What's your DREAM JOB that you cannot do cos of DISCRIMINATION?

[Ms_Jess]

I now hope that you do become Prime Minister and that you do meet Sarah Palin

If she becomes Prime Minister, I hope she doesn't have any pressing political need to meet with Palin =).

[regan]

I'm sorry that I mistook your comments in a much more negative light than you intended.  I've got a semi-fragile state of mind concerning the whole situation as a 5th year senior going on 6th most likely next year.  Especially since, like you said, even after this long in school I certainly do not have the certifications/experience needed for professional application.  [Though hopefully after that it will be off to a graduate program/tech school]

Get as much education as you can, I would tell anyone that cis or not.  There are plenty of jobs you don't need higher education for, but it certainly helps.  Especially with the current economy, when two people apply for the same job, everything else being equal the person with more education is usually going to get the job (there are always exceptions, of course).

In the GLBT world there are enough uneducated people, unemployed people.  Whether its true or not I've heard the trans unemployment rate is around 40%, the more you educate yourself the less likely you are to be part of that 40%.  The sad fact is employers can afford not to hire someone becuase of their non-standard gender identity/expression when there are plenty of people for them to choose from, its alot harder for the employer to justify it when you're one a select group of people that can do the job.

Don't worry about the 5th/6th year senior thing, its not a race, it matters only that you finish.

[japple]

my parents tell me day after day that dreams don't exist, deep down inside I just want to draw for cash, or do 3D modeling.

Your parents are wrong. I had similar parents and I proved them wrong.

I work in a related field. With the Internet it doesn't really matter where you live.  You just have to do it for like 6 hours every day until you rock so hard that people want to hire you.  Creative jobs seldom have on the job training.  You have to build your reel / portfolio in school or on your own to get in.   Once you're in you're in.

I took a feature film job last summer and have had three since then just from word of mouth. I live in the US Midwest.  I come from a very poor family (like outhouse poor), no college degree (took may community college classes), but now make a good creative living, have stayed in the nicest hotels, been to 18 countries, fly to NY or LA when I feel like it, and have had dinner with celebrities and billionaires. 

If you're dedicated you can do it.  I've never met a person who applied themselves that can't make a living as a commercial artist.  The people who don't do it..don't do it.  They consume media like a glutton and let the days slip by.

You can do it.  I worked over 40 jobs before I "made it."  Dish washer, fast food, copy shops, retail...

[Epigania]

Your parents are wrong. I had similar parents and I proved them wrong.

I work in a related field. With the Internet it doesn't really matter where you live.  You just have to do it for like 6 hours every day until you rock so hard that people want to hire you.  Creative jobs seldom have on the job training.  You have to build your reel / portfolio in school or on your own to get in.   Once you're in you're in.

I took a feature film job last summer and have had three since then just from word of mouth. I live in the US Midwest.  I come from a very poor family (like outhouse poor), no college degree (took may community college classes), but now make a good creative living, have stayed in the nicest hotels, been to 18 countries, fly to NY or LA when I feel like it, and have had dinner with celebrities and billionaires. 

If you're dedicated you can do it.  I've never met a person who applied themselves that can't make a living as a commercial artist.  The people who don't do it..don't do it.  They consume media like a glutton and let the days slip by.

You can do it.  I worked over 40 jobs before I "made it."  Dish washer, fast food, copy shops, retail...

This is actually a very wise post ... It's true of everything, not just artistry as a career.   If you put your mind to something and work hard to succeed, you can find a way to make a living.   I'm a computer programmer and a project manager at a Fortune 50 company but never went to college (except a few Community College classes where I realized it wasn't for me) and I grew up on a farm as well.

Though I'm not doing what I want to do for a living, I'd rather be designing sets, I make a very solid living because I told myself early on that I can make a career out of something I was pretty good at (computer and system engineering) and I worked hard to make it a reality.

While I don't wine and dine with celebreties, I am on a first name basis and hang out with the CEO's of major international companies. 

I think in a lot of places these days, people care more about if you can do what they want you to do.   They don't care so much about your history.   I think that's especially true in fields such as publishing and computer related jobs.

[regan]

You can do it.  I worked over 40 jobs before I "made it."  Dish washer, fast food, copy shops, retail...

There are plenty of people that work two (or more) jobs.  One pays the bills and one is their dream job.  If it gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning, chase that dream with all that you have.  The most miserable people I've ever met work a job only becuase "it pays alot of money".

[Lacey Lynne]

Thus far I'd like to be a mechanical engineer but apparently no one wants to hire me...

You most assuredly CAN be a mechanical engineer.  This particular career choice WILL require at least a bachelor's degree, BSME, to get even considered for the job.  We'll presume you either have or are working towards such a degree. 

Learn to market yourself.  Nobody teaches this.  Here's a great first step:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2010/dp/1580089879

Remember, employers buy value, so learn to sell value.  It's a process.  You are selling how you will help them make money and do so with the least hassle.  There are other random variables, of course, but this is the crux of the matter.   Don't ask what they will do for you?  Sell what you will do for them.  LEARN TO SELL VALUE!  Not only can you then get the job but you can get it at a higher salary (sometimes MUCH higher) than your competing interviewees. 

Again, learn to sell yourself.  You CAN do it!  Just take the first step ...   .

   Lacey

[Devin87]

I'm currently a 2nd grade teacher and I absolutely love it.  I love being a teacher and would love to keep it up my whole life, but I know how parents react when it turns out little Johnny's teacher is transgendered, and it isn't pretty.  After I finish my time here I'm considering going back to grad school for something still in the education field, but something where I won't be a classroom teacher.  I think I might be a LITTLE better recieved if I was an itinerant specialist.

[Pinkfluff]

Thus far I'd like to be a mechanical engineer but apparently no one wants to hire me...

Change "mechanical" to either "aerospace" or "software" and that's about me. My resume has gotten me interviews, but everyone seems to always find "something" that they don't like after meeting me. Gee, wonder what that is... These have been entry level jobs and I have a Master's degree too.

I used to want to be in the Air Force as a kid, but I learned early on that that would never happen, at least not in this life.