I’m broke. For a while now, I’ve been applying to pretty much any job on craigslist that I’m remotely qualified for. There aren’t really that many. In San Francisco, it seems like you have to be really good at whatever it is to even dream of being considered for the position. Even the maid service group I applied to asked me to reapply after I’ve had a few years of experience. The call backs that I do get, which are few and far between, are usually some sort of scam. A marketing service that has questionable practices. A guy from London who sells electronics wanted to deposit a bunch of money in my bank account so that I could go shopping for him. Another guy who was apparently outsourcing data entry work from Ireland wanted to interview me by Yahoo Messenger. Maybe they weren’t all scams, but I got a big case of heeby jeebies with those.
I applied to be a census worker, thinking that it would be a good way to get to get paid to talk to random people and see inside their house. When I took the test in December, they said they would be hiring in three weeks. Last week, they told me they’d start in March. Americorps is full up, with no positions until April. I haven’t heard from the film festival, and I’m almost at my wit’s end.
I keep wondering, where are these supposed jobs I could work for? I’m not a schmutz, I have a college education, and though I majored in art, I know plenty of art majors with at least SOME kind of job.
Yesterday I walked around the surrounding neighborhood of my place, entering any coffee shop I could find to see if they were hiring. Some gave me hope, saying they would accept my resume, but many did just say “no,” or that they’re already trying to cut their staff.
It’s depressing, not having a job. I do graphic design for friends and family, but it would be so amazing to have a someone stable income that I could actually count on. I keep feeling like I’m looking in the wrong places, like there should be some place to look for jobs that’s a little less bleak.
I know we’re in a huge economic crisis and that there are thousands of people looking for jobs without success just like me. And it sucks to think that a lot of those people have a lot less support and a lot more to lose than I do. I just never thought it would be this hard to do something as basic as get a job. I’m hoping it’s not my lack of qualifications, but my timing. But it’s definitely hard to keep getting rejected all the time.
I keep thinking that maybe all this is just a sign that I shouldn’t get a job. Maybe this is my opportunity to be a street artist and sell my handmade art and goods downtown. Maybe I should start a food cart of my own. Maybe I should set up art workshops in the park for tips. Maybe I should study for my Real Estate license.
With so many and so few options available to me at one time, it’s hard to know what to do. I guess I’ll just try to do everything, as much as I can, constantly trying to put things out to the universe and see what comes back to me.
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having nothing means everything is possible. everything. take a step in any creative direction and tell the universe you are ready. think of it this way, now you won’t have some crappy job to quit when it all comes together.