financial crisis we re not less capable as a people as a nation. we had a shock to we made a bad mistake thinking housing was worth more than it was. reporter: the housing crisis limited people s ability to find work. if you have an underwater mortgage it s difficult to sell a house period in this economy. if you want to get a promotion, start a new year and house is 30% underwater your options are much more limited. reporter: economists in this camp insist as the economy heals and demand returns so will jobs even in hard-hit areas. ford s announcement it will hire 7,000 people by 2012 seems to support that but jeff bodkin can t afford to wait for his old job to return. a family man, he must have a steady paycheck. i hope to finish by september and graduate with flying colors and from there take off flying in the medical field, hopefully work for a hospital. reporter: a former construction worker forced to build a new career in a changing