My long time acquaintance got out after a number of years, in his late 20s after committing a crime at 19, was intelligent and knew computer science extremely well after teaching himself in prison and after he picked up projects on github and grinded leetcode.
He did gig work, but that wasn't sustainable so in the end he bought someone's identity and lies on resumes and background checks. He can obviously hold no job that does serious background checks. He has a high school education.
Hope you find employment without having to resort to this, but that's a harsh reality.