost. It's time to be ultra-frugal. No matter how many democrats you elect, the gov't will likely not be able to care for you as you'd expect.

[Tesa2]

01:43 PM on 08/13/2011

Haven't the wealthy and corporations been receiving huge tax breaks for the last ten years, that they are supposed to be using to create jobs for the middle class?

Last I heard politicians are still fighting to make sure the wealthy and corporations keep getting those tax breaks. So where are the jobs?

[Volantiad]

12:18 PM on 08/13/2011

This is a tough time for a lot of people. My heart goes out to him. I think, though, that too many Americans think a college degree is some sort of employment silver bullet. That if you have BA, BS, etc. after your name you are guaranteed some sort of job and probably one that pays well.

I'm a skilled trades person - a marine engineer - and I make over $60K/year doing a job that barely requires a high school diploma. I work for the federal government, but am not in the military, so I have federal benefits, too.

Just because you don't have a college degree doesn't mean you're 'unskilled.' In fact, the reason many degreed individuals aren't getting hired is because they lack skills necessary in the current job market. It may be now that you're better of being a plumber or electrician than an MBA.

I'm hoping that this tough economic period we're going through might alleviate Americas sigma against skilled trades people. We're more often than not portrayed in media as ham-fisted illiterates who are just there for filler or laughs. Well, I just took a couple of long weekends off in Costa Rica and Panama and am still laughing all the way to the bank.

[bintalshamsa]

08:46 PM on 08/14/2011

My mom insisted that I go to school to learn a trade right after high school and before I started college. I went to a manicurist program and then started working in a salon. I did go on to attend a university later, but I have never regretted getting a trade. It's good to have skills that the average person can make use of. I'd love to be a college professor one day. However, there isn't much of a demand for them these days. In contrast, no matter what economically-depressed part of town you're in, you can always find at least one nail salon that's hiring. It isn't glorious work, but it beats the hell out of homelessness, so I'm glad that it's always an option.

My partner doesn't have a degree, but he works for a video game company that folks go to school for years to try to get hired by. He's just smart and could prove it and that's all they wanted. Our house is paid off and so are our cars and we're both under 35. Our kid is a junior in high school and when she graduates, she's going to some kind of trade school before she starts college. Everybody should have some skill that will keep them from starving.

[biabouman41]

09:54 AM on 08/13/2011

I have been saying that there are 3 million job vacancies, but for the trained and educated.

This just shuts me up. It is scary and it also says that those responsible for hiring and firing are not looking at the future. You cannot discard people like this man and expect to have a viable society down the line.

[sawyer0413]

02:01 PM on 08/13/2011

Thank You for admitting that you were wrong. I see this all the time. I work in the software industry. I hear reports all the time that employers are looking for skilled people, and they are being forced to go overseas for developers. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We can get plenty of qualified candidates in the U.S., but we cannot hire them. Why? Because programmers are less expensive in India and China. I know my company is not alone. I hear this same story from others that I know in the industry at other companies.

So, not only are we (and have we) discarded people, but we are also discarding those new graduates and reskilled workers who have the skills, and we simply do not have openings. This is in the face of 1000s of openings in India and China. That is the truth that our news media needs to tell. Companies no longer need expensive H1B visas. They simply get the workers over there.

[biabouman41]

06:03 PM on 08/13/2011

So as India and China develop and need their scientists we will be left high and dry with no native trained Americans. We are so short sighted.

[moonflowerjewelry]

12:06 AM on 08/13/2011

Even though this is happening on a grand scale AND we know that benes are maxed out AND employers aren't hiring the unemployed, there are still commenters who see the story and think "bulls**t"? People won't believe until it happens to them.
My best wishes for this man, he has a lot to offer his country and any company... just like many unemployed - all the wasted intellect and talent, REAL value that becomes meaningless because of the manipulations of profiteering.

[bintalshamsa]

08:57 PM on 08/14/2011

I feel sorry for folks like that. I think they have to call b.s., because their minds simply can't handle a reality this horrendous. The idea that you can do everything right--you get your education, work hard, and exhibit family values---but still end up on the streets reliant on the very limited services that charitable organizations can provide.

I experienced homelessness as a child. We had a home, but through no fault of our own, it caught fire. Ta-daa! We were homeless. Thankfully we were able to live with relatives, but it was still a terrible situation because I was old enough to see that we were only being tolerated by our more affluent relatives. Maybe having that experience as a child makes it easier for me to deal with the reality that even good, hard-working people can end up in terrible situations. If you've lived a privileged life until now, maybe empathy for people like the man in the video is a lot harder to feel.

[douglazyxx]

11:33 PM on 08/12/2011

This is sad. I feel for the guy. But his "Ghost town in Cleveland's Public Square" is BS...LOL... if he was standing in an intersection at 10 am Saturday...then he would have gotten run over. A little over dramatic there. He is definitely on point talking about stores closing all the time. I wish him Luck

[white dude lulz]

09:53 AM on 08/12/2011

I'd bet his situation is much more complicated than what is reported.

[Jelena C]

08:27 AM on 08/12/2011

Wait...WHAT?! My jaw is on the floor. As someone who majored in English Lit, I can safely say that I am doomed, utterly doomed.

[614banker]

10:58 PM on 08/11/2011

Scary! Downright scary to say the least.

[pablitop]

10:11 PM on 08/11/2011

Good luck sir.

[baybeebluz]

03:41 PM on 08/11/2011

"senior research engineer at Lockheed Aerospace Corporation "

He lost his job in Nov., and he is homeless already. Maybe he should go back to school for a degree in finance because clearly he blew his money somewhere.

[taj72]

10:38 PM on 08/11/2011

If you watched the entire tape, you would have heard him explain that he spent his entire life's savings and sold all of his belongings caring for his sick, elderly parents in their final years. His mother had Alzheimers and his father was also sick. Maybe you should go back to school and learn the first thing they teach, which is listening skills.

[noudidnt]

05:55 AM on 08/12/2011

Fist bump

[Greatest Darthfruit]

03:20 PM on 08/11/2011

This is truly alarming, and there hundreds of people facing similar situations, with outrageous higher learning debts. This is 3rd world, ladies and gentlemen!!