Lots and Lots of tradesmen out of work these days.
True. When the economy goes bad, the first thing people do is stop spending on their houses, cars, etc. At least that is what I have seen around here. Everyone stopped hiring contractors and just started doing things themselves.
Like me and my damn back door. LOL.
But now, after your adventure with the back door...
Would someone PAY you, to install their backdoor?? Because if they would.
It was a great learning experience...
Because now, you are a professional door installer!!!!
Only if they wanted me to take a week to do it and break a lot of shit along the way.
Lots and Lots of tradesmen out of work these days.
True. When the economy goes bad, the first thing people do is stop spending on their houses, cars, etc. At least that is what I have seen around here. Everyone stopped hiring contractors and just started doing things themselves.
Like me and my damn back door. LOL.
Yeah, just figure out what you can actually do yourself and what's best left to the REAL tradesman.
We have huge trees in our yard and several need trimming. Of course, after the big snowstorm last month all the tree companies are swamped (we were about to get someone to do it before the storm). My husband is super handy so my father-in-law keeps telling my him that he can borrow his chain saw and do it himself. No way will I let him do that. Those guys work in crews for a reason and they have all the tools they need. When I was a voc counselor, I had a client who tried to trim his own trees, fell, and was now paralyzed.
Only if they wanted me to take a week to do it and break a lot of shit along the way.
I once installed a new gas oven and micro hood/microwave in some guys house. I had to run a gas line for the oven, from the basement, through the floor, give him a shut off switch, no problem. I hung the micro hood/microwave, and the customer walks in, and is telling me how beautiful it looks. As I am explaining to him, how to run the oven for an hour, to burn off the oil coating in the oven, the micro hood/microwave falls from the cabinet, and smashes into the oven top, destroying both appliances. The customer just looked at me, and started LAUGHING his ass off!!!
He was real cool about it...He looked at me and said..."Can you bring me my new appliances tomorrow"????
heheheheheheheheheh
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Have you tried contacting a staffing or temp agency? I know people who've had good success with that.
It's good that you're volunteering; keeping yourself busy so you're not going insane, plus it looks a lot better on a resume than nothing at all.
I was faced with the same issues under 2 years ago, trying to find my first job with little experience where experience was usually required. My advice is exhaust all your resources and keep an open mind. I applied to a position through my university's career center that had nothing to do with my major, went through the interview process, got hired, relocated, and now have close to 20 months of experience and I'm beginning to look for jobs that I want and in places that I want live. It only takes one opportunity for many more to open up.
Good luck in your search!
He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share, his key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere.
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
No, I simply took a business class once and got a D. From that point I figured I would take what classes I liked and excel at them, rather than struggle in something more practical.
And I've always loved history and was really good at it. Anthropology was just related so I threw that in. At the time I never considered how it would affect my career decisions.
Ended up Magna Cum Laude with a useless degree.
But 15 years later, no one cares what my degree was in or my GPA. All about job experience now.
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
Im curious too...
Flagg? Why do people have majors, that are not going to lead them in to a nice career?
I dont get it....
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
The OP has a degree in Sociology, which one would think could/would land him a career in social services, or teaching, right? But if he is not interested in teaching or social services, then why the fuck major in Sociology?
I dont get it.
And more than one of you here, are in the same situation, as far as what you majored in....
I dont get it....
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
Im curious too...
Flagg? Why do people have majors, that are not going to lead them in to a nice career?
I dont get it....
See above answer. I am sure everyone has their own reasons. Mine was I wanted As. Not Ds in something that was useful but I didn't like.
Also remember people at 20 are all pie-in-the-sky idealistic about stuff and not really practical. That's a generalization but you know what I mean.
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
Im curious too...
Flagg? Why do people have majors, that are not going to lead them in to a nice career?
I dont get it....
I was interested in Flagg's choices because with History and/or Anthropology one usually goes into research or teaching (and teaching was something he did not want to do). Or I guess museum curator.... but you need major business skills for that.
EDIT: Flagg posted at the same time as me and answered.
he's got a big gold ring that says Jesus saves....
that song popped in my head, if thats not the correct lyric dont flame me, not my fav song
1998 ~ Barrie
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
I couldn't find anything after college. My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. I ended up taking a telephone sales job that I hated. Sometimes you just have to bite it and do something you hate. But I had friends who got other jobs with other companies. Eventually, one got me a job at his place where I made new friends. Eventually one of those new friends got me hired when he moved on somewhere. And so on.
That's how it works too! I'm in IT now. Its a great job and has nothing to do with my major.
Interesting. My husband was an English major and now works in IT.
I couldn't find anything after college. My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. I ended up taking a telephone sales job that I hated. Sometimes you just have to bite it and do something you hate. But I had friends who got other jobs with other companies. Eventually, one got me a job at his place where I made new friends. Eventually one of those new friends got me hired when he moved on somewhere. And so on.
That's how it works too! I'm in IT now. Its a great job and has nothing to do with my major.
Interesting. My husband was an English major and now works in IT.
Crazy huh? I look back at my path and there was a lot of luck along the way.
Sorry if we hijacked your thread OP. But I guess my point is just take any job you can get and make friends because you never know where that will lead, even if it takes a lot of time. Friends and networking (hate that term) became way more important down the line.
I couldn't find anything after college. My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. I ended up taking a telephone sales job that I hated. Sometimes you just have to bite it and do something you hate. But I had friends who got other jobs with other companies. Eventually, one got me a job at his place where I made new friends. Eventually one of those new friends got me hired when he moved on somewhere. And so on.
That's how it works too! I'm in IT now. Its a great job and has nothing to do with my major.
Interesting. My husband was an English major and now works in IT.
Crazy huh? I look back at my path and there was a lot of luck along the way.
Sorry if we hijacked your thread OP. But I guess my point is just take any job you can get and make friends because you never know where that will lead, even if it takes a lot of time. Friends and networking (hate that term) became way more important down the line.
Yeah, I agree. Luck, friends, all kinds of things play a role. If there's any kind of moral to be had, I guess it's be open to all possibilities.
My husband worked in the communications division of a nonprofit agency for many years, so that did kinda fit with his major. As part of the job he was in charge of AV equipment. He's always been interested in electronics and at nonprofits (where I've worked the majority of my career as well) people can become very versatile. Cross training is encouraged so that you can fill in for other people. His interest in electronics led him to learn how to program the spiffy high tech phone system they eventually brought in. Then when things started to be computerized, he was the person everyone kept asking to fix their computers! Eventually he took an IT job at a university and he's been there 13 years.
To the OP, like I said, be open to possibilities. I was originally a teacher and loved it but got out of it for reasons too long and boring to mention. I was then inspired by working a year in a law office. Hands down, the worst job I EVER had! But it paid the bills and gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do instead.
Post college was no joke back in 2001. I had to swallow my pride and take a job I thought was "underneath" me... Then I got a job in my major and it was awful on the bottom rung. struggled for a long time, but I was lucky I had a job as I looked on many friends who shared the same degree who couldnt find anything.
Eventually at 25 y/o I just changed careers and things found their own path... I would consider myself, now 31, successful, and secure (by my standards). It really took me until I was 27 to not live paycheck to paycheck.
I dont even want to imagine what it is like now. My advice is simple:
1. Most Important: Live within your means. DO NOT RACK UP CONSUMER DEBT.
2. Don't be afraid to take a job/career that may be out of your radar. The only friends I know who still hold jobs confined to their major are teachers.
3. If you can, go back to school. Try for a Master's that will lead to a specialized field with good job prospects in a few years. Especially if you are 22-29, you have a ton of time to redirect and control your future.
My double major was history and anthropology. I wasn't going to find anything except a teaching job, which I didn't want to do. .
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
No, I simply took a business class once and got a D. From that point I figured I would take what classes I liked and excel at them, rather than struggle in something more practical.
And I've always loved history and was really good at it. Anthropology was just related so I threw that in. At the time I never considered how it would affect my career decisions.
Ended up Magna Cum Laude with a useless degree.
But 15 years later, no one cares what my degree was in or my GPA. All about job experience now.
hehe...i hear that!
i actually majored in things i excelled in AND with some practical ideas.
when i finally went for my masters - i was already teaching (tho i will say eventually deciding on teaching rather than fashion or interior design, took me awhile). in hindsight, perhaps i should've majored in something a bit more 'practical' for my masters. already had the BFA....maybe i should've gone for school administration, reading, whatever...but my head just wasn't there. i was focused on art, figured that is what i am doing with my life...so i got my MA in my most fave art, photography. graduated with a 4.0 and continued teaching.
however, eventually a few factors made me start looking elsewhere. i was looking in fields still with education, but was getting no where. where i am now, just like you, NOTHING at all to do with my education or work experience. i will say tho, my degrees and my GPA DID play a factor, even if entirely unrelated....but i think that's simply my employer. so yea....even having good ideas, clear career paths....ya just never know where you'll end up, or what you may choose...down the road.
See above answer. I am sure everyone has their own reasons. Mine was I wanted As. Not Ds in something that was useful but I didn't like.
Also remember people at 20 are all pie-in-the-sky idealistic about stuff and not really practical. That's a generalization but you know what I mean.
People at 20 are all pie in the sky idealistic?? Very, very true...
Actually when we are in are 20's....We are just flat out fucking stupid!!!!! Every single one of us....hehehehe
/quote]
I'm 19...
Yeah.. I'm pretty fucking stupid (not sarcasm).
Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
I have been out of work since November and I am a union tradesman in Boston. It's true that people hold back funds for projects which put people like me out of a job. I can't blame them, I don't spend too much money these days.
I got a call last week seeing if I wanted to go to NY to work at a nuclear power plant for 5 weeks for a shutdown they were having. I said yes seeing as you can't buy a job where I live. I drive 5 hours to NY from Boston and started my training and indoc to get into the plant on Wednesday. That afternoon I got a call from a friend of mine I used to work with saying that a guy on his job broke his ankle and will be out of work for 2 months and there is an opening. I said to see what he could do. Didn't think anything of it really cause of my poor luck in trying to get a job the past few months. Yesterday morning he calls me and says if I can be back in Boston by Monday I will have a job. So I contacted the right people to release me from the plant and I headed back 5 hrs east to home and will be starting a new job on Monday. Man, if all I had to do was drive to NY to get a job I would have done it months ago.
I have been out of work since November and I am a union tradesman in Boston. It's true that people hold back funds for projects which put people like me out of a job. I can't blame them, I don't spend too much money these days.
I got a call last week seeing if I wanted to go to NY to work at a nuclear power plant for 5 weeks for a shutdown they were having. I said yes seeing as you can't buy a job where I live. I drive 5 hours to NY from Boston and started my training and indoc to get into the plant on Wednesday. That afternoon I got a call from a friend of mine I used to work with saying that a guy on his job broke his ankle and will be out of work for 2 months and there is an opening. I said to see what he could do. Didn't think anything of it really cause of my poor luck in trying to get a job the past few months. Yesterday morning he calls me and says if I can be back in Boston by Monday I will have a job. So I contacted the right people to release me from the plant and I headed back 5 hrs east to home and will be starting a new job on Monday. Man, if all I had to do was drive to NY to get a job I would have done it months ago.
good for you! :kudos:
amazing how convoluted the career path can be at times.
how i got into my current job is really quite the fluke as well.
ugh I am really sorry to hear that. It's such a weird position to be in, not knowing what's going to happen. As much as I am burned out from my job I was really lucky to get it after only 2 months of searching in late 2008. It just sort of fell into my lap.
Comments
Only if they wanted me to take a week to do it and break a lot of shit along the way.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
We have huge trees in our yard and several need trimming. Of course, after the big snowstorm last month all the tree companies are swamped (we were about to get someone to do it before the storm). My husband is super handy so my father-in-law keeps telling my him that he can borrow his chain saw and do it himself. No way will I let him do that. Those guys work in crews for a reason and they have all the tools they need. When I was a voc counselor, I had a client who tried to trim his own trees, fell, and was now paralyzed.
He was real cool about it...He looked at me and said..."Can you bring me my new appliances tomorrow"????
heheheheheheheheheh
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Have you tried contacting a staffing or temp agency? I know people who've had good success with that.
It's good that you're volunteering; keeping yourself busy so you're not going insane, plus it looks a lot better on a resume than nothing at all.
I was faced with the same issues under 2 years ago, trying to find my first job with little experience where experience was usually required. My advice is exhaust all your resources and keep an open mind. I applied to a position through my university's career center that had nothing to do with my major, went through the interview process, got hired, relocated, and now have close to 20 months of experience and I'm beginning to look for jobs that I want and in places that I want live. It only takes one opportunity for many more to open up.
Good luck in your search!
So what were you hoping to do with these? Had you researched which jobs these two majors could lead to? Were any of them anything you wanted to do? History and anthropology are very interesting - was it just interest in the subjects that made you major in them?
I'm not having a go at you. Just curious.
No, I simply took a business class once and got a D. From that point I figured I would take what classes I liked and excel at them, rather than struggle in something more practical.
And I've always loved history and was really good at it. Anthropology was just related so I threw that in. At the time I never considered how it would affect my career decisions.
Ended up Magna Cum Laude with a useless degree.
But 15 years later, no one cares what my degree was in or my GPA. All about job experience now.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
Flagg? Why do people have majors, that are not going to lead them in to a nice career?
I dont get it....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
I dont get it.
And more than one of you here, are in the same situation, as far as what you majored in....
I dont get it....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
See above answer. I am sure everyone has their own reasons. Mine was I wanted As. Not Ds in something that was useful but I didn't like.
Also remember people at 20 are all pie-in-the-sky idealistic about stuff and not really practical. That's a generalization but you know what I mean.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
I was interested in Flagg's choices because with History and/or Anthropology one usually goes into research or teaching (and teaching was something he did not want to do). Or I guess museum curator.... but you need major business skills for that.
EDIT: Flagg posted at the same time as me and answered.
Actually when we are in are 20's....We are just flat out fucking stupid!!!!! Every single one of us....hehehehe
When we hit 40...the phrase "Youth is wasted on the young"...
REALLY starts making sense!!!!! hehehehehehehe
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
yup...i don't feel too bad for somebody that quit a job to go to a concert.
But some of life lessons, are learned the hard way, at a price.
Quit your job, to go to a concert, when unemployment is at 10%, is going to be nothing but a disaster.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
that song popped in my head, if thats not the correct lyric dont flame me, not my fav song
2003 ~ Toronto
2005 ~ London, Toronto
2006 ~ Toronto
2008 ~ Hartford, Mansfied I,
2009 ~ Toronto, Chicago I, Chicago II
2010 ~ Cleveland, Buffalo
2011 ~ Toronto I, Toronto II, Ottawa, Hamilton
2013 - London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
Crazy huh? I look back at my path and there was a lot of luck along the way.
Sorry if we hijacked your thread OP. But I guess my point is just take any job you can get and make friends because you never know where that will lead, even if it takes a lot of time. Friends and networking (hate that term) became way more important down the line.
BOS-9/28/04,9/29/04,6/28/08,6/30/08, 9/5/16, 9/7/16, 9/2/18
MTL-9/15/05, OTT-9/16/05
PHL-5/27/06,5/28/06,10/30/09,10/31/09
CHI-8/2/07,8/5/07,8/23/09,8/24/09
HTFD-6/27/08
ATX-10/4/09, 10/12/14
KC-5/3/2010,STL-5/4/2010
Bridge School-10/23/2010,10/24/2010
PJ20-9/3/2011,9/4/2011
OKC-11/16/13
SEA-12/6/13
TUL-10/8/14
My husband worked in the communications division of a nonprofit agency for many years, so that did kinda fit with his major. As part of the job he was in charge of AV equipment. He's always been interested in electronics and at nonprofits (where I've worked the majority of my career as well) people can become very versatile. Cross training is encouraged so that you can fill in for other people. His interest in electronics led him to learn how to program the spiffy high tech phone system they eventually brought in. Then when things started to be computerized, he was the person everyone kept asking to fix their computers! Eventually he took an IT job at a university and he's been there 13 years.
To the OP, like I said, be open to possibilities. I was originally a teacher and loved it but got out of it for reasons too long and boring to mention. I was then inspired by working a year in a law office. Hands down, the worst job I EVER had! But it paid the bills and gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do instead.
Eventually at 25 y/o I just changed careers and things found their own path... I would consider myself, now 31, successful, and secure (by my standards). It really took me until I was 27 to not live paycheck to paycheck.
I dont even want to imagine what it is like now. My advice is simple:
1. Most Important: Live within your means. DO NOT RACK UP CONSUMER DEBT.
2. Don't be afraid to take a job/career that may be out of your radar. The only friends I know who still hold jobs confined to their major are teachers.
3. If you can, go back to school. Try for a Master's that will lead to a specialized field with good job prospects in a few years. Especially if you are 22-29, you have a ton of time to redirect and control your future.
hehe...i hear that!
i actually majored in things i excelled in AND with some practical ideas.
when i finally went for my masters - i was already teaching (tho i will say eventually deciding on teaching rather than fashion or interior design, took me awhile). in hindsight, perhaps i should've majored in something a bit more 'practical' for my masters. already had the BFA....maybe i should've gone for school administration, reading, whatever...but my head just wasn't there. i was focused on art, figured that is what i am doing with my life...so i got my MA in my most fave art, photography. graduated with a 4.0 and continued teaching.
however, eventually a few factors made me start looking elsewhere. i was looking in fields still with education, but was getting no where. where i am now, just like you, NOTHING at all to do with my education or work experience. i will say tho, my degrees and my GPA DID play a factor, even if entirely unrelated....but i think that's simply my employer. so yea....even having good ideas, clear career paths....ya just never know where you'll end up, or what you may choose...down the road.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
Haven't you heard? They shut-down their exporting department.....all they do now is importing.
Actually when we are in are 20's....We are just flat out fucking stupid!!!!! Every single one of us....hehehehe
/quote]
I'm 19...
Yeah.. I'm pretty fucking stupid (not sarcasm).
I got a call last week seeing if I wanted to go to NY to work at a nuclear power plant for 5 weeks for a shutdown they were having. I said yes seeing as you can't buy a job where I live. I drive 5 hours to NY from Boston and started my training and indoc to get into the plant on Wednesday. That afternoon I got a call from a friend of mine I used to work with saying that a guy on his job broke his ankle and will be out of work for 2 months and there is an opening. I said to see what he could do. Didn't think anything of it really cause of my poor luck in trying to get a job the past few months. Yesterday morning he calls me and says if I can be back in Boston by Monday I will have a job. So I contacted the right people to release me from the plant and I headed back 5 hrs east to home and will be starting a new job on Monday. Man, if all I had to do was drive to NY to get a job I would have done it months ago.
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
good for you! :kudos:
amazing how convoluted the career path can be at times.
how i got into my current job is really quite the fluke as well.
if i only knew now what i knew then, eh?
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
Any interviews????
Just curious......
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....