Holy hell...I'm bored
 

So this is new for me. For the first time since I was 14 I don't have a job. It's also the first time since I was 16 that I'm not working for the same company. I'm also stuck in a house all by myself with jack shit to do except look for a new job. My old one was giving me shit for hours, so I pretty much had to quit. Nice to know I was so appreciated after 9 years.

To any of you who have "real" jobs (you know...decent pay, 9-5 types...although I'd prefer a place where I could work 2nd shift), how'd you find them? Shit's changed so much since the last time I had to look for a job. Most places make you apply online now which kind of sucks because it makes it a lot harder to meet people and leave any kind of impression. I keep hearing that the job market is good right now, but I haven't gotten any callbacks yet (although I've only really been out of work for a couple weeks). Ideas?

Well, I've had the same job for almost 11 years so I can't really speak for myself. However most of my friends usually find their jobs via online job searchesb(monster, etc) or friends. Job hunting is never a fun thing, but the internet is nice in the fact that you can get yourself out there to more companies in a shorter period of time.

Good luck finding a job man.

I recently got a 2nd shift job through my school's career services department to qualify for my internship requirement. I was hired on at the company as a part time employee, so I retain the job after the internship is up. It is a tech-support call center. Not a bad gig, tons of technical stuff to be learned.

I also have another gig that is intermittant but pays well from my neighbors business. It involves retrofitting flourescent lighting fixtures with more efficient ballasts and bulbs. It is intermittant because we may finish a job and then have to wait a few days or a week for the next job to be ready.

My suggestions for you are see if any of your neighbors own their own business or know someone that needs a worker.Of course, this depends on where you live.

You can always try the career placement services, but honestly i got lucky and was about ready to give up. Ultimately it comes down to who you know or someone to tell you there is an opening.

I really dont like those online application services because you just buried underneath all the other applicants. With a walk-in type, you can introduce yourself and sometimes even get hired on the spot.

Good luck man, and don't give up. I did for a while, and it SUCKS.

merchandising is my life. i have been doing it for ever. i start at DR pepper but quit because of them not doing part time work. so i went to kellogg. which i found out about them hiring threw a worker of theres.

i get my jobs from networking i guess. i mean i worked 5yrs at hyvee went to dr pepper because a sales rep talked me into it, then went to kellogg for the same reasons.

i've been merchandising books for four years and i got that job through a friend....... then safeway god it sucks but at least i get benefits and payed vacations so its somewhat decent for a grocery store? but it stil sucks.. i know i need to call you steve life has been crazy

The thing that's really bugging me is computers. I definitely know a lot more than your average person, but I don't have a piece of paper saying I learned it and that's all that really matters. Some people tell me that MCSE certification is easy, others say it's a nightmare. I'd just like to get something simple to put it down on a resume.

And you're right about the online thing Aaron. You have no idea how or even if they sort those things, so who knows if they even see your app before they actually hire for the job? One job I applied for was a bilingual sales rep. I laughed and filled it out since I can speak German, Russian, Spanish, Korean, and some Cantonese. Who knows what language they were actually looking for? Haha. But hey...how many people my age (25) can say they worked for the same company for 9 years? That's gotta be worth something.

try getting a simple help desk job and work your way up. i got three friends that made it big doing that.

See...that's kind of a problem for me. I don't want really a job where I sit at a keyboard all day long. I'm used to jobs that keep me on my feet. I don't know...staring at a computer screen 8 hours a day for the rest of my life doesn't sound very appealing to me.

me either. so i decided to switch to my major and keep computer hsit on the side for a hobby.

I've done it for 11 years.. It's not that appealing at all, but it pays the bills. As for the MCSE, the difficulty depends on you, your experience with MS products, etc. The people that work on them day in and day out usually don't have much of a problem. Other who have less experience sometimes have difficulties. My suggestion is to take some of the study guides on sites like Cramsession.com or Brainbench.com and see how you do.

As far as the MCSA/MCSE go i don't think "i am pretty good with computers" is really good as a benchmark. Those certifications are more network related than workstation computer related, but as Jeremy said you could use one of those sites to test your knowledge and see where you stand. You will be surprised at some of the questions

Just don't do that thing that I did that I know you'd never do.

Yes, they are mostly Network Oriented.. Unless you have a lot of time setting up home Networks using Windows Server, setting up DNS servers, administering Active Directory, and all of the other fun junk you will be at a huge disadvantages right off the bat.

I would say I am very familiar with MS products, desktop and server. Networking is what my degree is in and I'm nuts about it, and hardware is probably my top favorite, and still the MS cert exams scare the shit out of me. Just reading the practice exam questions in my textbooks (yes, I took the classes that are supposed to prepare you for them: HAHA is all I have to say about those classes), and I tried ones online. For me, they were so ridiculously hard I have zero desire to take them unless it is a requirement for the job. I am more interested in getting my CCNA, because my current company is jonesing for people with it (NOBODY has one, and we do TONS of network support, installations, etc. we all just have our own knowledge and experience to go off of).

In your case Steve, I would recommend the CompTIA exams. There are a ton of them, and they are relatively easy. Network+ is probably as simple as you could get. Very basic concepts. I have yet to take it, however, several people at my level said the test was very easy, studying more than "a little bit" is not necessary.

A+ will actually be a little harder, due to the bullshit questions. I have little problem with the hardware questions, but from what I hear they are still asking questions about win95. I didnt do AS well on the practice software portion.

There is also a Linux+ exam, but I dont feel confident enough with the obscure command line options.

the comptia certifications are pretty much worthless. A+ seems a bit harder than the Net+. I only have the A+ as of right now, and going for the MCSA for the end of the summer.

Fuk, I've been in the Navy almost 16 yrs..... about to retire my ass in 4 yrs.... and find me a desk job....

Damn Thermal, don't think I could do it that long hah, at least not the Army. Well, at least not the Infantry, too many stupid people to deal with.