The thing is.... it's not ALL people that behave this way. It is a shame that you are putting your good faith into those that if you had known their whole personality would of told to F off. I hope your job hunt goes well. Please share stories on how you network and the outcome with the board.
I was considering starting another designation (FRM or CAIA) but because I'm not even in the industry yet don't know what will add the most value. Right now my full time job (beside my full time job) is to network more and try to approach jobs on new fronts.