It sucks looking for jobs without a specified skill (apply, degrees, owner)

[ben242000]

I'm a writer and I'm going about ways to get into that career, but in the mean time I need to make money and support myself on my own. However, I'm an English major, so I really don't even know what kind of jobs to apply for! I'm working as a Claims Tech now which doesn't pay the bills, and bores me completely. Any job suggestions?

P.S. This is for Milwaukee.

[Beretta]

Originally Posted by ben242000

I'm a writer and I'm going about ways to get into that career, but in the mean time I need to make money and support myself on my own. However, I'm an English major, so I really don't even know what kind of jobs to apply for! I'm working as a Claims Tech now which doesn't pay the bills, and bores me completely. Any job suggestions?

P.S. This is for Milwaukee.

Waiter, seriously! You will meet lots of people and that is always a good thing for many reasons.

Be a great waiter and work your way up to the high brow restaurants; that is where the big money is for waiters.

[gardener34]

Do you have any journalism skills? Look for jobs in public relations, marketing, marketing communications... take some marketing classes or journalism classes seriously. You can do copywriting. OR you can get good money teaching, get your certification for your state and likely you can retire well with a pension and insurance and all that.

[desertsun41]

A writer huh. Pursue it if you can. I used to write for some local fishing magazines and even got a gig with Outdoor Life back in 86. I kinda drifted from it because I made enough money in my business. I wish now I stayed with it. I think I got paid $40 per article back in the mid 80s from the local magazines and about $125 for the big one. Strangely some of my articles were printed but under some one elses name. I still got the same pay but Editors feel if a known name writes it rather then a little known name like me, then more readers would read. Stupid huh? As long as I got paid who cared.

Anyhoo I been thinking about it lately since business sucks. But even magazine subscriptions are down in this depression.

Newspaper readers are dying off with the Dinosaur so forget about writing for papers. But people still love magazines.

Dont give up the dream.

[emh]

A friend used to make $50 an hour doing freelance editing. This was about 10 years ago so I'm sure her rates are even higher now. It can take a while to build up a client list but the nice thing is that you can set your own hours and have clients all over the country.

[ihatetucson]

It does suck when you can't find a job in a specific skill. I am an office professional, but can't find anything. I can also do janitorial work, but alas, can't find anything. Plus a lot of companies ask for YEARS (not months) but YEARS of experience. And for those that think a college degree will get you anywhere, you might want to rethink that. Either way, the state of the economy is bad, and not likely to get better anytime soon.

[GypsySoul22]

I was an English major, also, for my BA degree.
The trouble is, people have no idea that a writing major can be an asset in business. You just need a chance...you will learn more on the job than in college.

All these folks get 'business' degrees but cannot write a report or sentence without five mistakes in each paragraph. They specialize too much in procedures or whatever.

What do they actually teach you as a business major? I had to take one business course and it was 'management.' I don't remember anything that was useful from it.

I've worked in many offices in customer service, market research, and so forth and being able to organize and write (two things you learn as an English major) will serve you well in whatever you do.

Don't limit yourself...you have skills...

As for writing, keep it up. Try to get on a local paper or just do freelance work or write 'for yourself.'

[Dave1215]

I know a number of folks that are self-employed... they go after businesses that realize they need periodic help with writing and/or editing, but can't justify a full time position... one of these people works with:

• foundations in their grant writing,
• sales companies with their sales materials,
• corporate trainers with their training materials,
• small business owners that are registered for government contracts (search www.ccr.gov for who they are in your area) and need help in having their response to RFP's being as sharp as they can be
• executives that want a important/critical written piece to be as sharp as it can be
• local municipalities that are writing grant requests
• local newspapers that need ad-hoc journalists (e.g. special edition, special piece)

Go talk to your local Chamber of Commerce and your local Small Business Administration about which of their members/clients might need a professional writer and in what capacity.... I bet you will be blown away with the opportunities to get piece-meal work - enough to stay busy and pay the bills...

[Dave1215]

Another idea for a writer - take your spare time, start a free blog, and begin writing whereever your passion is.... THEN, find an organization that works in that arena and hook your blog to their web-presence... minimally you work within your passion in your free-time and just have fun, but it could lead to your being seen as an expert in your area and who knows what work will come through that relationship.

[jenn02674]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

I
What do they actually teach you as a business major? I had to take one business course and it was 'management.' I don't remember anything that was useful from it.

Don't hate on something you just took one class in. I was a business major and I took more english classes than you took business classes and I don't trash English majors.

It is all about how you market yourself. I've come across a few editing jobs that required an english degree. I have a good friend working for a bank that has a bachelor's and masters in english and he didn't have ANY experience until he graduated with his masters. The timing is just really, really bad right now. You are competing with people that do have a whole lot more experience which is more valuable than a degree.