IBM? He tried to get in at IBM? This is like trying to get in at GE.
They take ONLY the best of the best, and that includes the janitors. Bush prosperity years or no, he didn't stand a snowball's chance, and shouldn't have even tried. These companies demand all you've got, handsomely compensated of course, but there is no time for pothead hobbies. Or any hobbies, for that matter.