I'm nineteen years old and in college. I have only a couple of short term jobs over my two decades of life and I am going to attempt to get a job on campus for the year and possibly an intership at a local museum during the summer (along with a more conventional job). My family is really coming down on me for being a slacker as far as employment goes, and I'm sick of watching my bank balance slowly wither away. I need financial security.

I'm not sure whether I should get a job here at school as a boy or as a girl. Even though I look like a girl (I think) everyone knows that I'm male based on my ID along with seeing me in my previous gender.  Finding a job here isn't as difficult as out in the "real world" but I'm not sure that the adult workers who will informally interview me will really want a "transvestite" working in their department.

I'm not sure what to do regarding getting an intership or job over the summer. My hair is nearly shoulder length (with bangs) so I think that if I choose to work as a boy I will have to cut it (which I obviously don't want to). If I plan on working as a girl I will have to legally change my name and will have to be 110% passable (which I'm not).

I'm starting to think that this is the wrong time to transition.  Maybe I could keep my hair this length but work as a boy? Blah I'm so unbelievably stressed about this topic. I want to be a girl but I also want a source of income.

WHATSHOULDIDOCANANYONEHELPMEPLEASETHANKSZ!

Edit: I'm leaning heavily in favor of leading a "dual life" until I start the medical aspect of transition.

Modern man has been around for at least 40,000 years.   How did they survive I wonder without employers?   lol   Two million years of evolution just so we can watch television.

How long have transgendered people been around? 50 years? (smite)
In my experience I have founding finding a job, even a menial one, quite hard.

I guess I'm just going to keep my hair this length and hopefully find a job in "guy" mode. I hope employers don't take offense to my androgynous appearance. :/

PS: Your post was most embittering and unhelpful.

Universities tend to be fairly open minded, more so if you are a student. You say you are having trouble getting a job there?

Cha, however most if not all of the jobs have been taken by incoming freshmen. I had a job last year at the physical plant doing manual labor (it wasn't for my weaks  arms I discovered) so I decided to get a different job this year and haven't had any luck. I'm strongly considering going back to being a boy until I can "get the ball rolling" for myself.

I honestly think that my family is, by insisting that I work right now, to prove to me how hard being trans is to scare me out of transitioning. It's working rather well.

You don't have to legally change your name if you're not ready to make that progression, your employers may be flexible in that regard. I'd seriously advise against the double life, I did it for 9 months and it nearly killed me. The more you get to be yourself in your private life the harder your working and public life gets. For the record I wasn't very passable and didn't have my name changed legally when I started a job in my proper gender, but I'll admit I was very lucky to find that job.

Life in limbo is not fun.  I was made redundant nine months ago and have found it extremely difficult to find work.  I just couldn't live a double life any more and decided to transition.   Unemployment is hard and I doubt I will ever find another job at the level of my previous one.  The law states clearly that you cannot discriminate against the transgender community but believe me potential employers will find a way.  I had to take my old employer to a tribunal to get my redundancy pay.  I won and got the money.  I am considering starting my own business and I have about 18 months money to live off but it is unlikely that I have enought to get my business off the ground.  The banks are just not offering decent terms.  I estimate that I need £60,000 to get the business up and running.  The bank would lend me the money but only over 4 years.  From start up, I would need a turnover of about £100,000 per annum and I would have to be in profit at the end of year 2, anyone who knows anything about small business would know that this is virtually impossible.

At 19 I wouldn't worry too much, you are just starting out and long hair shouldn't be too much of an issue, just tie it back.  Try getting a job at 43 after 20 years in consumer law enforcement!