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Getting the first job (As a dropout)
Frosty the Snow Plow
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'll be turning 18 before long, and the applications sent in without an answer for months is getting to me. I'm almost completely ignorant of life outside school and home, and while I do have thoughts for where I want to take my life (possibly still attending a college and career options and blah blah), that is not what this thread is about.
I need a job. Any job. A first job.
Any advice you could give on locating work quickly would be awesome. Nothing fancy, just entry level mopping shit up sort of job or whatnot. And I know I shouldn't expect anything but derision for dropping out, but please, this thread isn't about a career, just about finding employment quickly.
Thanks.
I need a job. Any job. A first job.
Any advice you could give on locating work quickly would be awesome. Nothing fancy, just entry level mopping shit up sort of job or whatnot. And I know I shouldn't expect anything but derision for dropping out, but please, this thread isn't about a career, just about finding employment quickly.
Thanks.
Frosty the Snow Plow on
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It's pretty much the lowest you can get as a construction worker, but if you work full time you can make up to about $15/hour (at least that's how much it wages for a material handler are in Seattle). The job duties depend on if you're working at a shop or on a construction site. In a shop, you'll be doing a lot of cleaning, maybe making some deliveries, helping pack up HVAC to be delivered to job sites. If you work on a construction site, most of your duties will be bringing tools and materials to the journeyman and apprentices working, as well as organizing shit. But it all boils down to doing what your boss tells you to do.
It's good work, and I made close to $500 a week doing it full time. I bought a brand new 2006 Mustang before this and was easily able to afford the payments on it (of course, I also lived at home then, so I didn't have to pay rent, electric, etc...). Not to mention that it gets you in good shape pretty fast. You don't want to be doing it forever, but it's good work to do while you decide what to do with your life. Just be sure to have a good pair of workboots, some warm clothes (maybe Carhartts if you can afford them) and you'll be in good shape.
EDIT: Now that I think of it, unions may require you to have a high school diploma/GED. If you're at all interested in this, call up the union and check with them.
Franchises retail.
Both are shitty, they both have flexible hours so you can look for a better job inbetween.
Satans..... hints.....
And what you should be spending 8 hours every day doing until you get a job, is going around your city and filling out applications.
One other thing, ask your parents and your friends parents if they know anyone who might need someone for a job. I got my first job because my parents knew a guy who owned a landscaping company. I got another job because my family knew someone who owned a restaraunt.
or try for ups, no idea if they require you to have a diploma, but warehouse boy can pay well with them
Anyway...
Make a resume. It can be super, super basic, and you don't need to lie on it, you just need a basic document stating what you've done with your life and what your goals are. Have a look at this as an example: link. If you don't have any awards or affiliations to brag about, ditch that section and replace it with a few personal references (former teachers or family friends are ideal for this when you're 18 or so, just make sure you ask their permission first).
The resume thing is the most important thing you can do for yourself. It shows that you're serious-minded, formal, and traditional, and (rightly or wrongly) that goes a long way with prospective employers. I used to manage a pizza place, and I was stunned at how often the owner would hire someone (usually when I was trying to trim back on labor) just because they dropped off a resume along with their job application.
If you live in an area that has thriving manufacturing or construction, send your resume their way. A good factory job will be boring as fuck, but it'll pay $10, $15, even $20 an hour your first year. Failing that, restaurants (both nice and fast food), department stores, and janitorial services ALWAYS need people. Just hit a dozen or so stores a day, ask for a job application, ask when would be best to bring it back, take it home, fill it out. It helps if you make a "cheat sheet" with your school history, references, etc. to keep handy while you fill things out. Hell, take it with you when you apply, I got a few "on the spot" job offers when I was your age, and you REALLY want to have all of your facts straight when a manager hands you an application and says "go over there and fill this out".
Wear nice clothes, even for "entry level" job hunting (a polo and khakis are usually fine), even just for picking up applications. Dressing and grooming sharply will improve the chances of making a good first impression on your future coworkers, and that improves the chances of them mentioning to their boss, "this guy looked pretty good" when they pass along your resume and application. If you get an interview, it goes without saying that you should wear something nice (if it's for anything paying more than $15 an hour, wear a goddamn tie).
If you opt to go the fast food route, try to get on as a management trainee. It's easier to get on as a manager with those places than it is to climb the ladder, I know a lot of burger joints will hire people specifically to groom for management from the get-go, but won't promote from within until you've been there for at least a year.
Lastly, hit Craigslist, Monster.com, and the local classifieds for basic white collar stuff -- secretarial, data entry, call centers, etc.. A lot of entry level jobs call for at least an associates degree, but if you have a good resume, make a good impression, and you insist you're ready and eager to learn, they'll probably consider training you. Just be honest about your qualifications.
Good luck! Just try to make "getting a job" your 9-to-5 job, and you'll be getting offers in no time.
Thanks for the second bit.
Not sure why but it hit a nerve, I'm heading out as soon as I get some clean clothes.
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EDIT: By the way, I forgot to mention this! I have my GED. Got it soon after I dropped out. I'm not foregoing college as a hard and fast rule, either.
And thanks for all the help! It's invigorating.
Good on you, but stop calling yourself a dropout, you got your GED, you can hold your head up high. How old were you when you got your GED? You're 17 right now, so you can pretty convincingly spin it as a strength; "I wanted to finish high school early" doesn't carry the same stigma that "I dropped out and got a GED later" does.
It's how I'm referred to from my parents and such. None of the three children they have had have really done anything with themselves and they let us know it.
....oh shit I need to shave.
I'm enough credits behind to where I would be 21 when I graduate if I aced my classes from here on out.
Just curious, but how does that happen?
I didn't do great in HS but showing up was enough (most of the time) to get by. Again no offense, but there has to be an administrator you can talk to, take a gen knowledge test, let them know you want back in. When I hire people I have 3 stacks, High school diploma GED and other. Guess who gets hired first.
Theatrics aside, I was depressed to all hell and eventually stopped attending class. By the time they could legally kick me out of school, they did.
The value of a high school diploma for how much work it would take now, for where I am and where I want to go, isn't really worth it.
This is horrible, inaccurate, condescending advice. The fact that YOU discriminate against people who opted for a GED instead of a high school diploma doesn't negate the fact that a GED is as good as a diploma for colleges and most employers.
Your boss might fuck you over, yeah, but seriously, customers? You wanna stay away from them till you found some selfrespect.
Give it a year to get your life together, then go take your exams.
The fact that I am representative of 90 percent of the populace must be silly.
I already knew when I dropped out that a GED isn't really equivalence to a diploma, and that bit about "I have three piles" has been reiterated a dozen times.
Two to three years of day and night school isn't worth it for a diploma when I have my GED, negative stigma or not.
It's a tad more difficult to get college loans lately.
In any case, OP: Factory work is easy to get into with pay that's generally superiour to fast food. If you can stand waiting tables you can also make quite a bit in tips.
GED should probably count more then, student showed conviction to proceed with their education of their own free will. As opposed to going with the motions.
And shit, get in the right place with the right employer, and you'll pull in fairly decent bank.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I knew a girl in high school who tried telling people that. It didn't really work.
The thing with most jobs that only require a GED/HS Diploma is that they don't do callbacks. They don't have an interview process that's long and involves numerous call-ins to determine the best candidate. They hire on the spot, based on the people waiting there to be hired. So you call to determine if they're hiring people, you show up, fill out an application, and ask to be interviewed for the position. So sitting around isn't gonna get you anything -- you need to find out when places are hiring, and go there at that time (show up early) to interview, probably with a group of people.
Honestly, looking back now I have to admit it hasn't been so bad. My job security is outstanding. The new GI bill is a pretty good deal. Classes I've taken while in the army have been paid for by the army. I always have a bed to sleep in and a hot meal waiting. I've acquired extremely valuable job experience I would not have otherwise had the chance to get. And I think I've picked up a few intangible life skills along the way as well.
It's not all roses though. If you join you will get deployed. You're going to want to get really good scores on your ASVAB so that you have a lot of good choices available for your job. Don't pick something that will get you nothing on the outside. Cooks are no better off after military service than they were before military service. And I would advise against going infantry or any other combat specific job. Getting blown up by an IED doesn't do much for your future. Basic training is really not as tough as people think. You just have to know how to stay cool while you're being screamed at by a guy that could easily kick your ass.
Also, no matter what the recruiter tells you, there is a bonus for enlisting, even if you have a GED. No matter what the recruiter tells you, you have a good chance of getting stop-lossed (which now gets you an extra 500 a month) If and when you do go off to MEPS, there will be a career counsellor there to "help" you select a job. He is not your friend. the more technical sounding a job is, the better. Stay away from wheeled vehicle maintenance, infantry and food service. Those are dead end jobs.
Like I said, I'm not trying to recruit you. I just think it hasn't been brought up as an option and it's not a bad option.
Origin Handle - OminousBulge
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Also, if you're planning on going to college eventually, start taking classes at a community college. You don't have to work towards an associate's, but just take something. It will make it a hell of a lot easier to get into the college of your choice.
Aside from that, construction is a wonderful job, as has been brought up already.
Origin Handle - OminousBulge
XBox Live GT - TheOminousBulge
Also room for advancement, networking, etc. Plenty of guys that own successful companies started out in the mailroom, or cleaning up debris, or digging ditches.
So don't ever let anyone tell you that because you have a GED and didn't finish High School that you're shit, because you're not.
Electronic composer for hire.
I moved from El Paso, Tx to Dallas, and the difference was outstanding. I applied for retail positions(Gamestop, Blockbuster, Targer, etc), and every place offered me a job. Not only that, but the way was a lot better I could ever hope to get in El Paso. Also, Temp agencies like others have brought up can be good.
All of this is fantastically helpful, thank you.
And I live in Indianapolis, if there's work anyone knows of.
second, the military is a good choice because it pays well and because it opens the door to college down the road, but it's also a bad choice because there is a very good chance you'll fight overseas given the fact that america is currently engaged in two wars and they just launched an assault on syria.
i think construction is your best bet at the moment, but also working as a server or bartender will pay very well. i live in a tourist oriented city and my friend makes very good money working full time as a server during the summer.