How the hell do I find a job?
October 6, 2016 7:03 PM   Subscribe

Female, 23, English major who's (almost) always worked exclusively in childcare. I need to leave childcare and get a sort of real job and move out of my damn parents' house and start my life. But I can't find a job.

More details: I'm currently strongly considering going into pediatric occupational therapy, so any job doing literally anything in a physical/occupation therapy would be preferred, but I'll also take anything outside of childcare.

I got my first job at 18. Since then, three have NOT been in childcare: I worked in retail, as a tutor, and for a nonprofit environmental group. Every other job I've had has either been in childcare or at a summer camp. I'm currently working as a TA in a Kindergarten classroom.

I'm looking to find a job in a different city where I eventually hope to go to grad school. I've been applying online. I've applied at multiple non-profits, tutoring positions, research assistant positions, and a number of clerical positions, and I've gotten... nothing. Nada. Not one damn follow-up. Not one email. I'm writing cover letters. I'm following up. Still, nothing.

I have a strong resume. I graduated college with a 3.85 GPA. I worked through school. I was a public relations officer and in multiple clubs. Perhaps I'm not highlighting this information enough? I don't know. I presented a paper I wrote at a conference and have always done very well at every job I've ever had. I met with a career counselor. I told her that I was looking to get out of childcare and that I was strongly interested in occupational therapy. I told her I've applied to research assistant jobs etc to no avail. She told me to highlight my experience in childcare MORE and said my resume looked really good. She said she would make some modifications and get back to me, which she hasn't.

She DID find out that there are occupational therapy aide jobs out there that require no experience. Great! I've been searching madly for these jobs, however, and.... nothing. Nada. I'm planning on calling up some offices and speaking to them directly about the position, whether they have openings, etc but I'm just.... beyond frustrated because nothing is working.

I feel like I'm stuck in a cycle where I want experience OUT of childcare but I don't have enough experience to actually get a job outside of childcare so I am literally unable to get the experience I need to be employed and get paid for it. I'm aware that volunteer work is a wonderful way to address this, and I plan on volunteering, but short of that.... what the hell do I do? Do I see another career counselor? Do I try to revamp my resume myself? I'm just at such a loss. I'm so tired of this. The harder I work the harder it becomes. I feel like I'm reaching a point where I'm starting to burn myself out because nothing is working.

I'm at a point where I need to move out and be on my own. So, bonus question: is it worth it to just take *any* old job in order to get out of my parents' house and into the new city and get settled and just save my damn sanity? Obviously this is my own decision but insight from anyone who's been in this position would be appreciated. Further point: yes, I have looked into moving out and just keeping my current job, and I decided it's not best for me right now. I *really* want to move to this new city and getting an apartment here would lock me here for another year, which ISN'T what I want.

Please help.
posted by Amy93 to Work & Money (16 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Just wanted to pop in real quick and say that when I found myself in your position a Temp agency was my way out. I had just finished college and needed work Right Now. Needed away from family, Right Now. I was placed in various offices doing various things but I was working and met people and eventually found a permanent position doing something I enjoyed, copyediting.
Try contacting temp firms in the place you want to be. Manpower, the agency I used, is still out there I'm sure. Meet with them. Yeah, IME it is definitely worth taking any job to save sanity. But make that plan solid, ok? Don't jump too fast. Get head straight, get job, get out.
You got this. Good luck.
posted by It'sANewDawn at 7:25 PM on October 6, 2016 [9 favorites]


My wife got her start by temping.
posted by LoveHam at 7:36 PM on October 6, 2016


I'm a pre-OT advisor (but not your pre-OT advisor, etc.)

It sounds like you're going to be a strong candidate for OT school, and I don't think you need to get a job that is directly related. You can fill in any gaps with volunteer work and shadowing if that's necessary. I think you should look for any job in your target city that pays the bills. Have you shadowed an OT who works with adults, though? OT schools don't necessarily love it when students have only looked into pediatric OT, even if that's where you intend to end up.

Witchen is right that OTAs generally need an associate's degree.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 7:38 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


So - first;

Do you want to move out because you want to live in this new city?

OR

Do you want to move out and live in this new city because you want to move out of your parents? (regardless of why, which is probably a mixture of need to be independent and don't want to seem to be living off your parents and so on)

Now, a valid third answer is; "I want to do x career for my immediate life."

But I didn't hear that.

Look, there is no shame in living with your parents. Ok, so it's not a shame issue, it's living with your parents is a huge pain in the ass because they're nosy or demeaning or, well, parents.

Physical therapy off an English major is difficult if you don't have accompanying medical - going along with the OT experience person on refresh here.

Sub work, and looking for teaching positions at private schools versus public schools may also help a bit.

BUT - you weren't really clear on what you wanted to do.. you say OT, but then say you don't want to be in childcare.

Try not to get frustrated with being a smart graduate with great credentials that can't find anything. It took me 6 months after graduating to get my first position. Others are not as lucky as that. It's a tough start. But - use your resources. Your school should offer alumni career resources for free. Look into that.

But I think you need to be more solid on two things;

What do you really want to do, even if it is just for the near term until you figure out a life plan?

Are you just doing this to get our of mom and dad's? If so - rethink that. Don't let that drive your decision making, because it will lead to poor decisions.
posted by rich at 7:44 PM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]


Definitely check out temp agencies. As a former job-seeking English major, that's exactly what worked for me. I got into receptionist/admin assistant work via temping, and did that fairly successfully for a few years. (During the latter part of this time I did a lot of science prerequisites at night, and I am now in nursing school--so this is a path that can work with your ultimate goal of going back to school.)

On your temp agency resume, play up the PR work, play down the childcare, draw attention to any administrative or organizational work you did as an RA, and also highlight your customer service experience. Mention your adaptability and reliability (talking about childcare in that context could be good). Temp agencies all have online forms--but often it's also OK to go to the office in person with resume in hand as well.
posted by snorkmaiden at 7:48 PM on October 6, 2016


I am wondering if you could positiion yourself as a lifeskills tutor or behaviour interventionist. This pays more than child care work. You could position yourself at $25 or $50 an hour and say that you do work to help kids pursue activitiies related to physical skill development, for example. I say this because I am currently looking for someone who could sort of fill in a child care gap but help my (not young) child get better at tying shoes, taking part in sports, etc. In my area, lifeskills are now part of the curriculum, so this could be something anyone with an IEP* that addresses these would be able to pursue tutoring for. Not sure how this works where you live, but it's an idea. You would want to emphasize that you are not an OT, but you are someone who can help with the behaviour intervention / lifeskill tutoring.

*Individualized education plan. Special needs plan for school
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 8:03 PM on October 6, 2016


Response by poster: To clarify: I want to move to new city because they have the program that I want, it's not too far away (while also counting as far away enough that it feels independent and new, etc), and it would allow me to balance affordable schooling + friendships/relationships in my personal life that will still be in Current City (they're only an hour apart).

Childcare and OT are not the same thing. Childcare is daycare; it's basically babysitting. In my case, helping out with 3.5 hours of schooling + babysitting.

I have a connection at a local hospital, so I'll be volunteering with/observing OTs that work with adults in order to cover that experience as well.

Sorry, leaving now.
posted by Amy93 at 8:08 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


Agree on temping. I was an English major and in retail hell before I went to a temp agency. I lucked into an assignment at an insurance company almost immediately and was hired permanently 3 months later. Granted this was in 2005, and I don't know what the temp agency climate is like now.
posted by hazel79 at 8:26 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]


is it worth it to just take *any* old job in order to get out of my parents' house and into the new city and get settled and just save my damn sanity?

Being local might make you a more attractive candidate. Entry-level jobs receive a million applicants, and being local might be one less thing that they might use to narrow the field. You could also start networking. If you can find any job that pays the bills in this city, I'd move.
posted by salvia at 10:05 PM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]


Related to Chaussette and the Pussy Cat's suggestion, look into being an applied behavior analysis tutor/ therapist. You'll still be working with kids, but in a completely different setting. I'm not sure what population you're wanting to work with as an OT, but doing aba will give you plenty of experience with kids with autism.
posted by missriss89 at 4:42 AM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


Are you a para in a public school right now? If not, I would look at that, along with speech aide, and supplement your income with work as a registered behavior technician (RBT) for kids with autism afternoons and weekends. Most places will train you for that for free.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 5:22 AM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


Occupational therapy type jobs with no experience? Look into working for a respite agency for children with special needs. Initially, yes, it will just be glorified child care, but once you've done it for a month or two, talk to your clients' families about doing more of the therapy. I am a mom of a special needs kid, and when I find a respite provider who is willing/interested in doing my kid's therapy for me, I am elated and will do as much as I can to keep her happy. There are lots of moms in nearby communities who are looking for the same thing.
posted by bluebelle at 5:54 AM on October 7, 2016 [4 favorites]


The best way to relocate and also change careers (or break into your first real career) is to move, understand that you're going to have your same old crappy job at first, and THEN make the transition.

So move to New City, keep working in childcare, then look for physical therapy type jobs.

One thing that immediately jumps out at me is that you have a very specific educational background and work skill set, but you're hoping to get a job that has nothing to do with that. This isn't about being in a lot of clubs in college or whatever. Those things can help you get just some kind of job immediately after college. For example the childcare jobs you don't want. But occupational therapy people aren't going to care about that stuff unless it pertains to that field specifically.

Have you talked to physical and occupational therapists to find out what kinds of qualifications you would need to get an entry level job in that field? I don't know a ton about the field, but friends who've transitioned into that from the humanities or creative jobs have all had to go back to school. It doesn't seem like an area that an English degree and lots of babysitting would qualify you for.
posted by Sara C. at 8:05 AM on October 7, 2016 [2 favorites]


get accepted to grad school. move to new city a few months before it starts. get temp job through a temp service so you are earning money and adding to your resume. go to grad school and keep an eye out for full time jobs that may or may not be in your field, but will be full time and provide insurance and stability. as you near the end of grad school, start applying for jobs in your field. it may take a while, because US job market sucks, but you'll still have the job you're in.

that's what i did.


take your GPA off your resume if it's there. literally no one cares. grad school applications it is appropriate for, but not job applications.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:28 AM on October 7, 2016


If possible, move into a low-level position in a field that interests you. Nonprofit work, archival work, legal work, etc. - whatever you're into. Even if it's a job you feel overqualified for, or a job that is in the field but not what you want to do within that field, or you don't want to be an intern at your age and that's all that's available - you can still use that low-level position to start to build a career. I know too many people who went into the restaurant industry as wait staff or customer service as a cashier because it paid relatively high right off the bat compared to their other options. But now here they are 10 years later with no real career path, finding themselves at 30 having to do what you're describing all over again.

So (again, if possible) try thinking two steps ahead with any job that you're considering. Though in this market, I understand that you may just not have a choice. But if there's a job that pays less with a potential career path that interests you vs. a job that pays better but is a dead-end career-wise, go with the former if you can afford to. It's worth it in the long term, especially because if you're in an industry you're passionate about you'll have the drive to make lateral transitions closer and closer toward the job you really want.
posted by gregoryg at 6:47 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thank you for the replies. I'm going to look into a temp agency.

I'm not looking for a job doing actual therapy right now. I'll take literally anything outside of childcare, but I'd prefer to do some kind of clerical work in a therapy setting. I just want any job right now that pays enough to get out on my own. However, I can also take a temp job and get experience in the form of volunteer work on the side, etc so I'll likely just do that.

Thanks again.
posted by Amy93 at 2:45 PM on October 8, 2016


« Older I feel like I'm getting nowhere on this treadmill...   |   Aviation- and Space-nerd books please (fiction... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.