I give up. I've been searching for a full year almost. Not even my old Americorps job wants me, this temp thing is not going to work, nothing I have tried has worked. I give up. I'm just going to stop looking all together. Quite frankly, it's hopeless. I have no experience. I don't know enough people. I don't even have unemployment anymore. I'm just not going to try. It's been making me nearly sick with stress. I've had enough. Can't anyone see how important it is that I get a job so I can be completely independent as relatives are not much of a help, they have their own messy lives to fix. I don't care anymore, this is completely pointless. There is simply no way in hell I can make it in this whole stupid corporate kind of world.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
(((((((Synesthesia)))))))
I don't know, dear.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Synesthesia,
Don't despair, just get moving.
1.Describe your perfect job.
2.Lay out a set of objectives to achieve your goal. a. What schooling do I need? b. What specific experience do I need?
3. Start plugging away at one objective at a time.
4. Have faith and confidence in your abilities. Figure out what you do the best, and what you like the most, and shape your perfect job around those things.
Good luck!
Posted by cyruseh (Member # 1120) on :
hey, I dont know you Synesthesia, your experience or knowledge. But I know there is some kind of job out there for you. I mean, when I was unemployed, I looked for about a month, and when I couldnot find any job, I started applying at jobs that I felt were below me. Target, and other stores like that. While I did not really want to work at a place like that, I was willing to work anywhere, to keep things going. I would work any job that was given to me, if I was not able to work at the kind of job I wanted. Have you considered this?
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I mainly just want to write... I really don't think there is anything else I can do besides that or working at not for profit organizations or music stores.
Posted by msquared (Member # 4484) on :
Gee lets not limit our selves. Why only not for profit places or music stores? What makes the profit music stores make any different than other places?
You do what you have to do. Don't buy into that crap that you have to love your job. You just have to tolerate it. And maybe not even that.
msquared
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
So get a McJob such that you can feed and clothe yourself, and write on your own time. Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
That's what I've been trying to do. I applied for CVS, Family Dollar, worked at that gas station for two weeks in the dead of winter and had to quit because I got so violently sick. Nothing is working. I can't win. I can't get a simple little job or an office job. Even Americorps doesn't want me back.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
#1 You can only give up by starving. #2 Go to the library and check out some of the "How To" books on Resume's, Interview Skills, etc. It may not help but at least it will give you the feeling that you are doing something. #3 Write a journal of your work search. Maybe you will be able to sell that. #4 Never forget the story of a single unwed mother who was giving up, who couldn't get a job no matter how hard she tried. All she really wanted to do was write. One day she had an idea about a little boy and a magical school. She wrote it all down while being turned down for yet more jobs. That woman was, Ms. Rowlings of Harry Potter fame.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Synesthesia, If you want to write, you have to write. You get a job at Target, or selling donuts, and you write stories in your head as you do your menial, yet VERY important, tasks. When you get home, you write down your thoughts. Think of the job as an idea generator.
Sometimes, you just have to look at things differently.
I felt a life changing paradigm shift last year when I read a book called "Life is So Good," by George Dawson. He made me feel ashamed of ever thinking a job was beneath me. I am not saying you feel this way, but if you do, it might be affecting how a potential employer guages you. Strap on a political smile, and convince them you are going to be great for the job.
But write while you are waiting for and getting a job. Carry a notepad and write on it whenever you have an idea.
You can do this.
Liz
Posted by asQmh (Member # 4590) on :
I worked at a Pretzel Place (that shall remain nameless for fear of the dread who is Auntie Anne. . .crap)
Anyway, I worked there for 3 years. And now I'm a secretary. Neither is what I ultimately want to do, but I had to do something or I couldn't afford to go back to school and get my masters - which is working toward my ultimate goal.
Sometimes you just bite the bullet and flip a pretzel.
Q.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ever consider trying your hand at a trade? For a lot of them you'd have to take classes first, but it is possible to get on a paint crew with no experience, learn on the job, and end up making a fair amount of money at it. Plus, there is a meditative quality to that kind of work, and once you get good at it your mind can be free to come up with story ideas and work out plots and characters.
If you don't have a lot of debt, you could always join a collective like the one plaid lives in. I have to admit that that appeals to me more than a little. If I were debt free and my wife felt the same way I would probably consider an option like that.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Alternately, you can just sit down for eight hours a day, as if it were a job, and write something.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Yes, Tom, but she wants to be independent, and needs money to survive so she can write for 8 hours.
Posted by msquared (Member # 4484) on :
We all want that, but in the famous words of Mick J. you can't always get what you want.
msquared
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
at least i stopped this infernal crying. My goal was to just a job, even a part time job, i could survive on that and write on the side. i thought i'd get a job right away. i thought it would be easy with a college degree and a year of americorps experience. boy was i wrong. I knew i should have stayed in Americorps another year... Now i don't even have a prospect for that other program until November... *sighs*
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You'd think that, wouldn't you Syn? I really had to scrabble around for awhile after I realized that there were no way I could really support myself as a college level ESL teacher in this country. Eventually I took some computer classes, got an internship, and worked my way up from there. I wouldn't recommend that route now though--the IT world is in pretty sad shape these days, as I'm sure you know.
What do you think of my trade idea? Is it something you've ever considered?
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
That would be a good idea... people make a lot of money doing carpentry and stuff... and it would be soooooo cool to build stuff... *Thinks about this*
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Retirement homes always have lots of openings for gigolos.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
*pies Book -- hard, with an unpleasant-tasting pie*
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
Yeah, yeah, kill the messenger.
Posted by Zalmoxis (Member # 2327) on :
I know you've tried Americorps, but what about the PeaceCorps?
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Some of my friends have done peace corps before....
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
What is your degree in?
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
Syn,
I do not mean to get over-excited or reactionary, but to give up is to simply admit defeat.
As a human being, you at least owe it to yourself to keep up the good fight. As rolemodels or mentors or even as decent people, the OSCs of this world did not get where they are by giving up. If you have given up on your family, then I am sad for you. But as a nameless, faceless jumble of text, I am not giving up on you. Several of the above posts are legitimately good ideas. To not give it all that you can would be a shame.
To wax even more pathetic, what would some of OSC'c characters do in your situation? I only have to mention Bean, Ender, or Alvin to showcase 3 people who have overcome great odds. Sure they are fiction, but so is Luke Skywalker or Obi Wan Kenobi, and they are better role models than Kobe Bryant or Wilt Chamberlain...
I have been unfaily lucky my entire life. But I would wager that everyone on Hatrack could think of a time when things were tough and they found a solution to their problem. I hope you do too, in my most sincerest and earnest wish.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Do you have even a little technical knowledge (specifically of the internet and/or windows)? If so, consider applying at Convergys ( http://www.convergys.com ) if there is one in your area (they're all over the place).
I was just recently hired by them, started training on monday.
It is phone tech support, but it's very specific phone tech support, for SBC DSL Customer Self Installs.
They have been great to work at so far, though I'm still in training. Oh yes, they do three weeks of full time training. Paid training, in fairly technical stuff that will help in gettting other IT jobs. The people at my location have all been great, from management to floor workers.
Great benefits, to. Including some nice perks, like 23% off Sprint service, and 10% off anything Dell.
I like Convergys quite a bit so far, though my experience is limited. And they are a fortune 500 company.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
Hey fugu, I'm gonna try to get a job there as soon as this semester is over. I have a few friends who work there.
Is there a preliminary test of some sort?
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Human services always have positions open.
Syn, if you live in Boston, I know a company that's always hiring (Eliot Community Human Services). It's direct care, but it's a union job with decent pay and benefits.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Yes, though it's exact nature will vary by job.
I should have said, it's a good place to apply regardless of what someone knows about tech, as there are lots of non tech jobs (hundreds of each at each location, at minimum. Thousands of each in some locations). The best floor jobs, though, are the tech jobs .
The testing system I went through was pretty straightforward. A short technical skills assesment (nothing too in depth, just basics, and you don't have to ace it by any means). That test will be different for different jobs, though. Then a customer service ability test, which I assume is the same for everyone as mine had nothing to do with tech support.
The real test is the interview, which is guaranteed (at least if you go on one of their "job fair" days). The interview will be with someone who is knowledgeable about the area of work you are applying for (the guy I had mine with is also my trainer).
I'd just like to emphasize how much I have liked working at Convergys so far, despite having to arise at an awful hour of the morning for training. The environment is relaxed (casual dress at my location), the pay is good, the benefits are great (fairly hefty tuition reimbursement is one), and there are lots of little perks and such that make working at Convergys enjoyable.
Of course, I'm just in training right now. But I've met a number of people from the floor during break, and they all have spoken favorably of Convergys as well.
And training is oddly like school. Only longer, and in one subject (well, two, customer service and DSL installation trouble shooting). From 6:30 am to 2:30 pm, with an hour lunch, and 3 to 4 fifteen minute breaks, so it's very bearable, but still very like school. They certainly have their act together on the training curriculum, as well.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Don't give up!!!!
(waves arms wildly)
Giving up is dying, Syn-chan! Everyone here has such bright ideas, I think you should listen. I don't know much about survival, sheltered as I am, but they're all smart! Don't stop trying, we're here to back you up...
If it gets real bad, you can always get a job telling composers what their music looks like. Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
Syn,
Are you creative in your writing?
flish
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
What a question, flish....
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
*dork am I*
I thought I would ask Syn how he'd write his favorite protagonist out of his real-life situation. There's room for creativity in living as well as writing.
mike
Posted by filetted (Member # 5048) on :
.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I'm pretty sure Syn is a girl. Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
Synthesia --
Dunno where you're at and whether you'd want to move... but intentional communities like the one I'm at can be good places to be while you figure out what you want to do. We've had lots of folks who've picked up skills here (office, computer, carpentry, warehouse, farming, cooking, etc.) and later used those skills to get regular jobs.
The communities network my community's part of = www.thefec.org
You can email me if you like... good luck!!
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
Syn... you REALLY need to suck it up and get a McJob. It's not okay to "give up". While I know that it seems like you've tried everything, you really haven't. Go out to the mall and apply in every single store. Walk downtown with a pile of resume's and apply in every single shop you pass. Smile, be enthusiastic, and let them all know how much you'd like them to employ you.
Living in a box on the street, mooching off your parents for the rest of your life, sitting on your bum while you wait for the perfect job to land in your lap are NOT OPTIONS! You need a steady paycheck, and no job is beneath you or too demeaning. (Well, no legal job, anyhow). Hit the Targets, the Wal-Marts, the fast food places, everything.
There are jobs out there. There's no excuse for giving up without trying everything you can to find one first.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Since you want to be a writer and I presume you know a good bit about books and read often, why not try a bookstore?
Grocery stores are almost always hiring, and a lot of them offer good benefits.
Bank tellers are needed everywhere, and they usually train in-house. With a degree you'll hav a decided advantage over many other applicants.
Go to your county employment office. All the jobs open, salaries, and requirements will be posted. Heck, in Jefferson County a painter makes over $30,000! Benefits are excellent.
Worst case scenario - sign up with a temp agency. With a degree and typing (I'm assuming you can type) they'll take you and temp jobs often lead to full time permanent jobs.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Sorry about the sheer whininess of this,it's just that this week has been so disencouraging for me. Here I was thinking I could at least get the Americorps job I had back in 2001 again, but to not even get that, that was quite a blow. Plus the resturant didn't contact me, I called them and they were like, well, if we didn't contact you... Devastating. Especially since I need a job NOW! I applied for about 4 or 5 temp places, only one responded and because my resume is just so unsexy not even he can find me anything. I am at my wits end. I have applied for jobs in my neighbourhood, I have no car. I have no clue what I am going to do. I am seriously considering just going to grad school and staying there forever. This real world thing is just not working. Just this morning my stupid student loan people called me up. I told them I have no job, no income, nothing. I'm really frightened now... It's just annoying that nothing I am trying is working. I should consider just writing, but that requires not being so... stressed all the time. But thanks for the advice. I'm going to try... but I'm seriously worn out...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"Just this morning my stupid student loan people called me up. I told them I have no job, no income, nothing. I'm really frightened now... It's just annoying that nothing I am trying is working."
Go into forebearance! They are about the nicest people to owe money to in the world. You can(if you can) pay your interest in a lump sum for the time you will miss payments, or they will tack it on to your total.
Also, make sure you check to see if they will cut some of the amount off for your Americorps work.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
One loan I have is in forebearance. I'll have to contact these other people and show them Proof of Poorness... I didn't even think of knocking off loan payments for being in Acorps... oooo!!!! Posted by suntranafs (Member # 3318) on :
You drive in to a crowded parking lot. It makes logical sense that the best spots would already be taken, so don't bother, right? Wrong. That's what everybody else is thinking.
I heard of a girl with basically zero skills who wanted a job at the UN. The head person was gone, so as I recall, she claimed she had the (rather high) qualifications, claimed she had the Boss's approval and started working. When the boss came back and found out, he hired her anyway.
The moral? Don't settle for less than the best. If you can't get what you want from one group, try another, and another, and if all else fails, just start on your own. Work for yourself. Whatever you want to do, just start doing it. 'Build it and they will come.'
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