That is tough. My brother-in-law got into some trouble with drugs. He was an addict and is mentally ill.
He was set up by a "friend" asked to bring some drugs to someone. He did it only as a favor and was arrested on the spot.
He was put into a dual diagnosis program for people who are mentally ill and have drug addiction. He has since changed so much for the better. But this being on his record has not helped him get a job. He is really an artist. But does landscaping work for money.
Personally, it depends on the kind of job he is looking to get. If he wants to work with kids.....he can forget it. But if he wants to work in a supermarket stocking shelves it shouldn't be a problem.
Sometimes your criminal history will make you a target for discrimination.
A class 6 felony assault is pretty serious. Even though it was reduced to a misdemeanor, the original charge will still show on the records. Once something is on your record it will always be there to be found by someone who wants to find it.
Even when the court says they expunged something from the record, it is never removed from the records. It's kind of crazy.
Like "chrisnoscrub047" said, your boyfriend needs to be seriously upfront about the incident and very honest about the charge that was originally brought against him. People see FELONY and they think you murdered someone.
So....in a nutshell, this will follow your boyfriend pretty much for the rest of his life. I hope this was a one time incident and he dosen't have recurring fits of anger and assault.