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I don't have any advice (with my own life going nowhere, I am not qualified) but I wish you good luck.
i am with her/him. i wish u good luck as i need it too. my only advantage in you is i have some savings so i can afford not to have a job currently. i moved here in central IL coz of cheap housing. my savings will last longer but i actually am on the verge of crying while im writing this. i cant find any job in the internet so i came here to unwind. i am always hungry coz i only eat 2 meals a day to stretch my monthly budget. i went to computer schools and i have not thought of your idea. well at least you really have your mind into doing something for yourself. and i moved away from my family for the same reason and now... i honestly am about to give up. i moved here since June 12... and nothing. no job. omg help me.
Every sympathy/empathy with the OP.
It sounds like the first thing to do is get outta town. I had the good fortune to grow up in a very dysfunctional blue-collar family, but in an area with a lot of middle-class people, college-thinking people, near a big city with its options and opportunities. It sort of created a vocabulary for possibility for me. I honestly didn't know how to move somewhere, how to make a motel reservation, how to take an airplane flight, what an interest rate was... I didn't know how to do anything.
The OP sounds more savvy than that (thank you, internet, too!) but the obstacles to moving are greater, being stuck in a no-go place. (I'd also make sure, if I were the OP, that my girlfriend was absolutely on the same page, especially regarding contraception. People can do the damndest things...)
The OP said he is broke, and obviously, it does cost to move. If nothing else, one-way busfare and some kind of rooming place. It seems the best thing would be to find some amount of money to get outta town to the nearest real big city, preferably one that isn't Detroit or Cleveland or otherwise failing. I think the suggestion of Houston is a good one, depending on where the OP lives.
Preferably living on or near some kind of public transport for opportunities (I know that can be tougher in Sunbelt/Southern 'cities," which are so unlike the compact cities on the East Coast.)
Maybe I have a loser mentality, but I think the next step should be the smallest one necessary. It's a "success/go for it" mentality that would suggest going to college NOW or getting a portfolio together or whatever. I honestly think the OP needs to GET OUTTA TOWN first, get any job possible, and then start thinking of the bigger, more success-oriented ideas. And remember that college is hardly a ticket to anything. One can always take a class or two around a basic job, too. I guess I don't believe in going for broke, going 0-60, "going for it," having tried and banged into a wall with no more backup than the OP has.
However, I banged into walls in larger cities where opportunity or ideas or changes were a bus ride away. So again I say, get outta town. And watch that birth control.
Is the OP's girlfriend interested in leaving town or have ideas of her own for a different life?
Heartfelt best wishes to the OP.
I know what it feels like to be stuck. Where exactly are you? Are you still in a very rural area?? Close to ANYthing worth a s***? Or in the middle of nowhere? If you are close to anything you can drive to, maybe you could write up a nice letter with a resume if you can beef that up, and, as someone else suggested, offer your writing/creative skills. I hear alot in these desperate times of people volunteering themselves somewhere to prove themselves before they get hired. Also, check out freelance on the internet. There's a few sites I am aware but dont know if I cant post them here. What about going to college online?? I dont honestly know if in this economy you can pursue your ideal vision but maybe something close? for that matter, what about applying to a college and seeing if you can get any extra grants for living so you could leave your area? how is your credit?? what about a loan on your credit if you go away somewhere to college? I agree with the above poster about get out of town, but that can be hard. I have an income, though a crappy one, and I cant figure out how to afford to move right now. One thing is if you could pick a place, see via internet job boards if you could get any job in that place, then look for a room somewhere to rent? Then take it from there? All I do know is that the only thing I've really learned is baby steps - its not a cliche. Take one small step after another. There must be one, just one tiny step you can take to move you closer to all these dreams, because they arent fantasies, everything you describe is more than possible for you. You just need to figure out the first step. If I knew better what that was I would be happier too! But seriously, at the very least, please think positively and say one positive thing to yourself everyday - it wont hurt thats for sure. Remember the famous quote about how the greatest of journeys begins with only one small step.
Location: North of Birmingham, South of Huntsville
12 posts, read 28,599 times
Reputation: 36
I thought I'd drop in and update this thread since I haven't been on the City Data Forums in a good while.
After many long months of sending out my resume and working every angle I could think of, I managed to land a job in advertising in a slightly larger town a little over an hour away from home. Then I got a telecommuting job with an ecommerce company in another state. Then I picked up a bunch of freelance design and production jobs. All in all, I have between 4 and 7 active jobs at any given time. You might say I overcompensated just a little for the unemployment...
I'm still in the same little old town, but we've got our own place now and are saving up to move as soon as humanly possible. The plan is to sit tight for just a while, work work work, save save save, and then MOVE! Things are looking good in general, we just have to figure out where we want to go when we get out of here.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support!
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
39,031 posts, read 23,035,808 times
Reputation: 36027
If there are any community colleges in your area, it could be cheaper for you to begin financing your education and basically anyone can enter a community college. You can begin working on an Associate's degree and transfer to a university to obtain a bachelors degree. Most colleges have career centers where professionals can assist you with defining your career aspirations.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
39,031 posts, read 23,035,808 times
Reputation: 36027
Quote:
Originally Posted by Area_Man7
I thought I'd drop in and update this thread since I haven't been on the City Data Forums in a good while.
After many long months of sending out my resume and working every angle I could think of, I managed to land a job in advertising in a slightly larger town a little over an hour away from home. Then I got a telecommuting job with an ecommerce company in another state. Then I picked up a bunch of freelance design and production jobs. All in all, I have between 4 and 7 active jobs at any given time. You might say I overcompensated just a little for the unemployment...
I'm still in the same little old town, but we've got our own place now and are saving up to move as soon as humanly possible. The plan is to sit tight for just a while, work work work, save save save, and then MOVE! Things are looking good in general, we just have to figure out where we want to go when we get out of here.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement and support!
What good news!
And I echo those who say the OP is an excellent writer (and shows it in clear thinking)- do you know how rare that is? I've worked as a copyeditor/proofreader.
There are places online to bid on copy/proof jobs, small and larger. That has enabled people to cause a rush to lower pay ($12/hr?) but it's from home and the work exists, in case the OP wants another job.
Congratulations on a good hustle and results.
What good news!
And I echo those who say the OP is an excellent writer (and shows it in clear thinking)- do you know how rare that is? I've worked as a copyeditor/proofreader.
There are places online to bid on copy/proof jobs, small and larger. That has enabled people to cause a rush to lower pay ($12/hr?) but it's from home and the work exists, in case the OP wants another job.
Congratulations on a good hustle and results.
Are you able to tell us what these places online are? thanks.
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