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I find it sort of odd that it took you 7 months to find a job at a grocery store, which is always hiring. What other sorts of places did you apply to? What sort of job experience do you have? A second job is a start, but you still need to be looking for a real job while working at the grocery store.
Sounds like your sister should figure out how to make her small business work (how do you lose track of clients and you're that underwater that you can't even bring home $60?) or find real work.
Have any in-home sales experience? PM me if so.
Something is off here.
Does anyone have a criminal record? That's the only thing that I can think of that would hinder your job search.
He can't hack it in a grocery store, and you want him to become a salesperson?
...I'll try to get a second job. It took me 7 months to find my current job so I don't have high hopes.
Please work on changing your attitude. "I'll try" and "dont have high hopes" are defeatist. You WILL get a second job, even if it's just flipping burgers, to help make ends meet. And your sister must do the same.
I'm very sorry for your situation but no one should even have to tell you both to get second jobs. There are always jobs that no one else wants to do, like cleaning houses or working in nursing homes. You dont have to like the work -- you just have to do it and do a good job of it.
I worked for a well-known oil/gas company in the early 1980s. When the industry tanked in the mid-1980s, I couldnt find a job anywhere. But, instead of asking people "what should I do?" or getting on any kind of government help, I started my own business cleaning foreclosed-on houses. I went to different banks/realtors and offered to clean their vacant houses for a dirt-cheap rate. Once they saw what a good job I did and how hard/long I worked, I had more work than I could handle and was able to raise my rates.
I usually worked 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I didnt have to work that much but I kept getting referrals and I never wanted to turn down any $$$.
When oil/gas jobs opened up again, I almost stayed with the house-cleaning -- but I was offered a great job in oil/gas and went back to that industry because of the benefits. In fact, the person who hired me told me, later, that he did so because he was so impressed with my work ethic in cleaning those houses.
I know times are different now but, if I could come up with that idea to make money, you and your sister can come up with ideas too. Maybe not cleaning houses -- although you may be able to go to work for a cleaning company -- but doing SOMETHING SOMEWHERE. And, if it means you dont get much sleep, then so be it. You have to do what you have to do.
The most you can do is perhaps apply for student aid at a community college and study something marketable like computer science. If not computer science, then perhaps a skilled labor trade. Don't just get "any old" degree, because you will find yourself in the hole and still working at a grocery store. Perhaps you may consider leaving Los Angeles as that is a very high cost of living area. LA is loaded with transplants with worthless degrees struggling to make it.
I would also recommend seeing a counselor of some kind. From your past posts you seem to have some underlying issues that prevent you from holding down job. It could be possible that you have Aspergers, or are somewhere on that spectrum.
Don't give up! I was once in your position, being broke but however in a small low cost of living town which helped things a lot. Being broke and struggling financially in a high COL place like LA is easily hell on Earth.
I don't know how old you are, but in my mid-20s, I held down a full-time job with 4 part-time sidelines. I hustled like you wouldn't believe - my part-time gigs involved handling dogs for my father, proofreading manuscripts, selling things at the flea market and working in a bookstore. It's time for you and your sister to get part-time jobs. Or just put yourself out there as someone who can do odd jobs. Hell, go to the Home Depot and wait for a truck to come.
If you want things to change, you gotta acquire some skills though. You write fairly decently. I'd brush up on things like social media and try for something like becoming an online personal assistant.
You need to find a second job ASAP. Look for something part-time, like waiting tables, delivering pizza, washing cars at a dealership, or whatever you can get. If your job doesn't depend on it, cancel the internet service. You can go to the library to use the internet. You can't afford internet service.
I find it sort of odd that it took you 7 months to find a job at a grocery store, which is always hiring. What other sorts of places did you apply to? What sort of job experience do you have? A second job is a start, but you still need to be looking for a real job while working at the grocery store.
Sounds like your sister should figure out how to make her small business work (how do you lose track of clients and you're that underwater that you can't even bring home $60?) or find real work.
Have any in-home sales experience? PM me if so.
Good point. Grocery stores are always hiring for stock boys and cashiers. It's one of the easiest jobs out there to get. I'm starting to wonder if there's more to this story.
I suspect it took me 7 months because I didn't have any viable work history until I got the sign waving job. Once I got that interviewers were more interested in talking to me. Before that I didn't get many interviews and when I did I generally did terribly due to low confidence. My verbal and people skills aren't very advanced. I got a huge confidence boost as I began to get better and better at interviews + got the sign waving job as a temporary source of income. While i'm still hit-and-miss with interviews i'm a lot better than I was before. My unusual appearance may also play against me in interviews.
I had the sign-waving job as my secondary source of income but they became disinterested in me because I was unable to work most of the days they scheduled for me (due to conflicting schedules or illness).
Thank you for all the answers.
I'll respond to some of them tomorrow. This feels like a nightmare.
Sorry to hear about this. I'm in a real mess as well, but it's not as bad as this.
Only advice I have is probably what other people will tell you, which is make sure you're using all the government benefits available to you- whether it's food stamps, maybe help with utilities, etc. Usually the people who work at the unemployment office have a list of community resources. It goes without saying, but no shame in asking for help.
I'll try to get a second job. It took me 7 months to find my current job so I don't have high hopes.
Sorry you have to try and survive in over expensive L.A. I can empathize. It is tough getting work in L.A. Especially if you don't speak fluent Spanish or have a Spanish sounding name.
What I would do in your situation is skip paying their union dues, use that money to get your security guard card, and go on Craigslist and get hired to do security. The security guard companies are itching to hire a warm body to guard construction sites, log in trucks and make patrols around a building. And if you get your hours cut, which is highly unlikely, it's always easy to get hired by another security firm to do the same brainless work, if you can call it "work". The hourly pay isn't more than what you're getting working in a Albertsons or Ralphs but it is steady and full time..
If you have your own car they love that as they can send you to different posts.
I remember working at my favorite job (bookstore) but living close the edge of being homeless. I was living dollar to dollar...have you thought of going back to school?? this might unload the burden-get financial aid and a future...if not, this is your future.
It's rough out there and it doesn't matter the age-one can be in this at age 20 to 56...it doesn't matter. Good luck.
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