A little Help (Chicago: find a job, high school, colleges)

[erinb23]

Hey, I have this totally ridiculous idea. I want to move back to Chicago. Currently I live in a small town two hours or so from the city. I've been searching all over the internet hoping to find a decent job in the city. I'm a 2 time college dropout and I currently work in a factory. I no longer want to work in a factory or any place where chopping off a finger is a serious possibility. I know my plan seems a bit far-fetched since I don't appear to have any skills. I want a job with an opportunity for growth. A lot of places won't give me the time a day since I don't seem to have any experience in the field I'm applying for. I am, however, a very intelligent woman and I can do just about anything if properly trained. I want a job where I use my mind more than my muscles. I need a little help. If anyone out there knows of any opportunites, please hit me back. I'm willing to commute into the city for as long as it takes for me to get place. I'd appreciate any information anyone could send my way. Thanks.

[jdiddy]

No offense, but the fact that you've dropped out of college twice undercuts the claim that you can do anything if properly trained.

If you want to use your mind more than your muscles, you've got to get a degree first.

[aragx6]

Sadly I know a lot of college grads who can't find steady employment. Now is about the worst time ever to be looking to make a career move.

[long101]

Dont let everyone get you down to much, a college degree is not mandatory to get an office job. But you need to get your foot in to the "white collar" world in order to get a good office job. Personally I dont have a college degree and have an office job and use to do fairly well. With the economy down the toilet my pay has dropped by quite a bit since I get paid mostly on bonuses and such. That being said its hard to find a job for the very well qualifed think about how hard it will be for you to get your "1st" office job. Im sure you can do it but your going to have to work hard to score some interviews and then you will have to do a better job then the people with degrees. Check out monster, career builder and just apply to some big companies in Chicago and see how it goes. Its going to suck driving 4 hours for each interview though

[Attrill]

It is possible to do - I did almost exactly the same thing 20 years ago (and with a criminal record to boot!).

You need to have some skills that you can talk about. I think that basic skills for general office work nowadays include decent communication skills and good knowledge of basic office applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). If you have that those skills it is worth talking to some temp agencies to try and pick up work that way, as well as applying for entry level jobs. If you don't have those skills put some time into picking them up. Learning a little HTML and CSS doesn't hurt either.

You'll also need decent references, for entry level work I think most employers are mostly concerned with you showing up on time, working hard when you're in the office, and getting along well with other people. Whatever you do - don't call yourself a College Dropout. You have "some college", but are not a graduate. If you plan on going back at some point in the future don't be afraid to say that, there are plenty of people who take a few years off to work and figure out what they want to get out of college.

Good luck!

[dcashley]

Originally Posted by erinb23

Hey, I have this totally ridiculous idea. I want to move back to Chicago. Currently I live in a small town two hours or so from the city. I've been searching all over the internet hoping to find a decent job in the city. I'm a 2 time college dropout and I currently work in a factory. I no longer want to work in a factory or any place where chopping off a finger is a serious possibility. I know my plan seems a bit far-fetched since I don't appear to have any skills. I want a job with an opportunity for growth. A lot of places won't give me the time a day since I don't seem to have any experience in the field I'm applying for. I am, however, a very intelligent woman and I can do just about anything if properly trained. I want a job where I use my mind more than my muscles. I need a little help. If anyone out there knows of any opportunites, please hit me back. I'm willing to commute into the city for as long as it takes for me to get place. I'd appreciate any information anyone could send my way. Thanks.

Options:
1. Go back to college.
2. Go to a trade school.
3. Join the military.

The last option, I think, is the best.

[Damage Control Freak]

Moving back into the city where a knight-in-shining-amor-like employer is just waiting give you a second chance sounds more like a pipe dream than a plan.
If you messed up your education so far it might be a good start to realize you probably have to try triple as hard as everyone else.
Given that the main thing would be to think about where you wanna go, at least roughly and try to build a resume. Going to school might be one option for that, but there's a bunch more. You just have to get creative on your own. I.e. can your boss at the factory give you a reference that your totally reliable, hard-working, always on time etc. Maybe you can gather some work experience in some at least remotely related field even if it's only an internship, a summer job or not even paid at all at some charity.
Also, If your resume is kinda crap so far you will have a much better chance of getting your foot in the door somewhere if you approach ppl on a more personal level. No company has people submitting resumes just to give someone who seems totally unqualified a chance.
Go to a small company and ask them in person or find some friend of some uncle who has a business in... etc.

[erinb23]

Thanks for all the reponses, even those from the jerks. I know I definitely do need to go back to school. It's going to take me awhile to figure this **** again. Thanks again

[Lookout Kid]

If you're not interested in four-year colleges again, I'd recommend picking up a skill at a two year city college or "tech school". It's often a more direct link to employment, and isn't such a huge investment of time and money. Anything in the medical field is a good bet right now--especially nursing.

[Lookout Kid]

By the way, I'd avoid the military right now in terms of being a bridge to employment. While it may be better than a high school diploma on your resume, it's certainly not a ticket to meaninful employment in this economy. My brother did six years in the Air Force because he didn't want to go to college, picked up all sorts of training, and couldn't find a job when he got out. He's now a 28-year-old college student who teaches martial arts.