Unemployed for six months and I feel stuck
I am a recent college graduate. I have not been able to find a job since I finished all of my summer classes and moved back home. I can’t even find a job working retail, Amazon, or in a fast food restaurant. My field of study is Public Health, but checking the job postings online yields virtually nothing (and I don’t qualify for most of these jobs due to the fact that I lack a drivers license and relevant experience for most of these jobs posted). I feel stuck on what I can do, torn between whether or not I should go back to community college, go to a trade or adult education school to enroll in a career training program, or do something else. I am worried about going back to school due to potentially having to pay out of pocket for courses. I need help on what to do. I feel like I wasted my time on a degree that isn’t as valuable in the current job market as I was told when I was in university.
@PrincessAz17
schools anymore are a business and of course they often make any degree sound as a great investment...
i am confused why you are not able to find a basic job except in my area they often do ask IF you have reliable transportation to show up. Before signing up for more school perhaps look at other options like working with a recruiter / agency. even temp work gives you some work history and experience and perhaps you may need to think about a drivers license which would be much cheaper then another round of schooling.
My father did recommend looking into a temp agency, but I have been worried that they may not be able to find me anything. I will look into these places and give an update here. Getting a car is also on my plate because it's practically a necessity, even though the public transit system in my area is very accessible (it isn't safe).
For reference, I live in SoCal. The area I live in is heavily industrial-leaning/retail/food service saturated as far as jobs nearby go. Fast food and grocery stores near me are no longer readily hiring, you have to know someone currently working there to be able to work those jobs. Since the pay is going up for these jobs ($20/hr in this state), this means less labor hours = hiring freezes. If you want to work white-collar, you have to commute to wealthier areas at least 20 miles away.
@PrincessAz17
I did the temp thing by choice and in my area .......they are mainly office type jobs....... more employers then not use them as they can "try before they buy " sort of thing
as some applicants have a nice resume and say they can do programs etc....... but then do not work out ...... when an employer uses these the agency has to deal with anyone that did not live up to w the interview......
i found it was also handy for me as i found places where office politics etc were not what i wanted for a long term situation.....i did find a place for me that i see a future with .... many were data entry in industrial settings .......if that gives you something to consider..... develop a working relationship with the recruiter in agency and they will send you for the best assignments.
@toughTiger6481
Hmm this is interesting. My previous employment experience was all food service/warehouse work with a little bit of retail so I never really got into the whole office politics thing. I have recently suspected that I may be neurodivergent, so I probably may not be able to function in the whole office politics thing-- at my old job in college, I sometimes would get in trouble with one of my managers for being too chatty with coworkers and customers (especially if my interests are brought up). I have thought about what it would be like to work white-collar, but these jobs are becoming scarce (meanwhile there is a high-demand for blue collar work, but I am not interested in this field).
@PrincessAz17
You said your degree is in public health... most corporations have an environmental health and safety department ... i was a Temp at one place for 3 years in that department and several in group had a degree in public health field.
Are there any career counselors at the college that can offer some help to find a job in your field? I'd say, give yourself another month or so to figure out where and if you can find a job in your field as an entry-level. If you still can't find a possible job nearby, then, look into what other further education you can take to help with upgrading your skills of the same field. At the same time, look at what is out in the market, what kind of positions are being up for hire? Does it require more schooling or experience?
@Jaeteuk
A lot of the jobs that are posted on Indeed (at least on my feed) are jobs that you could get with a career training certification at an adult school or a trade school. This is something that I have recently had on my mind, and I'm probably looking into pharmacist tech program or something in healthcare (preferably avoiding nursing, as it is something I am not personally interested in). I am seeing a lot of jobs that involve working in schools/the youth, along with nursing and caregiver jobs. Many of them are located in cities over 15-20 miles away from home.
I also have not spoken with career counselors at my college's career center either, but I plan on setting up an appointment in the near future. I would say that my interview skills are very weak-- I get nervous, fidget, trail off, stutter, and go off-topic at times.
Pharmacy Tech or Lab Tech are good jobs in healthcare. Their work looks simple (as I see these people all the time). If you're okay with seeing blood, or body tissue/fat, bones.. then, you can consider being a Sterile Processing Tech. I have a post about my previous position in the Student Support Subcommunity, I believe it's there. Just a brief description of what I do in the job. Some places call it Sterile Processing Tech, where I am, we call it, Medical Device Reprocessing Technician. For my Certificate program, we basically have a guaranteed position at the local hospital upon graduating. So, there really wasn't much of an interview. Just a brief meeting.
@PopPunkPrincess17
@Jaeteuk
Interesting. I will look into this
Hello PrincessAz, I'm sorry you're dealing with unemployment right now. I've been in your shoes, and currently in them, but for different reasons (medical).
I also understand how frustrating it can be searching for a job, and not having your own transportation, especially when you live in an unsafe area. Hopefully you can find a remote job where you don't have to worry about going out to somewhere unsafe.
For the time being, have you thought of applying for unemployment benefits? It says that those who live in Cali and are college students may be eligible for unemployment benefits and you may also qualify for the California Training Benefits (CTB): https://www.thebalancemoney.com/can-college-students-get-unemployment-5194680
For more info on job help, you can check here as well: https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/UnemploymentBenefits/unemployment-benefits.aspx
You mentioned applying at temp agencies, which I think is also good!
The recruiters there will assess your resume and be able to help you find a job that will work for you.
Some job/temp agencies offer training programs as well, for free! For example, they can teach you how to use QuickBooks or Microsoft programs (depends on company) to help prep you for other jobs.
Another thing I would suggest if having someone look over your resume.
I know that local libraries tend to offer resume help, as well as the college or university that you attended.
They can give you pointers on what to put on your resume, and some can even do mock interviews to get you warmed up.
So, to condense down my post, this is what I would recommend:
- Apply for unemployment benefits while you job search to have some income and look into the CTB program.
- Check in with the temp agency, as recruiters will do their best to match you with the job that fits your skills.
- Have a local library or your university/college look over your resume and help with your cover letter.
- Make a goal to apply for maybe 10-20 jobs a day! (Whether online or in person) --- Though I recommend you wait until you have someone check your resume and/or cover letter first!
Also, in terms of transportation, perhaps your dad or your other loved ones could help take you to work?
You can for now tell work places you have reliable transportation -- then asked your dad if he can take you for a bit until you have money to perhaps be able to Uber/Lyft there (though it can be pricey, unfortunately. 😟 This would be only if your father or family/friend can't take you...) or save enough for your own vehicle (I recommend to buy instead of lease, better to own the vehicle).
Anyhow...
I wish you luck on your job searching process! I hope you are doing OK.
If you need support or help, we'll be here to support you. 💖
Please take it easy. Sending good vibes your way. ✨
@ImpudentIncognito
Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately, I do not qualify for unemployment as I voluntarily quit my previous job. I also used a resume-checking website offered by my university that I forgot the name of, but I will say that it can use some work.