neonlily replied to your post:neonlily answered your question:I have a question...
So what kind of job are you looking for? Is there a certain area you are interested in? Depending on what you want to do there are a couple of approaches. If it’s a service I would create a website around it and offer your services for a free to a few people in exchange for blog posting and give them discount codes to share to drum up business. If you’re looking for a job (not a service selling) I would add people on linked in that area and ask them about having an “informational interview” because you are interested in their field and finding out more on how to get there. Once you meet them you can slyly showcase skills and they might know someone. Another way is to go to events where you would find these people. Want to be a graphic designer? go to seminars and design nights at Centre for Social Innovation. Check eventbrite. lots of frees stuff. I would also actively search people out on twitter who are involved in a field you are interested in and see what they are saying. Retweet them. engage. etc.
1) In theory I'm looking to do graphic design, web design. In practice it's a little more difficult because people aren't even willing to consider you if you don't have a degree in the field, and I explicitly did NOT go to school for something I already know and can (and do!) learn on my own. Because I would just fail out, I would get bored learning things I know how to do and I would fail out. Because of this however, I have no proof that I know what I know, and people don't want to consider someone who doesn't already have a degree in the field.
2) If I'm not doing the above mentioned, then I literally have no idea what I can or could do. I have a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics. There isn't anything in that "field". So while I can demonstrate that I'm intelligent, capable of learning etc I can't really demonstrate any practical skills I have. And more school is not an option for me. 100% not an option. If it were free I would gladly do more school, but it's not so I can't.
3) All in all, with all due respect and I know you're just trying to help. But this seems absolutely ridiculous that this is what we have to do in this day and age just to make money. I can't wrap my head around the fact that you have to keep begging people to maybe think you're good enough in order to get employment. I just don't know what to do personally because I feel like I should be doing something more than retail or whatever (because I went to school, and I'm smart, so shouldn't I NOT be doing something that any average high schooler can do?) but there's no middle ground here. There's no, "You will tell me what you need, I will tell you if I can accomplish that, and then you will pay me to accomplish that". It doesn't make any sense to me that you have to work so hard just to get work. Anyway, I don't even know what skills and knowledge I have that makes me employable, but I know I have lots of skills and knowledge that make me a valuable human being, but I feel like the only way you can have value today is to have a job that bestows value upon you. It doesn't matter that I'm an amazing friend and an awesome pet owner and a caring partner...no one's going to pay me to be a good person.
Sorry, I really am not trying to shit all over you. But, from what I can tell, you went to school to get a specific job, and are now doing that job, right? It's not like that with me exactly and the problem is there are no jobs I am interested in. There are no careers I want. But I need to make money and I don't know how to do it and still be happy as a person. So anyway I took this rant to tumblr because everyone everywhere is sick of me trying to figure this out and I'm trying to not burden everyone I talk to in person with my problems