Job suggestions for college age son please (Dallas, Fort Worth: spring break, real estate) - Texas (TX) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

loves2read · 04-03-2010, 01:28 PM

working retail just depends--
my daughter worked retail at Dillard's and couple of other stores like Old Navy--retail was not the best job she had but it certainly taught her customer service skills, how to organize her time so that she got to work on time, and required choosing what activities were important to her when she had free time vs having only free time and still had problems prioritizing--and always seemed bored.

It showed her that minimum wage is really not a living wage and that as much as anything motivated her to succeed in college. Although she decided to become a teacher and so is still basically working for minimum wage...

She learned to make change, run a cash register, organize stock, work/deal with people from many backgrounds and educational levels and communication skills. She learned to be patient and bite her tongue at times--which is a necessary skill for almost anyone from 7 to 40+ from what I can see in my daily life. She learned what it takes to make a good employee AND what it means to be a bad supervisor--so she can avoid those behavior patterns herself. I fail to understand why those are not positive insights.

Frankly, IF recruiters are really tossing out resumes that only show retail experience for people applying for entry level jobs with similar skill sets, then I think that shows a lack of insight on their part and probably means they have some really screwed up ideas of what a good employee is.

There are plenty of people who do consider retail as a dead-end job--and those are the same sales people who are standing around talking vs cleaning up stock, who show up late for their shifts and take any opportunity to not show up at all and yet complain about the paucity of their hours/pay check, who don't bother to know what is on sale in their area and can't handle a cash purchase.

I can sympathize with the short hours senario--my daughter worked at a local Cheddar's as a hostess and had to exchange her shifts on the weekend because she played select softball---which she was very specific about when she interviewed for the job. The manager who hired her said it was not a problem--he could schedule her during the week...but he never did. She would have to get someone to cover her shift but since other people always WANTED extra shifts they would never trade her back--it took about 2 weeks to realize that was not going to work...

Of course that situation develops because full-time workers are entitled to benefits AND overtime if they work longer than their 35-40 hrs which the restaurant was trying to avoid doing...

Regarding the OP's son--it would be good idea to start summer school. No reason for leaving A & M was given initially, but I can only assume that some intellectual ability is there or he would not have gotten accepted in the first place. DCCC has entry level classes that can be transferred to 4 yr school as well as other, more technical school oriented classes--and it is less expensive than a private trade school.
And I agree -- the military could be a good option. The military will promote from within and has good training programs for people who are intelligent and willing to accept military life. It is not easy and for some people it can be pretty psychologically stressful--bringing out the worst in some people vs the best. But it does require an individual to stand on his/her own feet--there is no running home to mom and dad and plenty of tough love when someone can't get with the program...
Learning that he can cope on his own and find out what his strengths and weaknesses are might be something that your son would benefit from---
but I find that most middle class students consider the military as a last resort for losers--so there is lot of psychological barrier to joining and/or succeeding in it...
and certainly not something you can make your son do...

FarNorthDallas · 04-03-2010, 01:28 PM

Also, would he consider the operations part of ExxonMobil?
https://www.exxonmobil-employment.com/

Saintmarks · 04-03-2010, 07:55 PM

Wonderful suggestions and timely advice, very much appreciated. Keep 'em coming!

loves2read · 04-05-2010, 09:45 AM

more suggestions---ok

what time does your son get up in the morning and go to bed at night--letting him sleep til noon and stay up til 3am is just receipe for disaster and continuing a bad cycle
how likely is it that he is suffering from depression and needs to be evaluated by professional
have you taken him to the doctor (if he is still on your insurance) to have a wellnes check and maybe some insight on his weight problem
did he cut the yard this weekend

suggestions are well and good but accomplish nothing without action...

scyogi · 04-05-2010, 10:21 AM

Hey Saintmarks~I know that my suggestion may seem odd but could you afford to help him work with a trainer to get in shape? Maybe through working out he can find some self confidence. (I am not talking getting in to Iron Man shape.) Perhaps just running a 5K and be dedicated to himself. College is not the perfect answer for every person but he will find his way. Maybe a bunch of these little steps can build to something bigger for him. Dr. Phil is not necessary....I promise! Good luck to you all~

grindin · 04-05-2010, 10:44 AM

How about any call center jobs? I worked those while I was in college and for a few years afterward before I decided to go back to school and pursue my career. It's not manual labor, but it can be quite mentally demanding, and those jobs taught me how to appease people in heat-of-the-moment situations as well as thinking quickly on my feet. They're also VERY by the clock, so you're taught punctuality the hard way. I knew that if I was "on-time," I was late in many instances.

They pay decently, but I know too many people who get those jobs and get stuck in a "rut". It's an honest living, but I knew it was time for me to go after a certain point. It certainly was the kick in the behind I needed to take my behind back to school. Main issues with those types of jobs is that they can lay off at the drop of a hat and your job could be outsourced tomorrow.

embher · 04-07-2010, 03:03 AM

Life Time Fitness. All apps are done online. I know that the new mall in Fairview has been hiring like crazy. Also know in McKinney the aquatics center will be hiring soon. I'm trying to think. I was 19 in McKinney not too long ago. Okay, so I'm still 19, just out of Mac FINALLY. I would deff have him hit up the new Fairview mall! Leslie's Pool Supply might be hiring. Uhm, yea. I forgot what's there that hires. I would suggest he go to small places. Locally owned or just not corporate. I have actually heard tho that it can be pretty easy to get a job at Wal*Mart... Plus they pay more than I make! Oh, BLOCKBUSTER WAREHOUSE. That could be closing tho. There are all those new places over off 380 & 75. But remember, small places he won't have to pass a pee test (: Coming from Mac, I feel every kid should know! Life Time doesn't test either. Just sayinnnnn!

embher · 04-07-2010, 03:09 AM

Idk what the issue was, but I went to school in Chicago & did really well first semester, flunked out second semester. Moved home & attempted DCCCD, flunked outta there. Then my family kicked me out while I was jobless & I had to go live with a friend. Blahblahblah. CRYCRYCRY. Yeahyeahyeah. Anyway, even tho I was kicked out, my aunt paid for me to go see a shrink. Realized failing out of school, quitting my job were all parts of a deeper issue. I had no desire to go get a job for the first two months because I was just trying to make it do. Now that I'm working again, I feel so much better & CANNOT WAIT to go back to school. Woohoo, life story. Anyway, not saying he should go see a shrink, but it could be helpful if he gets in a bad funk.

Saintmarks · 04-07-2010, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embher

Idk what the issue was, but I went to school in Chicago & did really well first semester, flunked out second semester. Moved home & attempted DCCCD, flunked outta there. Then my family kicked me out while I was jobless & I had to go live with a friend. Blahblahblah. CRYCRYCRY. Yeahyeahyeah. Anyway, even tho I was kicked out, my aunt paid for me to go see a shrink. Realized failing out of school, quitting my job were all parts of a deeper issue. I had no desire to go get a job for the first two months because I was just trying to make it do. Now that I'm working again, I feel so much better & CANNOT WAIT to go back to school. Woohoo, life story. Anyway, not saying he should go see a shrink, but it could be helpful if he gets in a bad funk.

Similar situation for sure, has been to counselors before. I know that once he gets back into a routine of working and making his own money, it will work wonders for him. He has a pretty solid group of core friends, they will have the odd beer now and then, but they (unless they are hiding it from me REALLY well) aren't doing any recreational drugs. The addiction is gaming, really. They hang here at our place on weekends and have about five computers set up to play online games. The tough love part is not to kick him out at this point, might come to it, but still sorting thru the adverse effects on him that our (his mother and me) divorce has had on him, moved him to TX in middle school when that happened.

I have mercy on him cause I see that as the root of his stuff. Getting him back into counseling is a big part of the picture and just helping him step by step with the job hunt instead of just saying "get a job." I have had to walk thru that myself as an adult and it can just make you want to pull the covers over your head and make the world go away. So, thank you, your advice is timely. I finally have a day off today for the first time in 3 weeks, so we are going to take these suggestions and write out a plan.

I really appreciate all the good suggestions. Helps me to help him too.

thehustleman · 04-07-2010, 04:03 PM

First post, hope it's helpful.

Your son sounds like me a few years ago; needs money, but don't want to work. He should try putting in an application with Platinum Event Services. They basically provide security for events. He will need a car. It's mostly part time work, but if he can make a good impression on one of the managers; it could turn into more.

Find out more and apply here:

http://www.platinumesi.com

It is always best to call the day after you have submitted an online application.