New To Virginia (Chesapeake, Hampton, Suffolk: loans, home, job market)

[mary2009]

I have been in VA for a few months now, still have not found employment, i am certified as a cna in my former state, to do any similar work even home care, i have to do the course again and retest, since i have done this type work in assisted living for the past 20 yrs, i have no experience in anythiing other. I have applied all over and just can't seem to find anywhere will they will train, I am getting so frustrated, would consider another field if i can be trained??? any ideas? also was wondering if anyone knows of support groups for divorced or even peolpe new to the area?? Suffolk or Chesapeake i would certainly appreciate help with either things. thank you so much

[Erma]

Tidewater Community College has many medical fields. Ever think about going back to school?

[glamgirlgraphics]

I can't offer any job search advice, but if you're looking for support groups- or just to make friends- check out meetup.com. I made some great friends that way and definitely recommend it!

[Randomdude]

Originally Posted by mary2009

I have been in VA for a few months now, still have not found employment, i am certified as a cna in my former state, to do any similar work even home care, i have to do the course again and retest, since i have done this type work in assisted living for the past 20 yrs, i have no experience in anythiing other. I have applied all over and just can't seem to find anywhere will they will train, I am getting so frustrated, would consider another field if i can be trained??? any ideas? also was wondering if anyone knows of support groups for divorced or even peolpe new to the area?? Suffolk or Chesapeake i would certainly appreciate help with either things. thank you so much

The only section in the classifieds that has more then 3 jobs listed and isnt restaurant or retail is medical. You are actually sitting in one of the more employable fields, so Im not sure what to tell you.

[christine243]

Originally Posted by mary2009

I have been in VA for a few months now, still have not found employment, i am certified as a cna in my former state, to do any similar work even home care, i have to do the course again and retest, since i have done this type work in assisted living for the past 20 yrs, i have no experience in anythiing other. I have applied all over and just can't seem to find anywhere will they will train, I am getting so frustrated, would consider another field if i can be trained??? any ideas? also was wondering if anyone knows of support groups for divorced or even peolpe new to the area?? Suffolk or Chesapeake i would certainly appreciate help with either things. thank you so much

While the job market is better here than in most other parts of the country right now, employers are being inundated with resumes in all fields (even in medical). You're not going to find many employers willing to train and as result of that, many people in South Hampton Roads are having to rely on expensive and unscrupulous institutes... like the Art Institute, Centura College, ITT Tech, etc... these are the easiest places for people to get into, but they are run poorly, they prey on people who may have trouble getting traditional school loans or who can't afford to wait 4 years for a Bachelors degree. Also, once graduated from these schools it is hard to get a job... your chances are not much better than the average job applicant next to you.

My advice is to make sure you have an excellent resume, even if you have to pay someone to look at it, and mail it to prospective employers. A walk in drop off of a resume is a good idea too. Everyone is emailing resumes and employers are literally reading the first 20-25 then deleting the rest of them. You should start googling professional medical/nursing message boards in the area so you can start networking. The work is out there, but it may take a while for you to find it.

As for support groups or new to the area groups... lol... good luck with that. I don't know where you are from, but had I seen a posting of yours stating you were moving here, I would have told you to cease and desist! lol Sorry to be such a debby downer, but South Hampton Roads is a military town with rude and prejudicial people in it. You're going to have a tough time finding really nice, down to earth, well rounded people here. I tried going on MeetUp.com and could not find much in the way of positive groups with similar interests as myself that weren't overly clique-ish or boring. Still, I would start with MeetUp.com. Who knows...maybe you'll find what you are looking for. Good luck.

[nycricanpapi]

Originally Posted by mary2009

I have been in VA for a few months now, still have not found employment, i am certified as a cna in my former state, to do any similar work even home care, i have to do the course again and retest, since i have done this type work in assisted living for the past 20 yrs, i have no experience in anythiing other. I have applied all over and just can't seem to find anywhere will they will train, I am getting so frustrated, would consider another field if i can be trained??? any ideas? also was wondering if anyone knows of support groups for divorced or even peolpe new to the area?? Suffolk or Chesapeake i would certainly appreciate help with either things. thank you so much

From where did you move from? You can find groups at meetup.com