[Slide]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

Yeah, because, of course, I talk like this to job peeps. Please, I've got formal training in Psychology publication writing. I write better than like 90% of the people out there. Obviously, it isn't possible to write for a purpose and have different styles with different mediums.

If ya don't like my writing style, ya don't have to read it.

Just dont start asking them about their relationship with their mothers lol. Gluck.

[rabb1t]

My Ex-roomie got me a Freud action figure. I'm keeping it in the packaging. LOL!

(This is, of course, funnier if you know some Freudian psychology )

No word from the job peeps that seemed interested to meet me. Probably won't pan out, as they said they wanted to start someone this week (tomorrow) and I haven't heard back from them. Teh lame.

Got a phone interview with someone else tomorrow though. It's at Stanford, so that'd be super fancy. It's a bit above my skillz though, dealing more with admin assistant stuffs, which I haven't really done yet. But, meh, ya never know. Peeps have to do things they havne't done before at some point, right? If ya never make that step up you'll never learn anything.

[Renekal]

I worked on some of the electrical schtuff at one of the baseball fields at Stanford, back in the day. True story.

Good luck.

[Nassir]

I still got contacts in the bay area, I'll see if anyone got anything out there for ya..

[rabb1t]

Um okees.

Someone on another board said I could do construction work for 'em, but they were in, I think, New York, heh.

What kind of contracts? (Or were you referring to Renekal and electrical stuffs?)

[Nassir]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

Um okees.

Someone on another board said I could do construction work for 'em, but they were in, I think, New York, heh.

What kind of contracts? (Or were you referring to Renekal and electrical stuffs?)

you and medical collection/billing

[Renekal]

san jose/santa clara is a bit of a commute for me

[Nassir]

Originally Posted by Renekal

san jose/santa clara is a bit of a commute for me

yeah for me too in camp pa...but I live in san jose for long time right near the state campus on san pedro then moved out towards blossom hill it's crazy expensive out there if your not making 100k plus then your living with a crap load of roommates..

[Renekal]

A friend of mine from my AF time lives in PA, near Scranton. And California as a whole certainly isn't the cheapest of states to live in, I really like it here though.

[AsheMan]

It's been a long time since you gave us an update on your homelessness rabb1t. Have you found yourself a place to live? Are you shacked up in a shelter using the library for internet access? Hope you've found a job now and things are picking up for ya!

[Slide]

Originally Posted by AsheMan

It's been a long time since you gave us an update on your homelessness rabb1t. Have you found yourself a place to live? Are you shacked up in a shelter using the library for internet access? Hope you've found a job now and things are picking up for ya!

he keeps his blog updated. http://rabb1t.com/

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by AsheMan

It's been a long time since you gave us an update on your homelessness rabb1t.

Oh yeah, hehe.

Have you found yourself a place to live?

Nope. Need a job to build income before I can look for a place.

Unless I found a sweetie or something who would take me in for teh free.

Are you shacked up in a shelter

The only one that was open when I looked back in the day was one which required me to save $300 a month to move in somewhere. Considering I only make just under $250 a month I didn't qualify. How lame is that? I'm too poor to qualify for homeless shelter help. (Since I'm not a parent and don't have any substance abuse issues.)

using the library for internet access?

Currently I have access to school libraries, which I have access to between 6 and 12 hours per day depending which day. (Like today I have access from 8 AM to 9 PM, but on Saturday I only have access from 10 AM to 4 PM.)

I'm typically at a computer about 3/4 of any given day. So effectively, most days, I have access till around 6 PM. Plenty of time to run multiple job checks and check my fun sites.

Hope you've found a job now and things are picking up for ya!

Not so much. I've pretty much had zero change since the start.

Actually, things in terms of job searches actually seem to be getting worse. When I started I was able to put out 5 job apps a day. Now the job postings are becoming fewer and fewer and I'm lucky to put out more than 5 in an entire week.

Originally Posted by Slide

he keeps his blog updated.

Yap. If ya want to keep up read Epic Fail. (Though big news will be mentioned in my regular blog, but so far there's been nothing to report.)

Though, fair warning, it's now up to ~425 small paperback book pages in length. Epic Fail is epic. The web version may seem less daunting, but it's the exact same as the complete .pdf.

[Renekal]

Read the first 2 weeks and the 3 most recent, I find it very sobering and renders perspective more sharply than anything I can recently remember. Has certainly made me think about things.

[rabb1t]

Half a dozen peeps have said it's helped them through their troubled times, so it isn't all for nothing.

The .pdf version might be easier to read if you are used to reading paperbacks. It's the same thing as the web version, just all weeks put together.

Web version is updated Wednesday mornings (usually around 8-9 PST) and then the .pdf is updated in the evening (usually around 5-6 PST). (I can't make the .pdf at the campus I'm at in the morning.)

[mwdowns]

I've read your blog for a while, and I really enjoy your tech posts here in Silky Venom. But there's something I just don't think I'm getting from this whole homeless situation...

Do you have a college degree? What city do you live in? What kind of job are you working where you only make 250 bucks a month? Can't you get a job with a temp agency? I don't get it. You're not a lepper. You're not a space alien with 8 eyes and 4 arms (though, if you were, that would be AWESOME!). You seem like a smart, well-adjusted guy. A minimum wage job is not something you couldn't do...just to get you started.

I mean, working at McDonalds for minimum wage, 40 hours a week, will net you enough to stay in that one shelter plus some.

Is there something I'm missing here?

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by mwdowns

Do you have a college degree?

Associates in Psychology.
Bachelors in Psychology.
A few masters level classes in Sociology.
A few associate level classes in Child Development.

The problem I'm having with getting into anything 'science related' is that basically everything needs a Masters level or higher Psychology degree, a fact that no one at any school bothered to point out to me while I was getting said degree.

What city do you live in?

Sunnyvale, CA. It's in the heart of the "silicon valley". A few months back we'd hit the highest rate of unemployment in our area in I think over a decade.

What kind of job are you working where you only make 250 bucks a month?

One that capps work at 20 hours per week, but schedules each person for only 5 hours a week. (Unless something comes up where they must schedule you for more.)

Can't you get a job with a temp agency?

I've tried several of them in the past and never been successful at it. They have their 'preferred' employees, so it's really tough for someone to actually get in and find work with a temp agency, despite how easy it would seem.

I don't get it. You're not a lepper. You're not a space alien with 8 eyes and 4 arms (though, if you were, that would be AWESOME!). You seem like a smart, well-adjusted guy.

I don't either. My only guess is it's a combination of the crumbling economy and what is beginning to be a year end hiring freeze.

A minimum wage job is not something you couldn't do...just to get you started.

Not so much. The problem is I'm between levels. I don't have enough experience for many places (one place I recently talked to said the last peeps they hired had 5-10 years of experience in their field) and in some, those "minimum wage jobs", I have too much experience and they refuse to hire me. I've had two places basically flat out tell me during the interview I was overqualified and they couldn't hire me. Target is of those places still to this day has a 'help wanted' sign up. (For going on 6 months now.) I even previously worked for a Target store back in the day.

Is there something I'm missing here?

Not sure. I don't get it either. Back when it started I was able to put out 100+ applications per month, now due to much lower adds being put up that's dwindling down to 25-50. But yeah, I guess it's just the level of competition in the area that's killing me with applicants who just have way more experience than I do. Many jobs that I've asked say they have gotten hundreds of replies to postings within a matter of days.

The only real positive reply I've gotten so far was a recent application with the city. I took a test step (pre-interview thing) and they said I was ranked as the 17th person in line (of over 80 who took the test). (That job starts between $4.5k-5.5k per month )

But yeah, I don't get it either. On a weekly basis I'm applying for low/mid level jobs, many of which are part time, that I'm more than qualified for. (Not counting the good level jobs.) The only thing I can figure is that I'm overqualified for some, so they refuse to give me an interview, and in other cases peeps with way more experience in that field are also applying.

[peppy13]

All I have to say is this. My friend came to America from Japan recently. My friend did not speak a word of English. Within a month my friend was able to get a full time job, and an apartment in an expensive city to live in.

He was out in the streets walking to different places, knocking on doors every single day, all day. He did zero job searching online. It was all on foot, all walk in and he was successful, even though he could barely communicate. All he had was an electronic translator device, and when he wasn't searching he was studying English.

The thing with online job apps is that there are hundreds or thousands of other applicants out there doing the same thing. It is very difficult to get noticed online. If I may suggest, get out there, go bang on some doors and talk to people face to face. Don't spent 3/4 of your day in front of a computer until you've got a better, full time job. Spend 3/4 of the day away from the computer and be out and about. It doesn't have to be something you like to do, but get something, anything to hold you over temporarily until you find something better. I'm sure at the very least there is a Mc fast food somewhere that would hire you part time while you do your other 20 hour a week gig. Two incomes is better than one. Sure its a shitty job, but at least it will get you some income as you look for something better. Not only that you can go out and network with real people. You might meet a coworker or customer that has a lead somewhere. Just because a place doesn't have a help wanted sign doesn't necceasarily mean they aren't looking for someone.

Also try your local unemployment office. Look into goverment or state/city jobs.

Also stay away from temp agencies. They are shitty.

If all you need is an extra 50 bucks of income a month to get into that shelter that should be very easy to do. Hell you could probably make 50 dollars a week mowing people's lawns.

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by peppy13

words

Tried that, years ago. The limiting factor here which prevents that is that 99.99% of the stores around me are mega-chains or massive buisnesses. (I think I only know of 2 that aren't.) I'm in the heart of silicon valley, so you've got things like all the fast food chains, Starbucks, Borders, Pier 1, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bevmo, Whole Foods, Target, Longs, Safeway, etc., all of which will either send you to an online application system or will tell me / have told me I'm overqualified. The rest of the buisnesses are places like Apple, Symantec, AMD, IBM, etc. who basically won't even let you in the door without an appointment.

I don't want to sound ungrateful or like I don't want to try, but I did try that years ago when I first got to the area. I know doing that won't work.

As far as I know, looking online really is the only option for me in this area. All the places which take walk-ins will turn me away for being overqualified.

(And actually I've run into a few places who actually would have taken me if I did speak a different language. Many places around here require it. So that person being hired because they spoke a different language fluently doesn't really surprise me.)

If all you need is an extra 50 bucks of income a month to get into that shelter that should be very easy to do. Hell you could probably make 50 dollars a week mowing people's lawns.

Having the small bit more to qualify won't really gain me much. It will move me into a shelter from the car, but then they'd require I save all my money in a special account. And, unless things changed during the 3 months I'd be in the program, nothing would be different at the end of it. Note that to move into a place here, if I need first, last and deposit, you are talking about $2100-2400 just for a room. (A few room places will accept just first and deposit, so that's roughly $1200-1500.) For a place on my own I'd need to look at closer to $4500. So, putting $300 into savings, which is roughly 1/2 of one month, really doesn't gain much in terms of actually saving to get re-established somewhere. It may meet the program requirement, but it would be a miracle to actually find a room in a place that would let me in with only ~1.3 months saved up. (Basically first month and 1/3 of the normal deposit amount.) Plus, once I do move into a place, I'd need to have roughly $2k a month income to cover rent and all my regular bills. If I'm still only making ~$300 a month, that's not going to work.

The car isn't super terrible just yet. It's... managable. (Particularly since the person I talked to on the phone at the main shelter line said I wanted to stay away from shelters if possible, as they are full of people with drug and other issues.) Getting into the shelter would only get me a cot in a church or gym from like 9 PM to 6 AM, so it would be dry, possibly warmer, but where I'm staying at night seems safe enough, and temperatures are ok and it's not raining or anything yet.

I know you are trying to help, but hearing such stories makes me I've already tried the things you mention, and the traps of my area are far more tricky than normal areas. As I think I mentioned, if there were a way out of the traps I'd very seriously consider them, but I'm basically trapped here in this area, which itself is a trap for me in terms of getting into a good job.

[peppy13]

Originally Posted by rabb1t

Tried that, years ago. The limiting factor here which prevents that is that 99.99% of the stores around me are mega-chains or massive buisnesses. (I think I only know of 2 that aren't.) I'm in the heart of silicon valley, so you've got things like all the fast food chains, Starbucks, Borders, Pier 1, Bed Bath and Beyond, Bevmo, Whole Foods, Target, Longs, Safeway, etc., all of which will either send you to an online application system or will tell me / have told me I'm overqualified. The rest of the buisnesses are places like Apple, Symantec, AMD, IBM, etc. who basically won't even let you in the door without an appointment.

I don't want to sound ungrateful or like I don't want to try, but I did try that years ago when I first got to the area. I know doing that won't work.

As far as I know, looking online really is the only option for me in this area. All the places which take walk-ins will turn me away for being overqualified.

(And actually I've run into a few places who actually would have taken me if I did speak a different language. Many places around here require it. So that person being hired because they spoke a different language fluently doesn't really surprise me.)



Having the small bit more to qualify won't really gain me much. It will move me into a shelter from the car, but then they'd require I save all my money in a special account. And, unless things changed during the 3 months I'd be in the program, nothing would be different at the end of it. Note that to move into a place here, if I need first, last and deposit, you are talking about $2100-2400 just for a room. (A few room places will accept just first and deposit, so that's roughly $1200-1500.) For a place on my own I'd need to look at closer to $4500. So, putting $300 into savings, which is roughly 1/2 of one month, really doesn't gain much in terms of actually saving to get re-established somewhere. It may meet the program requirement, but it would be a miracle to actually find a room in a place that would let me in with only ~1.3 months saved up. (Basically first month and 1/3 of the normal deposit amount.) Plus, once I do move into a place, I'd need to have roughly $2k a month income to cover rent and all my regular bills. If I'm still only making ~$300 a month, that's not going to work.

The car isn't super terrible just yet. It's... managable. (Particularly since the person I talked to on the phone at the main shelter line said I wanted to stay away from shelters if possible, as they are full of people with drug and other issues.) Getting into the shelter would only get me a cot in a church or gym from like 9 PM to 6 AM, so it would be dry, possibly warmer, but where I'm staying at night seems safe enough, and temperatures are ok and it's not raining or anything yet.

I know you are trying to help, but hearing such stories makes me I've already tried the things you mention, and the traps of my area are far more tricky than normal areas. As I think I mentioned, if there were a way out of the traps I'd very seriously consider them, but I'm basically trapped here in this area, which itself is a trap for me in terms of getting into a good job.

Well, since you've got a car, and gas is lower than it has been recently, you could drive yourself out of the area and try a more fruitful place for what you're looking for. If the area you're in is a trap, get out and find another place. If anything I'll guarentee a job isn't going to fall out of the sky onto your lap by being online and in front of a computer all day especially in this economic enviornment. If it does you're very lucky. You've got to get out there and grab.

[mwdowns]

What peppy said, in both his posts.

If your area sucks, get out. I mean, it's not like you've got a home keeping you there, right? (sorry for the dark humor.)

And if they're telling you that your're overqualified for the jobs, don't put all your credientals on the the app. It's dishonest to overstate your credentials, but I see nothing wrong with understating--it's bad to say you have a PhD when you've only got a Master's, but it's not bad to say you only have a BA when you happen to also have a Master's.

Take that low-level job at Starbucks or Borders or where ever. Get yourself on your feet, and then concentrate on getting that job you really want and are qualified for.

We hate seeing ya like this, rabbi1t!