on how to break out of the cycle of low-level, low-pay jobs? Though I'm taking a break for the time being I am working on a college degree, but I'm afraid there's not much I could do with it once I am done.

Most of you are older ("more experienced" ) than me and with actual jobs. Careers, even. Do you have any words of advice on how I can work my way towards that?

Yeah, I'd like to know that as well...

I feel like I need to move to a city where jobs in my field are readily available (see: Toronto, Montreal, etc.)

BUT, in order for my broke ass to move there, I need a job.

So, I'm still stuck.



You n' me both, love.

sammij said:

you have to have calm. I got the reform, but it was hard,

caralho fodas for the bureaucracy and for the institutions: be them the ones that go, to begin in the family
calm

you have to gain some specific skill. Retail jobs are hard, but don't require a skill that people have to learn, so to speak, that's why they pay so low.

When I started my job I had no real skills, so I stared as a low level office assistant, but I have been taught specific skills that are transferable to better jobs. So now I make twice what I started at.

Also, you should have a specific goal (even if it's not your ultimate dream) such as "gain experience in the legal profession" and go to the companies that will help you meet that goal. Don't settle or sell yourself short. Come up with a good way to sell yourself to companies that will advance you, even if the thought of it makes you nauseous (as it does me).

Make a nice looking resume. Neat, concise & well written (it should look simple & be easy to read, this important. It's your first task at a job!). Dress well, be polite, etc. That stuff it pretty obvious.

And finally, if your degree is not sellable, consider taking trade-type classes. For example, classes in a specific computer program

Not that I am particularly successful, but I've hired people for their first office jobs, and have broken out of retail without a degree myself.

NDRU said:

Thanks alot, thats good sound advice.
Im acting on it now.

In my early 20's I was really turned off by the idea of "career advancement" type books. And it's part of why I had such terrible jobs.

But they can be helpful!

NDRU said:

Problem is, I don't have any real goals. I have no idea what I want to do. I know there's nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do with your life when you're young, but in the meantime I'm going hungry and can barely pay my bills.

NDRU said:

What are those?

NDRU said:

So, forget about my degree then?

sammij said:

Vancouver might work. see my not-so-subtle jab to move out west?

I don't really have any field, I think is my problem. There's all kinds of things I know how to do or could learn easily on the job, ut without the necessary degrees or courses or paperwork -all of which cost money I don't have -I'm going to have a rough time getting hired anywhere.

sammij said:

I already know my degree's gonna be useless.

This are not recommendations, but rather personal experiences I've either gone through are personally known friends to obtain their break (bear in mind, I got laid off a few months ago despite this ).

1) Join the military. Get out after 4 years. Though I stayed in 8 years due to how much fun I was having, when I did decide to get out, my income went from poverty level to about 45 thousand US a year. The next year, 55. The year after that 70, and so forth. The trick is to score high on entry test so you get the job you want going in that translates to a high paying job on the outside. NOTE: I don't think this is a good fit for you.

2) Join a major corporation as a pee-on call-center phone rep. This really sucks, and there are NO happy call center reps. But if you play your cards right, and kiss enough ass, you can be in a management job in 3 years time (40k US a year). Being in a Management position allows you to move between departments which means you can land in an IT department in which case your pay then jumps another 20%. A girl I knew went from 25K a year to about 80K now in about 7 years time. I don't think this is a good fit for you.
You can also get very low paying IT jobs with enormous potential to climb the corporate ladder if you get a few certs (MCP, A+, etc.) and have a headhunter place you (Teksystems being a huge one--the scouts don't give a shit if you're not 100% qualified. They just want to make money off of you so they'll book you. This is sexist, but women get jobs by being flirtatious--bear in mind IT hiring bosses, if they're not women, are overweight, desperately unhappy men.. I wish I was lying).

3) Get a TESL certification and teach English overseas in non-English speaking countries. The pay is shit. But it's more than minimum wage. In Thailand, the pay is between $1200 to $3000 Us dollars a month (but it cost 1/5th as much to live in Thailand as it does here in the states depending on location).


4) Move to a city with a good pay vs. living expense ration. Dallas is one such city.

5) Live with roomates (I know you already do) to save on living expenses. I plan to be roomate free in the next 2 years and not to ever need a roomate again. But even when I was making close to 80K in Tampa, (it's cost of living wasn't bad), I still had a roomate. This allowed a degree of personal freedom I wouldn't have had otherwise. Alot of people say that they could never do that (and in the case of women, I tend to agree), but you'd be surprised at what you're willing to do for money. Men make better roomates.

6) Try to find a low stress second job on the weekends or on your off days. It may not be your idea of what you want to do on the weekend, but it helps pay off lots of debt and helps you to save up money.

7) Be willing to move anywhere. Don't get stuck or bogged down in your city or location. It's just a place no matter how much you love it. Don't get caught in the trap of being tied to a place. That being said, I am damned sure I'm going to find my way back to the ocean soon. I hate living away from the ocean

8) You can always take out a college loan to complete college. The risk here is you damned well better be sure you have a degree you can use and that you'll be happy with the jobs the degree will get you. Else, you'll just be in a lot of debt.

9) Marry well-to-do. I've known a few girls that did this, my sister one of them

meow85 said:

I would like to think that my degree will mean something, but I do have intentions to go to grad school in the next year.
It may seem easy for one to just take a trade course, but them things cost money. Tuition is a motherfucker, and luckily, when it comes to the way grad school works out, tuition isn't really an issue (based on the perks that come with the acceptance to an institution)...

Retail seems like the only way to really start somewhere...
Things are seemingly bleek right now, innit?


and I would move to BC! it was a topic of interest not too long ago, but again, i need money in order to anything right now...

If you can, get a mentor.

Look at what type of job you want to have, what level you want to reach and how much money you want to make.

Find someone who has what you want and do what they do. (I'm saying it in an oversimplified way, but, hopefully you get what I'm saying.)

If your goal job is CEO, find a CEO you admire, research his/her work history and follow their path.

Good luck!

meow85 said:

they don't have to be "real" goals. But you have to pick some kind of direction if you want to be paid better.

Like, what kind of environment could you tolerate? Then look into that field and see what the first steps in getting involved are. That way when you interview, you will show some knowledge of the field and have a goal. It will set you apart from the person who says "I just want to get out of retail, I don't care what I do."

meow85 said:

Yeah, I can relate. I didn't graduate & studied Musicology. I think maybe not having my degree has actually helped!

sammij said:

nah, it's good to show you can complete something, even if it's art

But most undergrad degrees (you're undergrad, right?) are kind of useless for marketable skills. They mostly prepare you for grad school at this point.

but you know how to use a computer. expand on that with a specific skill (like databases, design, ect) and you can work in an office.

NDRU said:

Thanks...

meow85 said:

are you really asking that? There's a whole section of them at the bookstore

sammij said:

Absolutely not.
If I was hiring for a job that paid decent money, I would ignore resume's without a degree.

A degree shows that you're willing to commit to 4 (or more) grueling years of study. Having an art degree kind of sucks , but if you went on to a Masters in Art, you could land a rewarding teaching job.

A degree NEVER hurts.

sammij said:

Hey, I value art, and I was a musicology major. But let's be honest, it's not engineering or law!

Imago said:

Imago said:

Which was my plan anyways (does anyone really read my posts?), but how do i survive UNTIL then?

I mean I'm stuck in a city that doesn't hire anyone unless you were laid off from a bombing major big-wig steel factory.
With no income, i have no room for movement.
now what?

NDRU said:

And thank god for that.

sammij said:

I'm the wrong guy to ask. I burned out of money (working 2 to 3 jobs at a time) paying for college and ended up joining the military to pay for it.

sammij said:

true, and artists can make money.

But in this world a great artist will go unnoticed while an artist with some knowledge of business will be more likely succeed.

Imago said:

you hare a

ingamilo said:

Do U have any pix of yourself? Are you hot?

Develop a good work history. Get a job and stick with it for at least a year. Don't be insubordinate. Don't question their rules. Work your butt off.

Employers don't want to hire people they think won't be there long enough to recoup what is spent training them. And they don't want to hire people they think will be a pain in the ass. (Which is what they usually surmise when someone has a string of short-term jobs.)

In short: play the game.

Imago said:

I am too old for you: I am reformed said already!!! but I continue very foolish. enough to laugh me of me. no, I don't know how to work with computers; nor to speak English; I am a shit that I walk for here