LOS ANGELES -- The laundry machines never stop at this San Fernando Valley hotel, but yet a few years ago, the Salvadorian native manning them had never washed a shirt in his life.

“At first it was really frustrating,” said Luis.

Luis lost a lot of things when he came to America, he had to give up his extended family, his language, and his career.

He had never worn a uniform to work before. In El Salvador, he was a respected accountant, with more than 20 years of experience; he had an office with a view and an assistant who brought him coffee.

“When you arrive to this country, you no longer say 'bring me coffee,' instead people say that to you, it’s going from one extreme to the other,” said Luis.

But safety concerns forced him and his family out of El Salvador.

Now, Luis has become part of the one third of highly educated immigrants in the United States that are overqualified for their job, about two million in all. 

“We are people that want to be useful, that we are looking for a place to grow in this society,” said Luis.  

About 30 miles away, Doctor Adan Romero is seeing one of his patients at one of the local clinics for Martin Luther King’s Community Medical Group in Compton.

But what many of his patients don’t realize, is that six years ago, after having finished medical school in El Salvador, he moved to the U.S. and for a time, he was a doctor working at a supermarket stocking shelves.

“I never lost hope that is what made me continue, keep going and looking for opportunities to practice, but it was rough times,” said Adan.

He found out about UCLA’s International Medical Graduate Program, one of just a handful of programs in the U.S. that help immigrants certify their licenses and certificates from their home countries in order to continue their careers here in the States. It took Adan five years to become a U.S. board certified doctor, but now his Spanish skills and extensive education are being put to good use.

“I’m happy and thankful to work in this community, which is in great need,” said Adan.

Back in the laundry room, Luis will finish up in a few hours, then head to his other job. He’s also taking classes to improve his English and hopes to someday find a way to validate his degree. He’s thankful for the job he has, but he still feels out of place, as an accountant in a laundry room.