Be heard.
Thanks to Tony Petrucci for sharing this. Unemployed people are encouraged to participate. More info...
Can't find a job after graduating college
Thu, 07/15/2010 - 13:56
Hi,
I want to first say thanks for this website. I really learned a lot in reading everyones posts. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on how to start a career after college when 2-3 years of experience is required for most jobs that I see? I graduated over a year ago and I have applied to so many jobs and I either get no response at all after the application or no response after an interview. I would at least feel better if someone took the time to reject me in an email or with a phone call so I could have some idea of what went wrong.
I am looking for very entry-level work but I have had no luck. I know that I am more than capable to fulfilling the responsiblities that most of these entry-level jobs require. A lot of them don't even require a college degree so I wonder why I even got one.I have applied to internships and part-time jobs too and get no response. Most of the people my age that I know who have jobs have had their job basically handed to them by a family member or family friend. They do not understand how difficult it is to even get your foot in the door for an interview without such connections. I have few optitons other than applying online and I feel totally hopeless. I am so depressed an frustrated. I feel useless and I can't ever imagine getting hired because I have not had one feeling of success in this whole process. I try to keep myself busy with excercise and other things but I am losing the motivation to keep going. I don't want to socialize much because I feel awful when people ask me what I am up to and I have absolutely nothing to say. No one seems to understand or sympathize and they just assume I am not trying hard enough.
I really dont know what to do. I want to work hard and I want to learn but I have not had the opportunity. I don't know who to turn to. I feel my life is just passing me by and that I will always be waiting for it to begin. If anyone could please respond or give me any suggestions I would really appreciate it. I am so lost.
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 23:43
#2
Hey kaf
Don't give up. I know it's tuff out there. Get creative, Chuck has some really good ideas on here and from what I've seen there's plenty of support. Hang in there and best of luck.
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 02:18
#3
Another recent graduate's lament
I'm in the same boat. I just graduated, too. I have some work experience but it is limited to the part-time work that paid my tuition. Between that and the remaining student loans I sometimes feel completely shut down.
My daily job search activity:
I need a job. I'll apply online! This website has a lot of listings. I'll narrow my search. Make my list entry-leveled! Let's read the description . . . I can handle all those responsibilities! What a great fit! Scroll down . . . Scroll down. . . 2 years experience required. What? sigh Next job listing. . .
and it goes on from there. You need experience for the job, and a job to get experience. You need money to pay the bills, and you need to pay your bills or they won't let you earn money. You need to find a job, but employers want to hire those with jobs already.
On a lighter note, have you ever considered the Peace Corps? Right now it's going up on my list.
Tue, 08/03/2010 - 06:51
#4
Do it
The Peace Corps could be a great option for you. If I were you -- young, no family responsibilities, no other options -- I would do it.
Fri, 06/24/2011 - 21:53
#5
I know what you mean...and more ideas, please?
Hey kaf12- I totally feel for you!
I just started reading this blog, and I thought about writing something pretty much exact to what you wrote. I'm going through the exact same things, and the exact same emotions. It's so frustrating!
I like the advice so far, but at the same time it's not the most helpful. I've thought of things like this over and over again, "What am I good at? what do I like? how can I make money from it?" and there is basically nothing. I don't know how to sew, I don't know how to make cutesy little crafts, etc. Maybe you guys could please elaborate, or give us a little push to ideas that people like me and kaf12 wouldn't normally think of? Peace corps isn't quite the option for me.
Thank you all for your support!Best of luck to you kaf12.
OOPS, just realized this was a year ago??? LOL. Can you tell I'm new to this stuff?? :P
Sun, 06/26/2011 - 11:34
#6
OK, fair enough
Jb33, you have made an important step in determining that you do not currently possess any fungible skills.
This is great! You are a tabula rasa, a clean slate. You now have the luxury of asking yourself: What do I want to do? What would I do if I could do anything? Write down a list, and make it as wild and crazy as you want. Shoot for the stars and you might hit the moon, as they say. Don't limit yourself. If you want to be an American Idol, write that down.
Now take the top five items on your list -- the first five you wrote down -- and write each one of them as the header of its own sheet of paper. On those sheets of paper, write down the actions you will need to take to make those dreams reality. If you want to be a chef, you're going to have to attend and graduate from culinary school, for example.
Anything is possible. The only thing standing in your way is you. Get out of your own way and blaze the path forward!
Mon, 06/27/2011 - 14:07
#7
I have to vent, I feel
I have to vent, I feel worthless unemployed. I awoke today on another beautiful monday morning, I looked at my email inbox, and again no responses from the numerous counseling jobs I applied to in the five boroughs of new york city. It has been four weeks that I have been jobless, and I am entering my fifth week today. Random crying spells persist and I beg God to tell me what is my destiny? Will he allow me to find job helping others, get married, have kids, move out of the city to the suburbs away from poverty and kaos? I am begging my friends and family through texting and calls to help me find work. Nothing is working, no one will hire me. I feel horrible. Everything I ever worked for, and the only thing I have ever been good at is sinking down the drain. There's only enough money left to help me survive the month of july. When i tell people i cant find a job and i have a masters degree they look at me like i told them i have cancer and i shatter on the inside. I am trying the best I can and I am doing everything that everyone has advised me to do, but its not working.I graduated from an New York City ivy league university in 2009 with a masters in psychology. this degree was a waist of time. In nyc you can not work as a mental health counselor at a hospital, university, or any institution that bills with medicaid or hmos without a mental health counselor license for practice. i do not have the license. i am not allowed to sit for the license exam without working a paid counseling job for 3000 clock hours under a specified supervisor with a ph. d in psych or a m.d. in psychiatry. truth be told most of the supervisors at mental health facilities have social work licenses: LSWs or LCSWs. making them unauthorized to sign my clockhour times sheets. This has becoming a revolving never ending door and game that I can not win at. i cant get hired without the license, but i cant get the license unless i get hired. what the fuck am i going to do, i am so fucked!God please help me, I am so sorry for whatever it is I have done wrong.
Tue, 06/28/2011 - 08:42
#8
You have done nothing wrong.
You graduated with a Master's in Psych from Columbia (I assume). That sounds like doing something right to me. It's definitely not a waste.
I'm not really a religious person, but I do think that if there is a God, He/She/It places these obstacles in our way not as a curse but as a blessing, an opportunity to become a stronger, wiser person. Every blessing is a curse and every curse a blessing. You are meant to grow from this. I'm sure of it.
On a more practical note...
Maybe you're barking up the wrong tree. Maybe you should apply your knowledge in another area. Madison Avenue is full of agencies that want to manipulate people into buying crap. Perhaps your skills could be applied there for a while. Sell out for a while, get the licenses and certifications you need, then get into helping people.
A lot of jobs aren't even posted. Make a business-type resume and start sending it out to businesses by snail mail, then call each one to follow up and see if they got it. This is a huge city, and I promise you there is someone out there who could use your skills.
Whatever you do, do not despair. You know how damaging self-pity is. Hold your head high and have confidence in yourself. Fake it 'til you make it if you have to, but you have value. Someone will see it, but only if you see it first and put it on display.
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 03:35
#9
Im feeling ya!!!
Hi Im from England and in exactly the same fucking boat! ahem pardon the french!!! I have a BA in History and a Masters in Cultural History and last year I completed a PGCE (for teachers) in the college sector like Alevels etc Im just explaining cos our education system may be a little diff! I also completed another short intense cert for teaching English as a foreign language. I have been out of work for a year its fucking driving me insane! Ok I have a three week contract for teaching English to foreign students but whats goona happen after??
I know Im the same on the internet writing emails making calls dunno what the fuck they want I have the qualifications but need the experience how do you get if no one gives u a chance?? Empty promises by various education agencies Ive changed my CV its endless!!!
My mum says keep throwing the mud cos something will stick!! How much fucking mud do I have to throw?
Im putting my feelers out to maybe do a phd but will that guarantee a job? The analysing in ya head even the sun cant make me smile (thats right we do have some sun in England lol!!)
sigh sigh
Keep at it! Could you volunteer or get into your field or approach it from another way?? Im looking into learning support even though Im a teacher just to keep the brain alive!!!
Dont give up !!
Sun, 07/24/2011 - 16:14
#10
Post-College Blues
It's been 6 months since I lost my part-time job. Two months since I've graduated, and one month since I flunked the LSATS. I've indulged myself in applying to 25-50 jobs a day for the last month. I thought that maybe, just maybe someone will have pity on me and just hire me, entry-level or experienced. I'm down to broke, so broke that I agreed that babysit my nephew for 100$ a week. That's 20$ a day. That's my 9AM-5PM.
At this point, self-pity is all I have. Mainly because it's free and partially because, well I'm a believer.
I believed what they told me in school. You need blah blah blah in order to succeed and get a good job for the rest of your life. A good job? Where?
At this point give me a bad job and I'll be happy.
Each day the Peace Corps. get's so much more appealing. But then, as the hopeless believer I am, I think that maybe the 27 months commitment is too much, because what it someone replies to me? And it's not an automated message? What if it's an ACTUAL person that ACTUALLY read my resume and cover letter and wants ME.
Then I could have a life again.
Then I won't have to ask my mom for money or depend on my boyfriend to pay for everything. Then I won't have to worry that all I have is a 20$ a day job.
Unemployment, life after college.
Mon, 07/25/2011 - 18:23
#11
Hang in there, kid
Believe me, your life could be a lot worse and will get a lot better. That's the way it is -- "Flyin' high in April, shot down in May."
Hang tough. You'll figure it out.
Fri, 07/29/2011 - 16:01
#12
I hear you sister.
Just wanted to let you know I've been there (who am I kidding, still there) and I graduated from college two years ago. I'm working for company where I am over worked and severely underpaid (literally, I'm making half of poverty level income. Hooray!) and if I didn't have my incredible boyfriend to split rent with me, I'd have to move back home.
It IS really difficult because not only in school, but your entire LIFE you're told the order of things is "go to school, get good grades, go to college, graduate, get a career". There are legitimately none to be had. It's infuriating and devastating. I know. It's a struggle.
I know it doesn't really help me (personally) when someone says 'oh it could be worse' which, I've found, is all people really can say when they're trying to help. The fact is that this all sucks serious ass right now. It really does. But one thing that my Dad told me that did put things into perspective is that I'm fortunate that I'm starting out my life dealing with this; I'm not half way through or towards the end. I'm 25 and have time to establish myself. At least I'm not 45 and supporting a family.
Granted, that doesn't make any of this fair, but I hope that it at least helps a little, like it helped me.
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 11:01
#13
Life after College
I know exactly what you mean. After paying tuiton I applied for 6 months with no call. My friend recommended a company that writes resumes and cover letters. I put it off but after 8 months I decided whats 30 bucks when I am trying to get a 35K job. I ended up having them write a resume and cover letter from my experiences and their writer was an attorney. I ended up getting a job along with 5 calls. Check them out. Hmcareerservices.com. I just got promoted and will never forget the sleepless nights and stress of not finding a job.
Fri, 08/26/2011 - 00:15
#14
due to the fact that many students
due to the fact that many students who actually finished a degree in college find it hard to find a job many people these days believe that young individuals are better off just getting employment now and not bothering with college anymore, as the financial state is in crisis. It seems like a good idea, kind of. But there are still evidence which suggests that most young individuals are still better off going to college. Source of article: Dropping out of college more pricey than staying
Sat, 08/27/2011 - 03:48
#15
Hi anonymous
Glad things seem to working out!!!! That Cv website looks good I will check them out!!
I'm just plodding along to wait and see whay happens lol even thinking (eventually) about abroad teaching English far away there is plenty of work out there in far eaastern countries but fa over here!!!
Let me know how it's going
take care
Viv
Tue, 09/20/2011 - 19:41
#16
Feeling your pain
Honestly, I know exactly what you are going through. I graduated in Dec 2010 and basically lost my part time job at J.C Penny because of the lack of hours. Took an expensive lsat class so that I could go to law school. My scores really didn't change from the beginning to the end so I decided I would not take the exam. Whats the point when you are scoring in the 140s on the practice tests. Anyway I moved all the way from Pittsburgh, PA to Tacoma, WA with my boyfriend in the military who I basically depend on at this point. I send out my resume and write cover letters to no end and have yet to really have anyone call me back. I feel so worthless not having a job I wake up asking myself what was the point of going to school. I currently am on the peace corps website right now looking for a job for myself as well but being a green card holder and not a citizen is kind of a draw back. I wake up and ask myself everyday why did I go to college? I know people who decided to forget college and just work after high school and they are making more than I am or was making at my JC Penny job. I am trying my best to keep faith but I lose a little bit more of that everyday. Did not intend to write anything and came on this site to see what others are doing and now am on the brink of tears with my frustration.
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 19:14
#17
Don't lose hope
I'm a little older than you. At risk of sounding like an old fart, I just want you to know that everything is temporary. Life is full of ups and downs and little detours. Just roll with it. Before you know it, this phase of your life will give way to something different and better.
But it's really, really important to maintain a positive outlook. Once you give in to hopelessness and self-pity, you're toast. It becomes a crippling, self-fulfilling prophesy. Trust me -- I speak from experience.
Try to find something for which you can be grateful. Appreciate beauty wherever you find it. Live with love in your heart.
You will be OK!
Fri, 10/14/2011 - 03:22
#18
hi everyone-
i have read
hi everyone-
i have read these accounts here and it only creates more anixety and panic over my outlook. i was forced to drop out of college because my loans could not be renewed and have worked various odd jobs to get by since out of school. i have been unemployed for a while now and what i had previously earned barely allowed me to scrape by and i have no savings to show for it. i cant pay my credit card bill, phone bill, car insurance, and internet bill because i have less than $300 in my bank account. i need the car to look for jobs that may require more distance than a city bus could provide, i need my phone to receive calls about employment and to follow-up with employers, i need my internet to look for jobs (it's just ridiculous now that most places such as the library and restaurants now either require you to purchase something and also have time limits on their wifi. who can send resumes to 300 places in 1 hour? certainly noone i know!), and i need my credit card to try and build somewhat of a decent credit score for myself since i demolished it by taking out college loans that i have had to cease payments on. the only things i have been able to purchase for my self have been food items and gas; that's it. i am not eligible for unemployment because i had not worked long enough at my job before i was laid off and i have no other financial backup out there. i dont know what i am going to do to survive past this month. i also have no other human beings to rely on for support which makes for some unbearable days starting and ending in tear-filled breakdowns. none of my things have been selling on ebay either. i am at my wit's end and sometimes think crashing my car would just be easier. what can i do? someone? anyone? if you can't hide from bill collectors and cant afford to eat or just get by, WHAT CAN A PERSON DO?!?!
Fri, 10/14/2011 - 22:59
#19
I've been right where you are
It sucks mightily, no doubt about that.
First thing to do is take a deep breath, exhale, then take another deep breath. Now sit up straight and continue taking in as much oxygen as you can.
Continue this exercise and repeat to yourself over and over: "This is temporary. Everything will be OK." Say it until you believe it in your heart of hearts. Then say it some more.
Second thing you do is ask what you need to do. Don't pray from a foxhole, "God, please let me get out of this alive." Just ask the universe, God, yourself or whatever you're comfortable asking to be shown the next step. You will be shown.
Next thing you do is take that step, as difficult as it may be. For me it was picking up the phone and calling total strangers. At first I was mortally afraid, then it became easier, then my life changed. For you it might be something totally different -- it might be hitchhiking to New York City to join the Occupy Wall Street protest or taking your guitar downtown and playing on a corner or painting a picture or a thousand other things. Your path will be yours alone. That is the beautiful and scary thing about your life -- it's all yours.
Finally, repeat the first step daily -- breathe deeply, relax, assure yourself it will be OK and humbly ask to be shown what to do. Then do it. The hard part is doing it.
Best of luck to you. This is temporary, and it will be OK. I promise.
Mon, 11/28/2011 - 09:08
#20
How 2 Find A Job
I hear this same thing all the time. I have uncovered industries that are desperate for new employees. The latest laws and economic pressures have opened up some very high paying employment opportunities for people who are willing to work hard. An example is the recent law passed requiring senior citizens to carry health insurance. This law alone is producing high paying entry level positions for people interested in becoming insurance agents. The medical industry cant get enough employees. Theyre so short handed that licensed nursing assistants are working all the hours they want at most medical facilities. There are so many employment opportunities but you've got to know where to look and where to find them. I am going to elaborate more on this subject in my blog. My blog is called How 2 Find A Job. Everyone is welcome to come on by and get some free information to help you find a job in this economy. The blog address is- http://howtofindajob.blogspot.com
Mark
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 17:07
#21
Hi Everybody
I never imagine I would find myself at this productive and golden age being miserable. I have been looking for a job since I graduated from college exactly 3 yrs ago. At that time I knew the economy was bad to get a job easily and I assumed to expect the max of 3 month to get a job:|..and it ends up being 3 years and counting!
Needless to say I have been applying, updating my resume with approprate words by a professional and soon......But out of the thousand application I only get one interview(which i don't get.)I'm looking for any job too but they don't want me may be bcos im overqualified.What is my fate? who needs a 3yrs old degree with no exprience and work history.
Career change is not an option since it is a highly wanted profession ,if it wasn't for the economy.
Wed, 12/07/2011 - 20:39
#22
Avoid college at all costs.
College was the dumbest thing I ever bothered to pay for. The whole college-will-help-you-get-a-job-theory is an utter LIE. You have been lied to. We all have been had.
My cum laude, double major degree was the byproduct of FOUR different scholarships. I worked two jobs to support myself during my undergraduate career and now that I got my stupid piece of paper (diploma), I not only cannot obtain the simplest jobs/occupations, I am severely unbelievably in debt.
My parents are getting older. They are starting to need medical help and they poured their money into my degree and I cannot even get a job so I can help them out. I am unemployed and nothing looks hopeful. I have completed TWO internships, but everyone still wants me to intern… again! How many internships and degrees do I need to work for minimum wage? I will not work for free! Interning is slavery and I've done it twice. Is it too much to ask for you to pay me to bring you your goddamn Starbucks latte?
I babysit now… two pathetic days a week and when I tell people I can't find work, they tell me it's a great time to start my graduate degree. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Education hasn't done jack shit for me and also, Mr. Advice, would you like to fucking pay for my graduate school?
COLLEGE IS A SCAM. LEARN THIS NOW. Save yourself the heartache of looking at your mother and telling her we can't afford to pay her medical bills because we exchanged everything we had for empty promises and eternal student loan-related indentured servitude.
Fri, 12/09/2011 - 07:31
#23
*sigh* Listen, kid...
Internships are a scam. Why is your generation so fucking stupid about that? Why do you work for free? Fuck that. You guys should get together and start a movement against the glorified slave labor that is internships.
High tuition may be a scam. Congress is cutting back on funding for higher education. Interest rates for student loans are too high. There are a ton of scams out there, and you guys should be in the streets raising hell about them because you're the ones who are young and who will ultimately pay the price for your complacency should you be complacent.
That said, "college" writ large is not a scam.
College is not a job training program, and anybody who ever told you that is full of shit. But that doesn't mean that it's a scam. An education serves you in ways that perhaps you can't yet see at your tender age. Having been trained in critical thinking, you can probably see how being able to think critically can serve you in almost every aspect of your life.
But it's about more than being able to think well. It's about more than being able to communicate clearly. It's about more than being able to discuss high-level topics with high-level people in a high-level way. As cliché as it may sound, an education is (I would argue) PRIMARILY about becoming
a well rounded person. 70 percent of what I learned in college was not gleaned through reading or writing or attending lectures, although I did learn a tremendous amount through those activities. What I learned was how to discipline myself, what "turned me on" (aka, what I wanted out of life), how to relate to others in group projects and social situations, how to pay my bills and live as a responsible adult (My folks gave me pretty limited help, which was extremely smart of them. You really appreciate something when you busted your ass working for it, as I did for my education.) etc.
A college education is not some kind of golden ticket. It prepares you to succeed in every area of your life, but it doesn't guarantee anything in itself.
If you're looking for a way to keep yourself occupied, how about starting a movement against internships. Start a non-profit or something.
You'll figure it out, kid. Best of luck to you.
Sat, 12/24/2011 - 13:14
#24
Another year is drawing to an end
Another year is drawing to an end & I have often wondered how other folks were able to general income during this very challenging year for us all.
I am hoping that we can help each other with ideas, advice and suggestions - whatever term you want to label this...
I am one that likes to LEARN how other folks are doing what I want to do, and this time, it is about "financial independence"...
Not so much about becoming rich, but getting to point that at age 53 I am not constantly wondering from "week to week" what bills will be paid(lol).
Me, I did the unemployment & freelancing combination. Still looking for a "base" pay job = job with a time clock(lol). I am finding that with my part-time freelance job that is strictly commission, there are some weeks I get ZERO. This would be a good time to have something else coming in. Sylvester, my boyfriend, is in retail - but has a base pay, not much - for those times when he makes no commission. But to be honest, he does an AWESOME job - so has never had to depend on the base only. But that comes with the territory - a territory he has been doing for years. I am new to this commission set up and to be honest, not too sure I like it(lol).
Okay, now your turn...
Happy Holidays & all the BEST for 2012!!!
Fri, 12/30/2011 - 02:58
#25
Thank you all for sharing your stories!
It really does help to hear that you're not the only one struggling.
I graduated last spring with a Bachelor's in Social Work, but every job posting wants 2-3 years in some very specific area like "Required, 2 years working with drug/alcohol addicted youth". Which of course, fresh out of college I don't have. And how will I ever if no one will hire me?
So I took a job as a baker (my friend got me the job otherwise I would have no chance). But last week I was laid off because they couldn't afford to pay me. So now what? I won't lie, it's scary to be 25 in a new city and jobless.
But I'm volunteering at a couple places around town that kind of relate to the field I'd like to go into. As long as you're unemployed/underemployed I would highly suggest spending a few hours a week volunteering. Volunteering not only builds your resume, but increases your professional network! At the very least, you're helping people, and making connections in your community. Sometimes you can even find job leads at places where you're volunteering.
I agree internships are basically a scam imposed on our generation, but like everything in this capitalist society where we're required to get a 9-5 job just to survive, it is a game. There are hoops to jump through. You can either jump through them now, or leave it to chance that you'll make it some other way.
2 things I think will be extremely important for our generation of college grads/job seekers:
1) Flexibility -- Yes, we were told our whole young lives that we can be ANYTHING we want, as long as we work hard and get a college degree. Well, that's not the case anymore. Accept it right now. You can make all the right moves, but there just aren't the jobs out there. So we need to be very flexible. We need to be willing to take jobs that are NOT necessarily exactly what we anticipated doing post-graduation, and know that everything is temporary. Whatever will pay the bills for now, fine, do it for now. Something better will come along but have patience in the meantime.
2) Creativity -- the game has changed. I mean REALLY changed. They don't call it the Great Recession for nothing. It used to be, work hard in school, get a degree in some field of your interest, apply for jobs in that field, and bingo! Sooner than later, you'd have a nice entry level position doing exactly what you want. Getting a job today is going to require a lot more creativity for a lot of us. Find creative ways to gain experience (take that unpaid internship, volunteer as much as humanly possible, we may have to work for free in the beginning!). Be creative finding ways to make your limited life experiences fit the experience they're looking for on an application. Think beyond the old "how to get a job" advice of the previous generation, because it's very likely those same tips won't work in this economy! Oh yeah, and CONSUME LESS. We don't need a thousands pieces of clothing or a big screen television, video games, a million cute little knickknacks for our house, the newest iphone, etc. Just love, health, fresh air.
Other than that, I agree with Chuck. Don't despair. We've got to stay positive. There's nothing more valuable in life than a positive attitude (as cliche as it might sound). Every time I start to get anxious and overwhelmed with worry about the future I remind myself, IT ALWAYS WORKS OUT. Always. Not without bumps (lots of them), but life always moves on. Like the Buddha said on his death bed, "Decay is inherent in all compounded things. STRIVE ON WITH DILIGENCE.”
Sun, 01/01/2012 - 17:12
#26
Agree for the most part
Flexibility and creativity are key.
But I have to point out one thing. You said:
There are hoops to jump through. You can either jump through them now, or leave it to chance that you'll make it some other way.
It seems to me that jumping through hoops leaves more to chance than tromping your own path. It's also not exactly a flexible or creative way of "making it."
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Your generation bugs me with its willingness -- almost eagerness -- to jump through hoops. I know you guys were all raised by "helicopter parents" or whatever, but geez, grow a pair already. Stop playing along like you're collectively afflicted with Stockholm Syndrome.
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 23:48
#27
flexibility is key
I totally agree with that. i graduated 3 years ago and am currently unemployed. I was working at a solar power company, but i got fired (i was looking for work for MONTHS before i landed that job). Im currently looking for work though, and its been about 4 months since ive been fired. Something that's really helped me is being flexible. I have to keep my bills paid so i do as charlie says: i do what i can and what im good at. I have been doing gardening gigs, heavy lifting, and even collecting aluminum cans and bottles. ive taken to dumpstering with great gusto ( i can get orchids to sell on ebay, food to eat, and depending on what day i go to the thrift store free clothes they just throw out). I know its not a very glamorous life, and i didint go to school for way too long just to do this. The thing is, it gives me something to do aside from sending out resumes and filling out applications. Ive been excercising alot too, i figure if i excercise im healthy if im healthy im less likely to get sick and if i dont get sick and or have to go to the hospital, ill be happier. It can be tough to find the silver lining sometimes, and listening to the same cliches about "its going to get better" or "this is temporary" can be frustrating. They are true though. at the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker or a scientologist, If you dont have a purpose in life because you dont have a job, find or make your own purpose. youd be surprised how much better youll feel if you are doing something constructive/ purposeful. Even if you dont feel like it has a purpose, do it, youll soon discover it does. I hope we all are able to get jobs, and soon!
-Jesse
Mon, 01/30/2012 - 23:55
#28
I'm not looking forward to this.
I'm a junior in college right now in my 1st semester of my junior year. Everyone keeps telling me you HAVE to go to college to get a good job, and you HAVE to go to college to be able to support yourself in life. But all I'm seeing is absolutely nothing out there but graduates with a plaque, a piece of paper, and dust collecting on the frame. Honestly I'm about to finish this semester and stop going to college. I live in a very remote town in Northwestern Montana near British Columbia. I live in the mountains and too far from a city to work in. I feel graduating with a degree now a days has no benefit other than to say you went to college. But you always leave out, I live at home, with my parents, and can only afford to pay my cell phone bill.
Honestly, I would love to get advice from you. Should I stop going to college before I rack up a 40,000 dollar list of student loans that will take me years to pay back. Or just quit with 9,000 dollars to pay back and get certified in other areas that will give me more options for a job. I'm a communications major right now, and since studying has discovered is completely and utterly pointless!
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 17:02
#29
Don't quit going to school
As someone who recently graduated and is unemployed I am telling you that you would definitely regret it if you quit on school. Having a college degree is a lot more than just a ticket to a better career. There was a great post in this thread about how a degree is not a guarantee for securing a job, and it listed some of the great benefits from completing your degree. Also, keep in mind that getting a degree will make you a lot more employable than being without one. There are many jobs that you wouldn't even have a chance to lend without first having a college education. Also, even if you start off at a job that doesn't require a degree, you will find that there is a ceiling on how far you can get advance at that job without having a one. Complete your degree. Don't be foolish. Do whatever you can to get work experience while still at school, through internships or part time jobs. That will make your transition out of school much easier. I actually had great paying job after graduating, which I quit because I couldn't the people I was working with. That was a dumb move, because now I don't money.
... that it's becoming cliche, but you might want to think about creating your own job.
Start with three lists:
(there will be a lot of crossover between these first two)
Go crazy -- no item is too silly. Make the lists as long as you can.
Once you have those lists, narrow it down to things that people might want you do do for them. Next, find those people and let them know that you can help them or solve some problem of theirs.
You see where this is going?
Best of luck to you and your generation -- you're going to need it as we all do.
When life hands you sh*t, make fertilizer.