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I already answered this. I gave an example of a website advertising caregiver jobs available in CA where she can work as a live-in caregiver (solves the problem of shelter) and get paid for it (solves the problem of lack of money). This is a temporary measure to address her immediate problems while waiting to pass the CA bar and putting a permanent fix to her insolvency. Since people have advised her to go live with mom and dad, my counterpoint to that is "why not just borrow money from mom and dad?". It amounts to the same thing.
The OP who presumably knows the KY economy and employment picture better than you and me has already said that returning to KY is not an option. So banging that drum is pointless.
You don't understand much about hiring live in caregivers. When a family decides to hire a live in caregiver for an elderly family member they don't want someone who needs a "gig" for a couple of months because they're about be homeless and financially strapped.
They're going to hire someone who plans on being there for the long haul, and someone they feel comfortable leaving in the hands of their family member.
It's an adjustment for the elder as well as their family. It involves trust and commitment.
You're only looking from one point of view, and in this case the point of veiw that matters is the family hiring the caregiver.
And as another poster said, they're going to prefer someone who is a CNA. It's not easy as you make it sound, there is a lot of competition for postitions like that.
I'm not from LA, but will be moving there towards the end of Summer, but still feel I might have some insight that the OP could think about. I am a college student living on my own working full time to pay for all my college expenses and such, so I know what it's like living pay check to pay check, and not really knowing how you're going to make it work. Bottom line is though, you need to make it work. One way or another. You went to law school, you have skills that are needed in society. I don't know how much not passing the bar in CA will limit you, but you could try and freelance your services to start up businesses for looking over contracts, etc. Would this be legal since you aren't actually representing them in court? Additionally, you could use this time to learn a new skill. I've learned a lot of skills along the way to help me pay my way through college, I'm a sous chef, web/graphic designer, run an internet marketing business, and swing trade extra earnings into savings. Maybe this next month or so, the library wouldn't be a bad place to reside. Maybe learn as much as you can about the most demanded jobs and that could give you a leg up in that field. I know with the internet market that I find most of my work in, there are tons of opportunities for freelance work.
Overall, I would try to market yourself for freelance jobs(even minimally), for what you do know. If you can't find anything there, learn something that is in demand. Do you have your own computer or laptop? If you do, there is plenty of reading you can do online or at the library and learn new skills that are in demand. Someone I know from the internet marketing field was in your place a few years ago. Since then, he threw away his goal of working as an attorney, and started his own college education consulting business from a $500 investment. Of course this track isn't feasible for everyone, but the idea is that I think if you take a step back, look at the booming sectors of the economy, you can teach yourself some very valuable skills.
On a separate note, I'm a political science student and originally planned for law school but saw many forum posts, blog posts similar to this so I have realigned my goals. Did you go to a top tier law school? Did you maintain connections with any professors? If you did either of those, I'm sure someone in your school knows someone who has their own law practice in LA. With that being said, even though you are overqualified for a paralegal, if you know the right people, someone would be more than happy to help you out because you went to XYZ Law School or have a letter of recommendation from Professor XYZ that went to the same school. All-in-all, don't give up. But I think there are several options for you, but you might need to learn some new things, or simply find a new way to market yourself to make yourself more appealing for relevant industries.
[edit]Oh, BTW, if you want to freelance contract writer services, or anything else that you know, let me know and I will design a flyer for you, business card, or whatever. Just send me a PM.[/edit]
You don't understand much about hiring live in caregivers. When a family decides to hire a live in caregiver for an elderly family member they don't want someone who needs a "gig" for a couple of months because they're about be homeless and financially strapped.
They're going to hire someone who plans on being there for the long haul, and someone they feel comfortable leaving in the hands of their family member.
It's an adjustment for the elder as well as their family. It involves trust and commitment.
You're only looking from one point of view, and in this case the point of veiw that matters is the family hiring the caregiver.
And as another poster said, they're going to prefer someone who is a CNA. It's not easy as you make it sound, there is a lot of competition for postitions like that.
Wrong wrong wrong. I doubt you have actual experience or know anybody remotely connected to a patient who needs a caregiver, or to a person working as a caregiver.
In an ideal world, the caregiver is one who lives with the patient until he/she dies. That caregiver is one who is fully trusted by the patient. Maybe even a family member of the patient. That ideal world does not exist.
That's why there is a market for caregivers. That's why there are ads for caregivers posted on the internet. That's why there's something called "the job market" where total strangers are matched with each other to meet each other's economic needs. It happens everyday, everywhere.
Caregiver applicants are subsequently vetted by personal references, police records etc. It's no different than the job market for nannies, personal chefs, chauffeurs....or for teachers, accountants, attorneys, nurses, doctors etc. Do you want to be poisoned by a chef you hired through an internet ad? Of course not. But that market exists because we don't live in an ideal world.
first of all, i am not sure what helpful information is being buried in the above poster's tete-a-tete above for the OP, but it isn't obvious. just saying.
anyway, OP, i feel for you. i was homeless in my van for four months and got sick of it and moved to joshua tree for a while. i am now living in georgia again because i couldn't find a job. but i am moving back, job or no job, money or no money.
the thing is, LA is an easy city to hang on to if you are an artist in any of the creative professions, because there is no other city like it other than NYC as far as opportunities go. its electric and there is so much going on that you will, if you are a person like me, find yourself completely at a loss in other cities.
that being said, how badly do you want it? how badly do you want to be here? that is the question.
i always always keep in mind goethe's poem about "when you move, providence moves too". you have to really dig inside yourself and find this answer. if you want to stay, REALLY want to stay, you will find a way. look under every rock, so to speak. you will find a way.
when i get back, nothing, not anything, will make me leave again. unless its my family becoming sick or something of that nature- but certainly nothing like unemployment or homelessness. i would rather be in my van doing my work at shows and being creative than being at home, safe, and doing nothing. but not everyone is like that, and you are a lawyer, so the situation might be different.
as far as advice on being homeless, seems like everyone has those bases covered. pixie haircuts help, you won't be as obvious when you have to wash it in some strange sink and it dries quickly. coffeeshops- its best to stay in a neighborhood you want to live in and frequent their non-chain coffeeshops, you can find alot of info in those places and advice from the people who work there and you just might land a pittance job to keep you on your feet.
its expensive to eat out all the time and i still eat the same breakfast i learned to make when homeless- an apple sliced up with some peanut butter. no refrigeration neccesary. for dinner sometimes i would just have nuts. not because i wasn't able to buy food but because they can be taken anywhere, and are filling and nutritious.
for parking, i recommend anywhere in venice. it gets chilly there at night, perfect for sleeping. if you have to do in your car, that is. and believe me, if you have to, that yaris WILL work. its better than the bridge, and safer.
and yeah, its illegal to sleep in your car, but i have heard of NO one of all my friends who had to do that getting busted. cops in LA have more important things to do than to go tapping on all the parked cars, rousting decent people from their sleep. it just doesn't happen, if it does there are probably other reasons, like taking a dump on someone's lawn and nobody could catch you in the act but they know where you are parked. it happens.
For me this thread is both elucidating & depressing. It's great that LA has such a vibrant artistic community but the cost to our city's quality of life is tragic. It's like the City of Angels has been turned into some dystopic nightmare.
For me this thread is both elucidating & depressing. It's great that LA has such a vibrant artistic community but the cost to our city's quality of life is tragic. It's like the City of Angels has been turned into some dystopic nightmare.
Not necessarily tragic - just been one of the top receptacles for the nation's dreamers, some of whom proceed with reasonable planning, some who don't. What denotes 'reasonable' seems to be near the center of the debate in this particular case.
Not necessarily tragic - just been one of the top receptacles for the nation's dreamers, some of whom proceed with reasonable planning, some who don't. What denotes 'reasonable' seems to be near the center of the debate in this particular case.
well said, and as to smokinggun's mention of LA turning into a dystopic nightmare.....er, hasn't it always been? apart from when hollywood boulevard was still a dirt road and there were orange groves in the valley? one person's dreamland is another person's nightmare, and they both exist side by side. and in my opinion that's what makes this place so fascinating and delicious and far more interesting than say, oh, most of the other cities in the united states. take that away, and all you have are freeways.
OP...sorry you're going through this, but be proud that you're sticking by what you want and willing to make sacrifices to get it - just stay safe, whatever you do. Following your dreams is not an easy road, as you clearly have discovered, but you only live once and you gotta do what you want or you'll always wonder, "what if". You know that you can always return to KY if things don't work out; just don't put yourself in harm's way trying to stick it out here. L.A. is a tougher town than it seems on the outside. If nothing else, this is when you'll find out who your real friends are.
I must add: I am surprised by the judgmental attitude of some of the posters in here. Geez, people...take it easy! The OP asked for ideas for employment or places to stay. She didn't ask anyone here for a handout, so give credit where it's due and respect someone trying to do what she needs to do to survive. Beyond that, making comments about her career background, etc. (from what I've read) is just...uncool.
OP - I'll keep my ears/eyes open for any leads to jobs and pass it on. Keep checking this thread (or I'll PM you if something comes up right away). Tough economy, but we're all feeling the pinch and you're certainly not alone in your predicament. If you have friends in the industry, please ask them for help or for a place to stay until you sort it out.
Keep us posted on your well-being and job situation. We - I'm sure everyone in this thread - will want to know you're safe!
Well, there is quite a bit of good news to report. A very generous friend offered to let me stay with her for the month of February. My subletter showed up last night and wants to stay through the end of April. I had a couple of semi-promising job leads this week. And, the unemployment office wrote to let me know there had been some sort of error in their processing and that I'll be getting the full amount for the next 20 weeks or so. I may still go back to KY for a month or two if I don't find a job by the end of the month. Even if I don't, I'll have enough money to stay in a hostel. Hopefully, I'll settle my case soon and find a job. But, for now, I live to write another day.
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Geez, people...take it easy! The OP asked for ideas for employment or places to stay. She didn't ask anyone here for a handout, so give credit where it's due and respect someone trying to do what she needs to do to survive. Beyond that, making comments about her career background, etc. (from what I've read) is just...uncool. 
