“I just don’t get it,” said Weston Nielsen, a recent college graduate who was not hired by a prestigious bank even though he had earned more than 20 merit badges before he turned 15, including Camping, Cooking, and Citizenship in the Nation. “Can’t they tell I’m a natural-born leader with a well-rounded skill set?”

Although he was partially motivated by his dad promising him $100 and his mom planning most of his eagle project, Nielsen feels that earning his Eagle rank also shows him to be a dedicated self-starter. “I guess they just don’t understand how much it says about my character,” Nielsen lamented. “When an important project comes up they’re going to want someone who spent their formative years building enormously unsafe fires at scout camp.”

While he has no internships or relevant work experience, Nielsen is confident his membership in the Eagle’s Nest will catch the eye of a potential employer very soon, he said while cleaning his Dutch oven.