The purpose of this thread is to encourage those that are unemployed to create their own business and to discuss ideas and share resources.
I have had times in my life when employment was scarce and I got tired of not getting calls back so I just started my own small enterprise. The main one I did was mowing lawns and I started with a piece of crap car and a used push mower and weed wacker. It looked rediculous driving around with a mower hanging out of the trunk but I made about $10 and hour at it when I started out.
I got accepted to a much higher rated college and we sold everything we had and moved 1,500 miles in 1995. I found that most jobs compatible with my class schedule to be in the $7/hr range which sucked and didnt really pay the bills. So, I scraped up some money and bought a little equipment and started cutting grass using my 69 mustang with a small trailer.
It was a horendous looking setup but my customers appreciated the fact that I busted my ass, i was reliable and I did a good job which got me a lot of referrals. After the last two years of college, I had truck with a dump bed, trailers, thousands of dollars worth of equipment and was making about $70k a year.
I did that for about 6 months after school but ddecided that I was tired of the heat, cold, rain, bees (bees suck, try cutting a hornets nest in half with commercial hedge trimmers..ouch)and moved into the real estate business for many years.
Anyways, the thread isn't about ME. It's about YOU and what you can do to get out of your rut with unemployment and relying on someone to give you a job. Is it easy? NO. It's hard work but it's something almost anyone can do. What ideas can you come up with that others here can work with in starting a business?
I'm going to try to figure something out after I can any job that gets some money rolling in. Already can't pay my rent on October 1 and I'm a bit scared right now.
It really is amazing what can be done with a little confidence and motivation. Confidence can at least be faked but motivation can't. What ideas do you have Zoe? Maybe we can help you iron out the details and help motivate you. I would encourage you to start now and not wait til things are in crisis. BTW, my degree is in business and I am a very entreprenurial person who has always been know as "the idea" person wherever I work.
That's just it... I don't have any right now. :( I fight off tears when I try to think of what I can do because I believe that what I can do is worthless. And I have a complete lack of confidence in my ability to succeed at something on my own. Then I know it's just stupid childhood stuff that I'm fighting off, messages I got from my parents. Even my well-meaning parents. My stepdad told me the other day that I need to ditch my counterculture friends and find normal people to be around if I don't want to end up just like my friends and actually have a "normal" job (which, as has been the case my entire life, means going to work for a corporation).
And I'm so stressed about money that I can't think of anything. I have just over two weeks before my financial doomsday comes.
Hmmm let's see...
1. I heard webcam modeling pays well. You can sign up at different sites. All you need is a computer, a webcam(there are cheap ones), and decent lighting.
2. Building your own website can bring in cash depending on what you want to do. 2createawebsite.com has good information.
3. Use your talents to make income. Maybe you're really good at cooking, or you're a great designer, or you're a creative videographer. Sell your talents.
4. Try various work at home sites. Liveops and West at Home are legit companies.
5. Are you good with kids? Try babysitting.
These are just a few that came to mind. I hope someone finds this helpful.
This sounds like a good idea, I did the guy with a truck and mower thing for a while , then got a real job, and it kinda sucks. Well Zoe, time to make a list of what you CAN do , by the way, how much is rent?
What CAN I do? I really don't know. Not stuff that pays, I guess. I've got two degrees from fully accredited (regional accreditation) universities, one in film, the other in psychology. I was once a park ranger, a graphic designer, an HR rep, accounts payable clerk, head of international tax compliance for a royalty-processing firm, editor, and a university tutor in psychology and ESL.
Guess you could say I've never had a definition, and I'm well past the age where I feel like I should have been something and that I should have SOME marketable skills. But I'm ridiculously shy when it comes to relationships and work-related activities (yes, only those two situations). I'm not a natural networker and I have severe difficulty planning things from start to finish. I see big pictures and get panic attacks trying to figure out how to achieve them.
I also do photography, and I've always wanted to do more than rudimentary web design. I have a website I created a few years back, but haven't touched in a long time.
My thoughts, and here I really my be so wrong! Surely I over look something – BIG.
1) To become entrepreneur, even a small one, yes, you need motivation, BUT also simply entrepreneurial skill.
2) Most folks grew up in situations that had parents work for some kind or other corporate. It therefore is a skill set that has not been developed by many. If it were --- no one would want to work for corporate. Ever. Corporate is simply a kindergarten for grown ups... I worked there for the better part of my life.
3) In fairness --- before one starves one tends to become entrepreneurial. Just look at beggars, they do.
4) Even starting a Union for beggars has/had been done. Also for thieves and other sundry 'entrepreneurs'.
5) The way commerce has developed is, that people have/had to have, become over-dependant on corporate business. The rich get richer the poor get poorer?
6) Small businesses are talked about lots (E.F. Schumacher's "Small is beautiful" etc.) but as soon as e.g. a trailer with two lawn mowers becomes a proposition, corporate will do it. It's called: Franchising over here.
7) I did say the above to invite lots of constructive criticism, because I myself, after been booted from a lucrative consulting job, was completely out on a limb - and still are.
8) Dreams are only useful if you can recall how it was done.
9) One may have lots of skills or skill sets (I do), without entrepreneurial thinking and gut-feel, you're still dependent on corporate. If you too old, it's best to just die and not take jobs from the needy younger folks. Corporate totally supports this position.
10) I could go on and on in this fashion but it is not really helpful to be all negative, I do realize that. So let's see.
Let the flaming start, I'll put on my asbestos vest in the meantime,
Axelle
I agree with the philosophy of this thread, and would like to add the following:
1. Network. I'm highly introverted, as i imagine a lot of others in here are. Still, approach networking as a job in and of itself. It's a necessary evil that has the potential to pay out huge dividends in the future.
2. Keep busy. If you're looking for an example to go from, look at Lafayette from True Blood. That dude is ALWAYS working!
3. Follow your interests. I like politics and writing and have been doing it for a few years now. While I haven't gotten paid for it yet, I have gotten published, which you can use for a resume enhancer. Eventually I do hope to get paid.
4. The more you can do yourself, the less you have to depend on anyone else for ANYTHING, the better off you will be.
*keeping yourself busy also has the ancillary benefit of keeping your mind occupied, which can help suppress GID attacks.
They key to being successful at something is to just DO IT! You want to shoot short films ? Work with some non profits or small business that has a need for training videos or promotional videos so you can start building library of your work. No one is going to give you 5 or ten thousand dollars because you like making videos. I had a budget of about 10k a few years ago to have a promo video made for our company and I was rather disappointed by what was being offered.
If you want to sell yourself, you HAVE to have a portfolio of your work. Do stuff for free or cost until you can build a reputation. Also, I know there is a lot of talk about "do what you love", "follow your passion" but enjoying your work is a modern concept and a luxury that you can't afford if you aren't making ends meet.
Didn't Kevin Smith shoot "Clerks" for less than $30k?
Quote from: NatashaD on September 12, 2011, 11:32:31 PM
Didn't Kevin Smith shoot "Clerks" for less than $30k?
That is too funny. I almost wrote in my last post that Kevin Smith filmed Clerks for about 28k and maxed out credit cards, savings, and invetments from friends. I guarantee you though, I was hardly his first film. I'd bet his friends were amazed by smaller stuff and jumped on the chance to help him make a full length film.
It's a good point about having a portfolio of work build up, and that's what I've let slip through the cracks over the years. Part of it was that I got so drained from my regular jobs that I didn't have the energy to do anything. I'm so scared of going back into that now that I'm once again in the job market, no better off now than I was before I got my second degree (since my second degree is worthless without graduate study). All that's open to me are the same jobs that were open to me before, the ones that felt like they sucked my soul dry.
And so for too many years I've done nothing. Built up a solid body of academic work that didn't even manage to get me into grad school, and so now I'm at a loss. Feeling so dejected from what happened to me earlier this year that I don't even know if I want to do what I set out to do when I went back to school, but that leaves me once again at a place where I have no professional identity. And now I have no more money so I no longer have time to pursue what I want. I need to get whatever crap job I can find that pays the bills. This is the exact thing I worked all my life not to get into.
Sorry, I'm just really at the lowest point in my life right now. :( I can't even see the other side of this dark tunnel. Except for the permanent option, which keeps popping into my brain too many times each day.
This has really inspired me to get my photography printed and to mainly do the finishing touches on my novel. I'm going to start freelance writing for magazines on wednesday ;D
I have so many ideas for businesses, it's disgusting. I've even drafted business plans and am assured of the ideas' viability. I have about 7 completed novels and numerous stories laying in wait, never published, rarely read. I don't know what the hell to do with all that, though, in the absence of money.
Here's the problem: it's great to have ideas, or to want to be an entrepreneur. But what about those of us who are truly BROKE? Much like Zoe, my financial world is crumbling around me. I have been bouncing back and forth between my girlfriend's family home and my parents' house, but the first of those has been sold and closes in a week, and the second is far from a welcoming place. The house closing will already render my girlfriend either homeless or living in one small bedroom and sharing a bed with her 52-year-old, illness-riddled mother. I am worse than broke (see: tens of thousands of dollars in debt from school), have a small truck that's uninsured and falling apart, and have submitted over 100 job applications in the past 3 weeks with no bites.
So, where's the hope for those of us without two pennies to rub together? I have the will, the drive, and the ability, but not a cent to my name.
I was made redundant 9 months ago and have only just reached settlement with my ex employer. I want to start my own business but lack capital. The reading I have done in the way of research indicates that you should not consider starting a business unless you have enough cash to live off for 6 to 12 months. On top of that you need working capital. The biggest cause of failure for new start ups is cash flow. I spoke to my bank about a start up loan and I estimated I needed around £60,000. The bank would only lend me the money over 4 years. I would have needed a turnover of around £100,000 from day one of the new business just to pay off the loan and after paying living costs, to break even. Not a great prospect for a new business.
Obviously not a great prospect for the business you are wanting to open, but her initial post wasn't talking about something that ambitious.
*
Another idea in this realm would be soda and snack machines. Either look to buy a route with machines already in place, or work for a company that does it already and learn the ropes if you want to break into the market. I have a friend that does this and it pads his bank account pretty well.
Quote from: Zoë Natasha on September 13, 2011, 12:07:27 AM
It's a good point about having a portfolio of work build up, and that's what I've let slip through the cracks over the years. Part of it was that I got so drained from my regular jobs that I didn't have the energy to do anything. I'm so scared of going back into that now that I'm once again in the job market, no better off now than I was before I got my second degree (since my second degree is worthless without graduate study). All that's open to me are the same jobs that were open to me before, the ones that felt like they sucked my soul dry.
And so for too many years I've done nothing. Built up a solid body of academic work that didn't even manage to get me into grad school, and so now I'm at a loss. Feeling so dejected from what happened to me earlier this year that I don't even know if I want to do what I set out to do when I went back to school, but that leaves me once again at a place where I have no professional identity. And now I have no more money so I no longer have time to pursue what I want. I need to get whatever crap job I can find that pays the bills. This is the exact thing I worked all my life not to get into.
Sorry, I'm just really at the lowest point in my life right now. :( I can't even see the other side of this dark tunnel. Except for the permanent option, which keeps popping into my brain too many times each day.
What are your degrees in? I'm a perpetual college student myself and in grad school. PM me and maybe I can help come up with ideas.
Quote from: Pippa on September 13, 2011, 04:27:05 AM
I was made redundant 9 months ago and have only just reached settlement with my ex employer. I want to start my own business but lack capital. The reading I have done in the way of research indicates that you should not consider starting a business unless you have enough cash to live off for 6 to 12 months. On top of that you need working capital. The biggest cause of failure for new start ups is cash flow. I spoke to my bank about a start up loan and I estimated I needed around £60,000. The bank would only lend me the money over 4 years. I would have needed a turnover of around £100,000 from day one of the new business just to pay off the loan and after paying living costs, to break even. Not a great prospect for a new business.
If you couldn't pay off £15,000 a year from the proceeds of a business, then I wouldn't loan you the money to start it. Cash flow IS very important, especially if you have a lot of overhead. Unless you have family money, I'd never build a a business with high fixed costs that can't be shed very quickly. Long term leases and loans can strangle you and leave you without options.
Quote : "The reading I have done in the way of research indicates that you should not consider starting a business unless you have enough cash to live off for 6 to 12 months."That may be true if you are leaving a job and already have $4,000 a month in bills. If you are unemployed the downside risk is very small! Working from home on your computer or doing labor, the biggest risk is not getting paid for your time which is cheap if you aren't doing anything anyways. Start off slow and before buying anything for your business, ask "how will this thing pay for itself and then some?"
If it doesnt make money you dont need it unless it saves you more time than you have available to waste.
Quote from: JessicaH on September 12, 2011, 11:08:39 PM
They key to being successful at something is to just DO IT!
^^this
It helps to take a skills inventory of what you can do and like to do and start from there. Networking? Get out and deliver meals for meals on wheels or volunteer at an animal shelter or volunteer for habitat for humanity - you'll work side by side with people in a non-threatening environment and get to know them and start your network from there. Networking doesn't necessarily mean cold calling or putting yourself into situations that you are uncomfortable in.
But whatever you do - put your heart and soul into it. After all, it's your business and a reflection of YOU.
I've been involved with various start-ups in the past, usually from the financing end. Amazing how many go bankrupt here in the us. Usually because they want to provide capital rather than sweat and determination. There is a foundation that makes really small loans to people in India and other low cost countries where it is possible to start a business for a few hundred dollars. Amazingly, and unlike the US, the loans are usually paid off because those people still have pride. Usually a hallmark of the successful.
There was a great article in local paper recently by someone who has a hotdog cart. Makes a couple of hundred a day. Cost $3500 US for cart and supplies, $2500 for the permits and licenses. On weekends does Automobile dealership open houses (they give away free dogs to get people in) and he can make $500 for the day. Hard work, but it pays the bills. He spoke with great pride of cutting up onions and veggies throughout the day so they were always fresh. I suspect a lot of the income doesn't go on the books.
Several people mentioned that they were photographers. Anyone thought about filming "video remembrances?" Having older people write a dialog about their past, birthplace, marriages, defining moments, then recording it. Produce the finish product on DVDs so they can distribute to family members as cherished mementos. Might be an inexpensive way to pick up a few extra bucks if you already have the equipment. Only expense is time, empathy toward another persons life, and a few blank DVDs. Its the kind of business that if you do it well, you get personal recommendations. Free advertising, the best kind. Thought about doing it myself. Hey, just some suggestions.
This discussion is right up my alley as an entrepreneur and I feel that I have lead a personally fulfilling successful life and look forward to the second half of my life living new adventures as Melissa, from a new angle.
What I am NOT going to talk about is idea for jobs and businesses. You all know your personal strengths and weaknesses. You know where your passions and skills lay within you. You know the kinds of jobs and interests that can get you out of bed in the morning.
I truly believe that most of what paralyzes us is the FEAR OF THE JUDGMENT OF THE PEOPLE WHO "CARE" THE MOST FOR US. We are afraid of what our friends, parents, coworkers, and peer groups think of us. When we share ideas with them they care about us and want to help often but they also fear for us and don't want us to take risks. If you don't get over this you will never even leave the house!
I am only 38 and in those years I have lived a truly magical life. I have done far more in those years than most people will do in 80. The reason is that I have an incredible curiosity and drive to try new things and I know that most people can't even comprehend what I am talking about doing so their feedback has minimal importance.
Now here is the thing, it is not money that is important.....it is your PERSONAL DRIVE..... My parents got me through high-school and I went to college on an athletic scholarship. When I got out I basically had no money and lived in an apartment with my future wife who was also in school. From there I built my career in business rising to near the top of a large corporation only to step out and into my own businesses. There have been bumps and hurdles along the way but the biggest one was finally having to deal with my GID and start transition. Now that those issues are behind me I am so much more optimistic. I have posted in other threads about work and business and what I did but in this one I want to share a couple of stories.
Story #1 - When I was 14 years old I bought a book on how to build wooden strip canoes. These are beautiful hand made canoes that are worth thousands of dollars but are true works of art. I must have read the book from cover to cover a hundred times learning (on paper) how to cut, drill, glue, mold, fiberglass, trim, weave cane, etc. My parents don't know how to swing a hammer and I knew no one that could help me. I desperately wanted to make the canoe so what did I do? I worked a part time job until I could buy a simple inexpensive saw, I bought some lumber, and I built it. Before I could drive a car I built a fiberglass laminated wooden strip whitewater canoe that was capable of withstanding rapids that would destroy most canoes of the time (I have another story that proves it, unfortunately...lol) The point of this story is where do you start? You just pick a place and start it. No one could help me so I thought to myself, what are the next steps I would need to take to make this happen and I chose one. When I drug the canoe out of the shed at a family get together everyone's jaws dropped. They could not fathom such a thing, from a kid. But why not?
Story #2 - My wife and were living in a 900sf new construction starter home. She was ready to start a family and wanted a larger home. We found a beautiful 150 year old southern farmhouse with a large wrap-around porch. It was like something out of "Southern Living" magazine. It was a dream house. The problem? The land was going to be turned into a neighborhood and the house demolished. So we bought the house cheap, cut it into "road size" pieces, moved it to two acres we bought, jacked it up in the air, dug out under it and build a full basement, ripped the roof off and added another level, and now we live in that house which will be close to 5,000 sf. with our kids and continue to work together on building, adding on, and making it our dream home. The cost? $200K! Yep, and guess how much I knew about how to do this before I started? Not much. I taught myself electrical, plumbing, masonry work, lead paint abatement, septic system design, roofing, structural engineering, etc. I bought inexpensive CAD programs to walk the "experts" at the planning and permitting commissions through the project. I directed the contractors and engineers on what I wanted done and how to do it where I could not afford the time or labor. But here is the key, EVERYONE told me I was crazy, that it could not be done, that I was nuts, that I would loose everything. I did not listed to them because none of them knew how to imagine this kind of project into existence, they did not have enough imagination to see it finished. You don't need to know how to do it all, just where to take the first step and the courage to do it. Side note: Both my wife and I noticed that many of our work colleagues got jealous over the house and most had upgraded within 12 months. But they had to sack themselves with HUGE mortgages to get a house far smaller and on less land. And honestly do I care? Nope, it's just a house to me, the family within it is what is important and I would be just as happy in my 900 sf house.
The point of this case though is that most people want to take the easy road, to say they did something with little effort. The real fruit in life is only to be given to those that wish to climb the tree and not be satisfied with what falls to the ground. If you ever study the biographies of successful people you will find that they worked very very hard to get their success. Even Lady Gaga and Madonna had to ignore a tremendous amount of negative feedback before they were "discovered".
So, I challenge you to make a list of things you want to do - 5 items. And next to each write a few actions that could be taken on each. then choose one action from one item........ and do it....... that is where it all starts......one action will change your life....
Great post, Melissa. I'd give you rep points for it but some may think it's because your my best friend. So,,,, No rep for you! ;D :-*
Quote from: melissa42013 on September 13, 2011, 04:01:44 PM
So, I challenge you to make a list of things you want to do - 5 items. And next to each write a few actions that could be taken on each. then choose one action from one item........ and do it....... that is where it all starts......one action will change your life....
Challenge accepted! :) Later, after I'm done with job search stuff for the day, I'll do just this.
What you say about pleasing others is far too true in my case. The message of how to be successful was hammered into me from the day my mom met my stepdad, and the message was singular: climb the corporate ladder. Forget your music, forget your drawings, forget your love of making movies, forget all the scripts you write, just get into a corporation and rise. Just last Friday I was told this very thing. My stepdad was upset by the last YouTube video I made and told me the answer was to find some normal friends, abandon the "weirdos" I hang out with, and find a corporate job that pays. (Note, "weirdos" means that all of my friends are the artistic type who all have customer service jobs or are unemployed).
I just about hit the roof and it's upset me greatly being told I had to abandon the people I love in order to succeed. But I'm not listening to that message. I love my friends too much, even when they hurt me like two of them (a couple) have of late.
Mix this message in with the one I got from my dad and stepmom that I'd never be anything in life (often hammered home with the buckle end of a belt across the face) and it was why I quit doing anything that interested me at the age of 13. I literally gave up on life back then. It's been 20 years and I've done nothing.
But I'm sick of that. Thank you, Melissa, for showing another way. :)
If anyone honestly wants some sort of coaching or assistance, I will do what I can for you. I bet I could even get Melissa to help out when she gets over this nasty bug. It can be helpful to have someone that you are accountable too, for what you say you are going to do. It can be the difference between a pipe dream and a PLAN!
Ok so you want to make money + cover food clothings and shelter and energy cost. Well there are millions of positions do this. They are taking care of the elderly. You work as a live-in and get free room and board and many times a car and fuel and a income. There are more and more elderly as people are aging. They are also the people who planned ahead. I did it in N. Calif for 2 yrs and well i did very well. She was an 84 yr old woman and her hippy daughters were cool with me. Many places do not mind if your an ok person. You can use craigslist and search under gigs for domestic. You may have to move to another city but hey life is always changing be open to it. You can also advertise there as well. Its free too. I know in my county they have signs all over begging for caregivers. It usually pays at least 1,000.00 a month plus free room and food and car and fuel and money to buy food. Many times the elderly are not disabled but if they are the pay goes wayyyyyyyy up.. Hey i take care of my 88 yr old mom now and it does give me an extra 2k a month to be used strictly for improvements here which is fine by me because thats what i do on my small farm. Here we also have amish who need drivers and they pay well too. If you get stuck Zoe your welcome to come here for a while. However, we do not have running water or plumbing in my old rustic home we live like they did 100 yrs ago except for the phone electric and puter :)
I've never tried to take the "easy road." Tell me, please, though, how is it possible to take any road when you're living on the street? I am, in all blatant honesty, a week away from living on the street, if I can't get something going. Anyone? Anything? I get that you have to have money to make money. That's America's motto, right? I have no money. So... despite a genius IQ, a college degree, and all the ability in the world to do any job, I get to die in a gutter?
Quote from: Luc on September 13, 2011, 05:14:10 PM
I've never tried to take the "easy road." Tell me, please, though, how is it possible to take any road when you're living on the street? I am, in all blatant honesty, a week away from living on the street, if I can't get something going. Anyone? Anything? I get that you have to have money to make money. That's America's motto, right? I have no money. So... despite a genius IQ, a college degree, and all the ability in the world to do any job, I get to die in a gutter?
Where do you live? What are your skills? How do you find yourself in this position with a high IQ and college education? Please don't take questions as rude. Just getting straight to the point. You have no one that will help you? What led to the downward spiral?
Someone has been on a Tony Robbins marathon.
:laugh:
Quote from: Luc on September 13, 2011, 05:14:10 PM
I've never tried to take the "easy road." Tell me, please, though, how is it possible to take any road when you're living on the street? I am, in all blatant honesty, a week away from living on the street, if I can't get something going. Anyone? Anything? I get that you have to have money to make money. That's America's motto, right? I have no money. So... despite a genius IQ, a college degree, and all the ability in the world to do any job, I get to die in a gutter?
Be a caregiver and get everything all at once.. I was homeless when i got my job taking care of the 84 yr old woman in N. Calif. I then left the shelter and moved right in.. I had to wait a month to get paid but i had everything i needed.
also LUC if your interested your welcome to live here while you find work..
Quote from: Princess of Hearts on September 13, 2011, 05:56:34 PM
Someone has been on a Tony Robbins marathon.
:laugh:
LOL, not in a while. I have learned alot lately about focusing in a positive way on what you want. I have Melissa to thank for opening my eyes to things I never thought possible or had previously discounted.
Quote from: JessicaH on September 13, 2011, 06:51:15 PM
LOL, not in a while. I have learned alot lately about focusing in a positive way on what you want. I have Melissa to thank for opening my eyes to things I never thought possible or had previously discounted.
Sorry Jessica that was meant to be a humorous comment. I can't complain too much about Tony Robbins as I have one of his books. I also have 2 -3 books by Dr Wayne Dyer(whom I prefer) so I am not averse to self help books.
Has anyone read Freakanomics? There is a chapter in that book about crack dealers. The public perception of crack dealers is that they are all wealthy, the book points out actually that crack dealers still live at home with their mothers and have to take part-time jobs as they only get about $7.00 an hour dealing crack. Freakanomics says that prostitution can be a very lucrative profession despite the media's portrayal of these women as being very low rent. One woman gave up her job as a computer programmer bought a house and advertised her services the book says that she was earning up to $10,000 for two days work. If you can think of service that people want but isn't full of more established competitors then you have it made. I once read in a book that the scrap metal business is very lucrative, as is pawnbroking(admittedly a seedy occupation).
I seriously considered becoming a precious metals scrap dealer. You buy gold by weight at 10-20% below the spot price and melt it down and sell the gold to jewellers at the spot price. I didn't have the space equipment or inclination to smelt gold and as the profit was quite low each transaction it was necessary to deal in quite large amounts to make it worthwhile.
P.S. There is a way to extract gold and copper from old computers but as it involves acid I don't think many people will be interested in doing it.
Amazon: I have applied for about 20 caregiving jobs in my area so far. I don't have any experience, and haven't heard back from anyone. My girlfriend has over a year's experience in caregiving, but can't find anything either. I would love to do it, but like all other jobs I've applied for, that career direction continues to elude me. Also, I really appreciate the offer, but right now, I'm trying to find a solution for my girlfriend and myself, as she's in the same situation I am.
Jessica: I'm currently living in Colorado, where my parents are. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology, but anyone with that same degree will tell you that without a master's, a job in the psych field is out of the question. I worked retail (clothing, mostly) on and off for about 10 years. I've done restaurant work, both front and back of house. I've been writing for as long as I can remember, and have books and stories that could be published if only someone were to accept them for publication. I can learn pretty much anything put in front of me--- and yet, most people don't believe that. They don't give me the opportunity to demonstrate that I can, indeed, learn any task at least five times faster than the average job applicant. I've applied for jobs in all of the fields in which I'm qualified, have gone on interviews, and gotten nowhere. No one will hire me, nor will they tell me why they won't.
As per the downward spiral, it started when I graduated college. This coincided with my beginning transition. Coming out to my parents was the worst thing I could have done, and their utter lack of acceptance led me to marry a girl I didn't know too well, who subjected me to endless emotional abuse over the course of our two-year marriage. When I left her in 2009, I went to a state school and took some business classes. I stayed in school as long as I could, but never could find a job during that time. I stopped school in January 2011, when my girlfriend (fiancee at the time) and I tried to move out of state. We managed to find a couple jobs in Las Vegas that didn't pay enough for us to afford a place to live. As we were being evicted from the weekly motel we were living out of, we got news her grandmother was dying, and rushed back to Colorado. I have been trying to find a job since, to absolutely no avail. I managed to get a temporary job from a friend in New Mexico, but that ended a month ago, and I'm out of money again. So... I'm not a drug addict, not a loser... just s.o.l.
Back in Feb this year Forbes did an article on targeting startups more for job growth then trying to get large corporations to try to hire more people.
QuoteThe paper by the Kauffman Foundation's Tim Kane finds, "In 2005, startups created 3.5 million jobs, compared to the 355,000 gross jobs created that year by firms founded in 1995." The data show "existing firms in all year groups have gross job losses that are larger than gross job gains.''
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2011/02/17/want-more-jobs-then-we-need-more-startups/ (http://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2011/02/17/want-more-jobs-then-we-need-more-startups/)
(sorry... I'm a business owner so these are the kinds of things I read on the internet every day)
Like Luc, I've got a psychology degree (my first degree was in film) which is rather worthless without graduate study. I applied for grad programs last year, but despite completion of an independent research project, an honors thesis, a 4.0 GPA, three years tutoring psychology at the college level, holding officer positions in two honor societies (Golden Key and Psi Chi), and a 1380 on the GRE, I only got one interview for all the applications I sent out.
That interview was at my alma mater, which I thought was fantastic because out of the people on the graduate program admissions committee, I tutored the classes of seven of them, aced classes with five of them, two of them wrote 2/3 of my letters of recommendation, three of them formed my honors thesis defense committee, I had done active research with four of them... and I still got rejected. Turns out I was the only person in the final interview pool who didn't work in a hospital. That was the only reason I didn't get in.
Talk about getting the shaft.
But it's made me feel really dejected after spending three and a half years of my life striving with every breathing moment to achieve my goal of getting into grad school so I could start doing counseling. I took on another $30k of student loans, blew through my life savings ($35k) so I could dedicate the maximum amount of time to my goal, and now I have nothing but more debt that I can't pay. I used to have tons of money for surgery. That's gone now too. And I graduated into this nasty economy, just like I did the first time I graduated in June 2001. I sure know how to time things, eh?
Quote from: Princess of Hearts on September 13, 2011, 07:16:35 PM
Sorry Jessica that was meant to be a humorous comment. I can't complain too much about Tony Robbins as I have one of his books. I also have 2 -3 books by Dr Wayne Dyer(whom I prefer) so I am not averse to self help books.
LOL. I took it as humorous! I was also going to mention Chora and Dyer but I figured most people would never have heard of them...
I originally wanted to work in computing but I have decided that I want to teach foreign languages at university. I always loved being at university that place suited me right down to the ground. If I can't get a teaching job then I could work as a tutor or translator. I have come across a very unique way of mastering languages which is why I am studying French Italian and German at the moment.
Hint: Tomorrow I am going to buy some DVDs of famous French and Italian films to watch WITHOUT subtitles. I already watch German films this way. I also read French and Italian newspapers online without referring to a dictionary. Hearing the target language and nothing but the target language without translation of any sort is they way to do it. At first you will feel very foolish watching/reading something that you don't understand a word of. However, the brain hoovers up the language and sorts it out into patterns. Once you get to recognise the patterns you can add further words to your vocabulary range this is also a great way to understand the fundamentals of grammar without boring yourself silly with long tedious explanations in text books.
I firmly believe that you get what you focus on.
Years ago a friend was teaching me to mountain bike and told me, don't look at the rock in the middle of the trail. If you focus on the rock you hit the rock. Focus on the space next to the rock.
It was harder than hell for me to look at the space next to the sharp jagged rock as I flew towards it but he was right.
Many years later I continue to use that wisdom to help me in many other areas of my life...
If you walk into a personal interaction expecting a bad reaction you are more likely to get one.
If you call on a customer and expect them to reject your product they probably will....
If you go to an interview without any confidence of being the right fit for the job (especially in this market) you won't get it.
It's really pretty simple and I continually have to remind myself of this as my life changes with HRT and transition.
This is really more than just being confident in yourself. At a fundamental level it moves through you in a much bigger way. You can research all of this on your own if you want, a lot has been written, but trust me... it works...
I try so hard to think positive, but my brain has the worst tendency to automatically go to the darkest places it can. But I have hope that my doctor's appointment this week will help me change that.
Most people who are running successful business that they created are running the third business they created. It's like the drummer for The Band said about trying to make it in New York: New York, it was an adult portion. It was an adult dose. So it took a couple of trips to get into it. You just go in the first time and you get your ass kicked and you take off. As soon as it heals up, you come back and you try it again. Eventually, you fall right in love with it. Business is rough, it's just war by another name, and few people 'win' right out of the gate, there is a lot to learn and the learning curve is very unforgiving. But they became successful because they didn't let failure stop them.
I think that people have a notion of instant success when in the end tenaciousness is the quality that really pays off. Gaga started playing piano at 4 (self taught, by ear) and started performing at 14. That's a long road for an overnight success.
And, it's often said that if you want to be successfully self-employed, you better have the biggest prick in the world as your boss. The people I know who've done it all share two qualities: one, they are intensely (and really intensely) driven, and secondly, they have a dogged determination.
It seems in denver caregiver jobs are not listed under GIGs and domestic but simple under job
i just found hundreds of jobs
PS: With your degrees in psychology you would be loved by many family members.
you might want to advertise under "services" too at CL
http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=caregiver&srchType=A (http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=caregiver&srchType=A)
Sep 12 - Caregivers/CNAs Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 12 - Caregiver / Personal Care Provider - (Broomfield, Englewood) healthcare
Sep 12 - Part Time Caregivers Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 12 - Caregiver - Homecare - (Denver metro area) healthcare
Sep 9 - CAREGIVERS & CNA's - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 9 - PCW/ Caregiver - (Centennial and Castle Pines North) healthcare
Sep 9 - PCW/ Caregiver - (South Denver Area) healthcare
Sep 8 - Experienced Caregivers - Live In (24 hour care) - (Aurora) healthcare
Sep 8 - Caregiver Wanted! - (Golden/Lakewood) healthcare
Sep 7 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Lakewood) general labor
Sep 7 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Lakewood) healthcare
Sep 6 - Caregiver/activities - (Arvada) healthcare
Sep 6 - Caregiver - (Arvada) healthcare
Sep 6 - Director of Healthcare Services - Home Care Agency - (Englewood) img healthcare
Sep 6 - Part Time Caregivers Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 6 - Caregivers/CNAs Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 6 - Personal Caregiver - (Denver - DU area) healthcare
Sep 5 - CNA, Home Health Aid - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 5 - Caregiver for 14 yr. old special needs boy - (South Suburbs) healthcare
Sep 4 - Experienced Female Caregivers - Hourly - (Northglenn) healthcare
Sep 3 - We need exceptional Caregivers immediately for all shifts - (Elizabeth, Castle Rock, Parker & Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 3 - Experienced Female Caregivers - Live In (24 hour care) - (Englewood) healthcare
Sep 2 - Personal Care Provider - (Denver & the outlying communities) healthcare
Sep 2 - CAREGIVERS & CNA's - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Sep 2 - Director of Healthcare Services - Home Care Agency - (Englewood) img healthcare
Sep 1 - Experienced Female Caregivers - Live In (24 hour care) - (Englewood) healthcare
Sep 1 - Personal Caregivers Needed - (Parker/Franktown Area) healthcare
Sep 1 - Community Coordinator - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 31 - Caregiver - Daytime hours - (South Denver area) healthcare
Aug 30 - Caregiver/PCP - (Hampden & S.Tamarac) healthcare
Aug 29 - Experienced Female Caregiver - Live In (24 hour care) - (Aurora) healthcare
Aug 29 - Caregiver - Daytime hours - (South Denver area) healthcare
Aug 29 - Part Time Caregivers Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 29 - Caregivers/CNAs Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 28 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) admin/office
Aug 28 - We need exceptional Caregivers immediately for all shifts! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 28 - Assisted Living Caregivers - (Denver and Castle Rock) food/beverage/hospitality
Aug 28 - Assisted Living Caregivers - (Denver and Castle Rock) healthcare
Aug 27 - QMAP/Caregiver - (Denver/Aurora) healthcare
Aug 25 - Caregiver / Personal Care Provider - (Broomfield, Englewood) healthcare
Aug 24 - Personal Caregivers for the Developmentally Disabled - (Arvada, CO area) healthcare
Aug 24 - Bi Lingual Personal Caregivers Needed - (Denver Metro Area) healthcare
Aug 24 - Experienced & Mature Caregivers - Hourly & Live In (24 hour care) - (Castle Rock, Larkspur & Elizabeth) healthcare
Aug 24 - Embedded Systems Firmware Engineer - architect/engineer/CAD
Aug 24 - Caregiver/Med Aide - (Northglenn Heights Assisted Lividng) healthcare
Aug 24 - Experienced & Mature Female Caregiver - Live In (24 hour care) - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 24 - Medical Industry Marketer - (Denver Metro Area) healthcare
Aug 24 - Registered Nurse Home Health - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 24 - Live in/live out caregiver needed - healthcare
Aug 23 - Marketing & Business Development Specialist - (Denver Metro Area) marketing/advertising/PR
Aug 23 - Marketing & Business Development Specialist - (Denver Metro Area) sales
Aug 23 - Marketing & Business Development Specialist - (Denver Metro Area) healthcare
Aug 23 - Experienced & Mature Female Caregiver - Live In (24 hour care) - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 23 - CNA's and Caregiver's Needed - (Denver/Metro Area ) healthcare
Aug 23 - Director of Healthcare Services - Home Care Agency - (Englewood) img healthcare
Aug 23 - Live In QMAP in Assisted Living - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 22 - Homecare - Care coordinator - (West Littleton) healthcare
Aug 22 - Caregiver Needed - (Centennial, CO) healthcare
Aug 22 - Caregivers/CNAs Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 22 - Caregiver - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 21 - Live-in caregiver for woman with Alzheimer's - (Denver) healthcare
Aug 21 - Medical Industry Marketer - (Denver Metro Area) healthcare
Aug 21 - Medical Industry Marketer - (Denver Metro Area) marketing/advertising/PR
Aug 21 - Caregiver Needed - Personal Care/Homemaker Services - (East Denver) healthcare
Aug 20 - Care Giver $2,000 per month - (Hampden and Sheridan) healthcare
Aug 19 - We need exceptional Caregivers immediately for all shifts! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 18 - Caregiver - Daytime hours - (South Denver area) healthcare
Aug 18 - CAREGIVERS & CNA's - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 17 - CAREGIVER - (SW DENVER) healthcare
Aug 17 - Full time caregiver - (Brighton) healthcare
Aug 16 - Companion Caregiver - (Denver area) healthcare
Aug 16 - We need exceptional Caregivers immediately for all shifts! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 16 - Experienced Male Caregivers - Live In (24 hour care) - (Wheatridge & Elizabeth) healthcare
Aug 16 - Private Duty Caregiver Companion - (Littleton Co) healthcare
Aug 15 - Caregiver, Personal care provider, Homemaker - (Aurora, North) healthcare
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) admin/office
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) customer service
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) education/teaching
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) et cetera
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregiver - (Denver and Castle Rock) human resource
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregivers - (Denver and Castle Rock) food/beverage/hospitality
Aug 15 - Assisted Living Caregivers - (Denver and Castle Rock) healthcare
Aug 15 - Part Time Caregivers Needed! - (Denver Metro) healthcare
Aug 15 - Caregiver / Personal Care Provider - (Aurora) healthcare
and when i did a search under psychology i also found lots of jobs on CL
http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=psychology&srchType=A (http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=psychology&srchType=A)
as well as psychologist
http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=psychologist&srchType=A (http://denver.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=psychologist&srchType=A)