Can't get ANY job

[rudder]

It's really a pointless diagnosis as nobody can really help you after you get it. Any treatment around is designed for younger children in a school environment. As an adult, it's more "well uh, that sucks, good luck I guess." After seeing one psychologist, when I asked him about it, he said "well, I can't do anything for you about your Aspergers or whatever as an adult. I can give you drugs? Do you want any drugs? I can give you anti-depressents, anti-anxiety..." I fail to see how it's so positive of a diagnosis for some people, as nobody can do anything to treat it and nobody in your daily life will give a f**k if you tell them about it and will still say "you're so smart" and expect a lot from you.

I've seen psychologists/psychiatrists. A psychologist suggested I have Bipolar II disorder and maybe Aspergers as well. Bipolar is the same then, in the sense that they really don't have a clue what causes it, and they don't know how to treat it...much less cure it. You just get diagnosed, and then there's an array of drugs to choose from like anti-psychotics that will most likely turn you into a zombie.

It's funny you mention radio shack, because I was in there the other day, and I found out later that the salesman was totally talking out of his ass when I asked him about GPS devices. Kind of funny actually. Like he was saying the device had a nine-hour battery life, but I learned later that you'd be lucky to get two hours of batter life. Just a flat-out lie.

Onethousandknives, are you based in Britain or something? All your talk about unions makes me wonder. The US isn't a very union-friendly country.

[zacb]

I am applying for Family Video. I saw a few opening posted on my college bb. Hopefully I get the call. Running the register would not be as bad as let's say Walmart. (The issue for me is trying to count money on the clock. I think Asperger's has something to do with it, but not sure). In any case, still in the fight. I figure maybe work there a year, use some as a down payment on a fixed rate loan, and then buy a rental and fix it up. I could also go on vacation with a little bit of that, but then I would be working towards my goal of financial independence. Then I would not worry as much about work and my Asperger's. But in the mean time I must wait.

[MattHanson1990]

Yeah dude. I'm in the same situation as you.

I'm a male in mid 20's, able-bodied, fit and somewhat educated, yet no one wants to hire me. I've been job searching on and off for the past 5 months. I've been applying for general labor, minimum wage type jobs and for every 20 applications or so I may get like 2 phone calls/invitations to an interview. For every 5-6 interviews I'm lucky if I get that second phone call. And these are piece of shit 8$ in hour cleaning and labor jobs and shit. Like.... Really?!

I think one of the main problems is that most HR managers and recruiters are middle aged Caucasian women, which are very jaded and cynical. Any little thing raises a red flag for them like employment gaps or inconsistent work history. Then pretty much every single job out there expects you to have experience in that same field, which is a catch 22 in itself. And then I guess you're 'supposed' to stay in that same field for the rest of your life.

Big problem number 2 is that most Americans have a lot of relatives and extended family, in-laws and shit. So in most cases people just want to hire their inbred relatives over anybody else... Especially if it's a small business type of place... Locally owned and oriented, you know...

So yeah it's just mainly people being assholes or way too nitpicky about whom they would want to hire..

Being out of work for more than 6 months automatically makes you unemployable. I know its true for people in their prime working years, but I'm not sure if it's true for a millennial man whose last job was in college and then he graduates a year or two later.

The American job market also eliminated the concept of the entry level job. Either the HR lady will tell you that you're overqualified; or even for menial jobs, employers will require a ridiculous amount of previous experience. But the experience requirements don't mean shit; it's just another way of employers saying "ha ha I've got all these options, so kiss my foot". And most of the time, a person gets hired only because they already know that person through mutual friends. The biggest catch 22 in the job market is connections; and one of the reasons women are given preference over men is that women have better comraderie in the social scene.

[Ghost]

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[Wolfeye]

Hate to say it, but you might freak people out by being so skinny. At your height, some beefing-up might be a good idea (C-Mass by Paul Wade is a good book on that, as are all his other books that get into how to do the different levels of simple exercises- like the different steps to knocking-out one-armed pul-up).

It seems like they don't really hire people that don't have either a massive amount of debt (the easier to screw them over) or that speak the language (again, to have an easier avenue to screw them over). Another thing is that when someone is willing to do anything for money, they have a hard time not seeing everyone else that same way & it tends to make them paranoid. Hiring someone they don't trust is a daunting task & if they see their property as some kind of sign of personal quality, they're not going to want to put someone they don't trust around that.

[Stag]

This is a perfectly normal situation for talented young men these days. Don't sweat it and don't be looking to find faults with yourself to justify being shat on by the system. I suggest using the time to do useful things not related to being a whorporate lackey, such as joining a gym and bulking up.

I definitely need to add some lean mass. I'm tired of having to eat like a little girl to maintain my jaw line. It's just hard to focus on self-improvement when you're dealing with the pressure of unemployment.

When I was in a similar position, I took radical steps to just stay afloat. I had to go out and dumpster dive for food/items. I used to sell items on ebay/Amazon (not much $, but enough to pay for extras). You'll be surprised what you'll find, if you put some work into it. Then, find a proper way to make money.

[MrMan]

Something else you can do if you have gaps in your resume is find out how to get a business license and start a sole proprietorship or an LLC. Put yourself down as the CEO or sole proprietership, then do something to make money. You could sell yard sell stuff at a flea market if you have to.

For those in college, it makes sense to get a degree in something really niche, a field you know they are hiring in. If foreign English teacher jobs are still easy to get in Korea or Japan, that's worth trying for a new grad, too. The money is pretty decent for a single man with no kids. It beats part-time retail and the types of things you have to do if you can't get a 'real job'. You need to scrape up enough money for a passport and they fly you over there-- provided they don't require a lot of experience. If they provide the apartment and give you $1800 a month or so, you need food money for the first month and money (or credit card) for emergencies.

I'm really glad that I have a God who watches out for me and doesn't me die of starvation. While changing schools from one grad program to the next, my shoes messed up and I needed a new pair. While in grad school, I've had people give me money. I had a friend I hadn't seen in years fly into town, and, too busy to meet me, leave $1000 for me and my wife. That was in December when money was coming up short. I had an uncle give me $1000 the next Christmas and give me $4000 unsolicited the next year. I didn't ask them for this stuff, but God supplied my needs and my family's.

I prayed that when I got to my destination I could find some brand new stores free or super cheap at a thrift store because I wasn't making any money. When I rented a temporary condo right after I got to the new city, I went next door to a thrift store, looking for those shoes I prayed for. I saw some shoes in a box outside of the store that looked brand new. I told myself I bet those were the shoes I prayed for and doubled checked the size before I bought them, just to be sure. They were brand new for $2. A good brand, too.