I'm really damn close to giving up...

[reuber1]

I've looked and looked and looked and applied and applied and applied. I can't get an interview anywhere. Yeah, I don't have any f'ing experience to get a f'ing job, but to get f'ing experience I need to get a f'ing job. I'm still working at "a certain retail establishment" making goddamn 7.50 an hourafter four years of work and excellent reviews and now that they know I've graduated they won't promote me because they know I'm looking for work. I got to pay back nearly $20,000 in loans from two years of college at my second University, and a little bit from my two years at my first college; I have a little over $900 right now. Whatmore do I need, I have an Associates in Internet Administration and a Bachelors in Computer Graphics and Interactive Multimedia...oh wait, I don't have a Masters degree...THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!!! WHAT THE GODDAMN MONKEY HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!

O.K.,I did get one interview, made it to the second interview; they told me it pays ten bucks an hour for 40 hours a week...I know I need money and that's more than I'm making now but masochism is not my cup of tea...I didn't get the job. I'm pretty confident in my portfolio, and my cover lettersand resumes areeffective,and I can interview better than...can't think of an analogy, I'm too pissed off to think of one. Somehow some people get these jobs instead of me! Oh, maybe it's "networking", the lesbian sister to self-inflicted torture.

I'm sick to death of working at goddamn "certain retail establishment. I bust my ass at that goddamn place day in and day out, crosstrained in friggin' every area of the store and will help out where needed, be it backroom, cashiering, or my willingness to come in on a day off when I'm trying to beef up my portfolio and I live goddamn forty minutes away. Yeah, see how good of a job I do when I'm told I have to face 7 different departments, including goddamnBack-to-school,because some ******* called in sick and I have to pick up their slack. I'm sick of dealing with the customers because all of them are a bunch of typical *******s who demand me to pretty much wipe their ass even though I'm given a stack of salesplans to set because managements too goddamn lazy or stubborn to schedule more people. Every day I get off work--or night I should say, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever get morning shifts again--I'm so damned tired from physical and mental exhaustion that I can't function that well; I mean I'm in pretty decent physical condition for someone who used to be out for high school sports, spent four years of college sedentary, and now nearly back to my high school condition, but I still get friggin' exhausted. Oh yeah, and schedule me more nights, so that when my schedule says 2:00-10:00, it actually means 2:00 to whenever the hell we get done, which could be 1:00 a.m., which has happened before on several school nights. Yeah, I'm glad "a certain retail establishment" respected my education. I need a goddamn job in my field right now. I'm still in the same job that I was when I started college, and my education seems to be a gigantic f'ing waste.

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/frusty.gif + http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/mad.gif + http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/sad.gif + http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/jumpin.gif + http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/icon_evil.gif + http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/emoticons/icon_confused.gif = ME. F'ck it, I got to go to work now.




I hate Valentine's.

Post Edited (reuber1) : 2/14/2005 2:42:21 AM GMT

[D-Zine]

WOW! Thank god for the soapbox eh?

Have you called places? Just picked up the phone book and thumbed through the yellow pages and called some places? Just curious! It may seem a little unprofessional but sometimes this does actually work. I did it....for a print shop, got lucky, they were hiring and landed the job. Of course I had to drive 45 min to work and 45 min from work to get back home, and only made $8.33/hr...but I got my foot in the door. It's really difficult to even make $10/hr when starting out. Honestly. I started at $7/hr....but you really have to take what you can get in the beginning to get your foot in there and get that experience you need to progress further in your career. I know its frustrating...it really is. This field is incredibly competitive but ya gotta keep goin at it..something will turn up. Call all your local print shops. This will be the best experience you can get for starting out in this field....it is a HUGE help for your future as a designer.

Good luck!

Boobie Island or Bust!

[BuckarooB]

Leave Iowa...

Really!

http://www.whispercreek.us/ImageServe/comfy.gif

Post Edited (BuckarooB) : 8/20/2004 6:37:58 PM GMT

[PrintDriver]

Wow! Feel your pain man.
Have you tried a different tack with management. Yes they know you are looking for work but maybe there is something available within Target's Marketing and Graphics department and you could get them to work for you. They had several GD-type openings (quite a few upper level ones too) in their career search section, just none of them in Iowa.
Retail bosses just suck most times and will always take advantage of a good worker who is dependable and can work with minimum supervision.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[D-Zine]

Oh good idea PD! So maybe you have ot leave Iowa but since you are at Target already, why not try to find something in GD with them?!

Boobie Island or Bust!

[SarahRar]

Why don't you find freelance/internship to start out with...
I contacted a professor and asked for recommendations too... try that!

[reuber1]

Thank you, everyone. I just got off another hell of a night, though not as bad as usual considering we got out 15 minutes after close, but I'll get more of theretail treatment tomorrow. And yes PD, retail managers certainly do take advantage of us hard workers. Things have just been looking really bleak lately, and I've just been really down because I've been stuck in this same damn routine of crappy retail work. I mean, after four years of ass busting work you would think that I would get at least a promotion to department manager and start making a little bit more money. I just got rejected to be an "Electronics Specialist" because they told me because I'm looking for work they don't want to invest the time in me...yeah, f'ck you too. Any chance of management doing anything to get me in the HQ's graphics department is astronomical to "forget it" because they are really damn lazy and clueless.


And you would think that a vacation in Cancun two weeks ago would cheer me up, and it did for a little while.I just don't feel like I'm going anywhere right now, and I know I can be a damn good designer given the opportunity. I really couldn't give agood goddamn if I have to move from Iowa for work, because the bipolar weather here is about as exciting as unwanted sodomy...whatever that's like. Most of the people in this state are a buncha narrowminded conservative blowhards anyways; I won't miss 'em except for a few friends who are also designers so maybe they'll come with.


I wouldn't mind working for the company that does "certain retail establishment" ads "outhouse", and I wouldn't mind working within the company to do layouts for their weekly ads, or maybe designs for theirinstore signage. There's just something about still working at that place that doesn't float my boat.I'm still looking for work like crazy, just sent out three resumes on Friday, and hopefully I get some calls. Internships are slim pickings here, mostly supplied by McGraw-Hill and I've been rejected by them through all four years of college. Once again, thanks everyone; feeling a bit better with some encouragement and Family Guy right now.


Extra Edit: McGraw-Hill can eat sh!t.




I hate Valentine's.

Post Edited (reuber1) : 2/14/2005 2:44:12 AM GMT

[Ryan8720]

I feel you on the customers. The general public are morons.

NO we don't have blizards, or soft serve. We are not DQ.

Of course I don't look happy, you just ordered two milkshakes and 2 blasts. Yes, that did take a long time. If you didn't want to wait then you shouldn't have ordered it sh!thead.

Wow, I feel better.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together.

[Drorain]

wow reuber1... I was in exactly the same problem you are in, I worked 7 years in a supermarket, just got outta school a year ago, and was looking for a few months. Your location could be a problem, but if you think of relocating, look at the areas before you do. Also check with print shops and small design studios, maybe something will come up in those avenues. If your up to it, you could also try freelancing...I have never done an actual client search myself, but you could do a cheap mailer to send out to local businesses. I'm hoping these ideas help you, send me a pm if your interested in the mailer, we do em cheap where I work.

I ended up getting an entry level job here at vistaprint, they;re are the only company i know of in the boston area that is hiring all of us Newbies...in 5 weeks they have hired 11 entry level designers, they want to get to 200 designers by next summer ....

- Everyday, all the time, without fail!

[plantationfarmer]

try
http://www.coroflot.com

its more an industrial design community, but theres loads of graphic jobs too.
and the people there really hires.
create an account. check out their jobs section.
it works for me. i got 3 freelance jobs in the last 2 months from there.
kind of good.

good luck!

:i sell high quality sweet coconuts:

Post Edited (plantationfarmer) : 8/2/2004 1:17:04 PM GMT

[Jason Fraker]

I heard on Dave Ramsey's radio show that 80% of all jobs are unadvertised. Dave said that these jobs are filled by a person just walking in the door of a company and saying 'I want to work here. Here's what I can do. Can you help me out?'.

You may benefit from joining your local AIGA chapter so you can network with other designers and possibly hear about a job opening in that way. If you went to a small school, as I did, you could also talk to your department head about job placement. Most schools, if they're not ridiculously huge, are willing to help you out with something because it makes them look good to have most of their grads employed right away. These professors are often heavily connected because they've been around the design world for so long and have taught many people who are in supervisory positions now and are capable of hiring.

I really feel your pain about hating your job and all. I worked in Grocery Stores for about 5 years before I got my first job in a print shop. It was two days a week, but before long I just started showing up every day.

Keep us posted on your job hunt. I'm sure you'll find something.

-Jason

The clothes do make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society at large.

[defjoe]

i'm not surprised that you can't get a job in the field and it's not going to get any easier. you will have to work 10xs harder and 10xs longer to get something. you know nothing! that's the problem. your best asset right now is that you are cheap labor. you need to exploit that to get experience. Put a hold on the loans. that's what I did. It's sucks but that is the way it is.

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[D-Zine]

Yeah...Joe makes a good point. Do a 6 month forbearance or whatever the other one is. There is one that you can still pay the interest if you want while your loan is on hold. I have done that - unfortunately several times in the past. But you gotta do what ya gotta do and atleast that option is available...that will give you some time to find something and get on your feet in the industry.

Boobie Island or Bust!

[thecldriver]

i am in the same boat, but i am not stressing it no more. i will find something when i find something time will tell. just keep at it like me and dont give up.

[reuber1]

Just posted my resume on Target.com and applied for a Graphic Artist...that uses Powerpoint. Whatever, it's something...hey I'm willing to use MS Paint for somebody at this point. They're asking for three years experience, and I've been using PPT for three (in school), so hopefully that's sufficient; you can only learn to do so much with PPT. Hopefully this goes somewhere. Thanks for the link plantationfarmer!


Thanks for everyone letting me ventand everyone responding and helping out, this is a really cool site and everyone here kicks ass way beyond the call of duty. Unfortunately I'm not as relaxed about the situation as thecldriver is, maybe soon, but then again I'm a short tempered red head...


"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[paulrandfan]

Dude! I totally know where you are coming from! I worked at Target for four years @ 7.50 an hour, with ignorant morons for bosses, and the customers are ten times worse. Target has piss poor human resources and management, and there were nights when there were four of us on the salesfloor closing, and during Christmas season too!And the customers expect you to pull miracles out of your ass."Oh mam, I'm sorry we are out of item no# 061 09 1009, but I have a magic ass, and here it is. Man, I can't even shop anymore after four years of that crap, I shop online totally now (you'd be surprised I save quite a bit). They would never promoted me for the same reason, I was a student, and they knew there was no use investing in me. I did everything in that store; truck, pricing, cashiering, jewelry, electronics, hardlines, softlines, signage, stock room, and I'm bilingual, and I always got screwed over! I worked every holiday (since I didn't have kids). I hated that job.


I know where you are coming from as far as the job situation goes. I don't think the Universities adequately prepare us for what's going to happen when we get out. They build you up because it means they did something right, and they told me oh, everyone will want you to work for them! I got my job by pure luck (still trying to figure it out, me out of 100 people). It sucks, I have student loans, and I'm doing three people's work (a sixty hour work week @ $10/hr) It sucks, and I'm exhausted 90% of the time, but I realized that I wasn't going to get my dream job straight off the bat, and I would have to make sacrifices and work 10x harder to make myself stand apart from my competition.


I applied for a lot of the GD/Print jobs at Dayton Hudson (who I'm sure you knowowns Target, Mervyns, etc). I never heard back from any of them, and I hope you have better luck. I know Gap and Nike have internship programs available to new graduates, and so does Randomhouse. Don't forget to try the printhouses and small businesses, and start freelancing. Get your name out there man. You may be working cheap, but $100 is that many hours you don't have to work at bullseye hellhole (what I called it) After being in my job for a month, I've noticed that small businesses need all the help they can get,and they don't even know it. They would be awesome references for a resume.





Can you believe that new target execs make 40k to start?!?!


'To Design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.' --Paul Rand

[paulrandfan]

oh yeah...another favorite...."Expect more, kiss my a$s" and that stupid "I can do that" training video with the Rembrandts!!!

If you ever really need to vent man, I'll give you my #, I could go on for HOURS!

GRRRRRRRR...




'To Design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.' --Paul Rand

[Ryan8720]

I hate training videos. They always tell you to be positive and smile all the time. Who is that happy all the time? Especially when your job sucks. At least I only watched 3 of the six I was supposed to.

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together.

[reuber1]

Yeah, my training video for our jewelry department was like four hours long...I've only worked jewelry once in four years, and that's because the "specialist" (perhaps special in a short bus kind of way)there called in sick that morning, and it was for like three hours; our store is sexist, maybe it's because I have a penis that I never work in jewelry and always have to go outside to bring carts in.

"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[Stickwood1]

There's a simple answer here, become a comic writer, you had me in stitches...............though I feel for you too

[Stickwood1]

some people on here, do they really work?

look at some of the posts amounts for some of them, they should be ashamed

No free time huh, chuhuuuh righty

[defjoe]

Retail = CRAP

it will always be that way. you can be a store manager but it will always be retail so you won't make any real money.

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[Ryan8720]

Retail > Food Service

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done.

Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together.

[defjoe]

agreed!

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[reuber1]

Just had an interview for a nearby online news publication, and it seems to be exactly what both of my degrees aim for as far as entry level is concerned (designing web graphics using Photoshop and updating site content via Dreamweaver, not the most exciting thing in the world, but it still seems cool...). I thought it went well,perhaps becauseall of these interviews that I've had so far end up being very informal conversations rather than formal question sessions! I mean, it's like we're just talking like we're at a bar or something (tasteful talk, nothing offensive and no profane language or anything like that) and we're just shootin' the breeze. No questions like "What is your biggest weakness" or "Why should we choose you?"...I'm kind of scared that they didn't ask me those, maybe they're not even interested in me and just wanted to get through the interview,then again maybe I'm overreacting and maybe they just wanted to see if I would be someone that they could stand day in and day out. In any case, they said they should know by the end of next week who they want for the job, and hopefully it's me, because there is NO WAY I'm working another Christmas season in retail PERIOD; I swear to god this is no joke but I have friggin' nightmares of working at "a certain retail establishment" during the Christmas season because of how stressful of a time it is (then again, 40 hour work weeks plus 19 credit hours of college while having to drive 50 minutes from home to college and40 from work to homewill do that). I won't be surprised if one of these days I get an angry customer and I just snap back at them a la MTV's Boiling Points--except instead of losing out on $100 I'll get fired...Boiling Points is for p{}ssies...20 minutes?...try eight fXXXing hours. Sorry folks, I can go on and on, but I'll try to hold back...


Extra Edit: Man I was one cranky bastid.




I hate Valentine's.

Post Edited (reuber1) : 2/14/2005 2:46:12 AM GMT

[BuckarooB]

Take this job and shove it,

I ain't workin' here no more.
My woman done left,
An' took all the reasons I was workin' for.
You better not to try to stand in my way,
As I'm a walkin' out the door.
Take this job and shove it,
I ain't workin' here no more.


I've been workin' in this fact'ry,
For nigh on fifteen years.
All this time, I watched my woman,
Drownin' in a pool of tears.
An I've seen a lot of my good folk die,
Had a lot of bills to pay.
I'd give the shirt right off of my back,
If I had the guts to say.


Take this job and shove it,
I ain't workin' here no more.
My woman done left,
An' took all the reasons I was workin' for.
You better not to try to stand in my way,
As I'm a walkin' out the door.
Take this job and shove it,
I ain't workin' here no more.


Well, that foreman, he's a regular dog,
The line boss is a fool.
Got a brand new flat-top haircut;
Lord, he thinks he's cool.
One of these days, I'm gonna blow my top,
And sucker, he's gonna pay
Lord, I can't wait to see their faces,
When I get the nerve to say:


Take this job and shove it,
I ain't workin' here no more.
My woman done left,
An' took all the reasons I was workin' for.
You better not to try to stand in my way,
As I'm a walkin' out the door.
Take this job and shove it,
I ain't workin' here no more.

Take this job and shove it.

http://www.whispercreek.us/ImageServe/comfy.gif

Post Edited (BuckarooB) : 8/20/2004 6:40:29 PM GMT

[reuber1]

Nice! I'm feeling like buying the Office Space soundtrack now!


"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[paulrandfan]

hey I hope your interview went well. If you give me your specs, I'll submit your name to a few people I know. The magazine I work for is going monthly after our November/December issue, and I'm SURE we will need another designer or two.

What?! you don't want to work Christmas at Target? What's more fun than forty carts of reshop split between four people, and the many hours spent super-zoning the holiday cards so they actually match up with their price tag! or the countless glass balls you break through the package on purpose so you don't have to put so many away.

Oh the fun...

'To Design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.' --Paul Rand

[reuber1]

Goddamn this Internet connection. Post was typed, then submit, then PAGE CANNOT BE DISPLAYED-EAT MY ASS WITH A WOODEN SPOON, then BACK button, then everything appears in Times New Roman, then refresh, then normal except my post was entirely f'cking deleted. Grrr...


Well, it's the end of the week and I haven't heard back from the interviewers yet, although they said they would let us know by the end of this week. I'm not getting my hopes up, because everytime I do I get a rejection and then I feel lower than the silt that lies in the ground. I just got a rejection letter from a different job that basically said "no experience, no thanks" although I was under the impression from the ad that it was entry level. I hate applying for f'cking jobs, because every interview I bomb people say "Well...it's interview experience!" and I want to kick them in the nuts/face every time they do like it's supposed to f'cking make me feel better. I actually feel worse because when I interview I interview with the confidence of a f'ckingolympic athlete, but I don't get the job so I keep wondering "what the hell am I doing wrong?" and I keep doubting myself more and more as I keep applying. Yeah, I know, "I can't do that because if I don't have confidence in the interview I won't get the job blah blah" spare me I've heard all that crap that doesn't really cheer me up or make me feel any better...I know.


I might as well face it, I think I'll be looking forward to a life of retail and living in my parent's basement. This point will be cemented further during my frickin' shift at work tomorrow, I already know how the day's gonna go...I'll bust my ass while department managers do nothing but walk around at snail speed finishing their ad they were supposed to get done today. I'll cover all theincoming calls andcustomer assist in store calls while noone pitches in to help, I'm sure I will be singled out to get carts (as I said before, because I got a penis and only men can push carts in),and I'll help every customer with excellent service and ZERO will write a positive comment card but I may get one demon customer who I inadvertentlypiss off and they willwrite their master'sthesis on how I was a dick, then an executive who sits on her ass in her office all goddamn daywill pull me aside or as last time ream me in the middle of the f'cking salesfloor and say "so and so said this about your service" while totally disregarding or not thanking me once for the ass-busting I did. Why do hard workers get the f'cking shaft while the biggest douchebag of a person can get a six figure job!?! You know, back in the day, when douchebags that had the same lazy traits as my managers died, their genes were wiped from the gene pool...

"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[nightowl]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/frusty.gif

I am in the exact same situation, but I am $39,000 in student loan debt!

[Drorain]

rueber whhere you located>?

- Everyday, all the time, without fail!

and now for the Advertisement...In Blantant Disregard of the Header....

Check out The best Graphic Design Forum Ever
Come to Booby Island! (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com)

[PrintDriver]

Dro he's in Iowa.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

[defjoe]

Reeber... I have been in that situation man. you really just have to keep plugging at it. Entry level... bunch of crap. Really what that means is 'we want to pay you crap but you still have to know the job beforee you get in here'

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

'I'm the damn designer, bitches!'

[reuber1]

I'm calling them tomorrow to find out what's up.


"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[BuckarooB]

Hey reuber1 - get this book and learn to market your skill-set...

www.graphicdesignforum.com/default.aspx?f=8&m=68072 (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/default.aspx?f=8&m=68072)

See if you can find it at half.com or eBay - never pay full price for anything...

Good Luck Buddy.

http://www.whispercreek.us/ImageServe/ximinez.gif

[paulrandfan]

stupid department managers and ad flip...

'To Design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse.' --Paul Rand

[reuber1]

Thanks Buckaroob! I actually read your post last nightabout that bookbutIforgot where it was, so thanks for linking it...definitely looks like something I will be getting.


paulrandfan, checking your PMs? Got a question for ya on one of them.


"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[reuber1]

Just ordered a used copy of the book from amazon for like 7 bucks. I'm sure it will help.

"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[Nina]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/hop.gifhttp://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/hop.gifhttp://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/hop.gif
know it might sound lame but you have to keep trying, it’s never easy to get that first job.
</o:p>
I came from Cuba to Miami 8 years ago with 20 bucks in my pocket, worked at a bakery for $3.25/hour, worked the night shift at ToysRUs in Christmas time restocking shelves –hell—moved to PA because a relative offered me job in an electronic company-factory for $7.42/hour, worked there for nearly 4 years trying to catch up with the language, by that time my husband, a graphic designer too, after many many many mailed resumes got his first job as a designer in NJ while I kept working in the factory, watched the baby and redid my very poor portfolio, he drove every day almost 2 hours to work and from work, he keep applying down here in Miami and luckily he got a job that offered relocation, we moved back to sunny land and I started applying for a job in the graphic field, got my first job for a crappy salary at this guys garage doing calendars and postcard, the guy was so mean and untalented I soon quitted and started applying again until I got this job where I am now, its not a huge pay but it’s ok and I love it. As my husband goes he changed couple of times and now he’s adventuring with another 3 guys in their very own agency.
</o:p>
So, keep trying and try the suggestions you got here. Review your portfolio and get another people opinion on it, constructive opinion, if necessary make things up (I did it, I admit it), create yourself couples of projects, a brochure, packaging, and include it your portfolio if it needs a pump-up. Review your resume, add a graphic look to it if it doesn’t have it already.
</o:p>
If that’s the jobyou really like to do keep trying.

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/cheers.gif http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/cheers.gif http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/cheers.gif


Nina

[reuber1]

...Jesus...F'cking...Christ...


I just called them and they are hiring someone else.http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/blowingup.gif


I could go on a huge f'cking rant right now but I think I've said what I've needed to say. This is the damndest, most disappointing and frustrating phase in my life so far. I'm typically not this miserable people, but this job hunt and my current job certainly makes life sh!tty as can be and is sucking the life from me day by day, making everything seem worthless. I appreciate the encouragement from everyone, and next to Nina's post my situation doesn't seem to be as bad, but I honestly don't think I'm ever going to get a job.http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/sad.gif




"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

Post Edited (reuber1) : 9/1/2004 6:55:26 PM GMT

[morea]

I know how you feel reuber. I'm in the same boat. Within the past 6 months I've had to deal with a divorce, a layoff, and no luck in finding a new job. It is really a big blow to your ego - even your 'self-identity'. If you need to talk, pm me.

I can recommend a good book... you'll probably laugh - I did, when it was recommended to me - but it works surprisingly well. Read 'Being Happy', by Andrew Matthews. It really helps you to adjust your outlook when things are bleak. Actually, *everyone* should read it. It is that good.

Hang in there... things happen for a reason! /emoticons/cheers.gif

You know what are neat? Sheep. Because they're wooly, and if you pick them up, they scream!

[Holliday]

Holy shnikees!! It's been a rough year for you M. As Buckaroo's good friend Will Shakespeare said in Hamlet, Act IV Scene V: 'When sorrows come, they come not in single spies but in battalions.'


Oh and just remember: You're good enough, you're smart enough and doggone it, people like you!

[Magnus]

I like it when Hamlet said 'Hey, who put this piece of dog crap in my shoe oh vileness!'

"It's not cheating if you win."

- A VERY wise person.

[reuber1]

paulrandfan, sent you a PM just in case you miss an email notification. Thanks for the buttkicking help.

Wow, sorry about all that morea. That sounds really rough, I don't know if I really have any room to complain any more. I still feel like dirt, but I guess a lot of other people do to. It could be worse, "I could be a starving ethiopian!". Honestly, I may need to read that book. I've been kind of ornery the past few years...depression maybe or just plain pissed off? Maybe a combo of work and school?

"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[morea]

Aw, thanks guys. You're the best.

reuber - it's really easy to get frustrated when *nothing* is going the way you planned. You have to practically *force* yourself to be optomistic, even when you don't want to. You have to let go of what's troubling you and focus on the positive. (I know... it's a lot harder than it sounds!) After all, you have a place to live, food to eat, and people who care about you. And that's more than some people have! It does take effort, but focus on the things that you *do* have instead of dwelling on what you don't, and you'll feel better.

When I was reading 'Being Happy' the book pointed out that we make a habit of saying things like, 'I'll be happy when: I finish school... I get a job... I get my own place... I find a good relationship... I get promoted...' etc. I had been doing just that for years! Then I turned the page - this picture really gave me a wake up call.

You know what are neat? Sheep. Because they're wooly, and if you pick them up, they scream!

[morea]

That's enough 'serious-ity' out of me.

Somebody burger me! /emoticons/burger.gif

You know what are neat? Sheep. Because they're wooly, and if you pick them up, they scream!

[reuber1]

Excellent pic. I probably should have gotten this years ago and posted next to my bed (ironically in front of my NIN poster). FWIW I'm not quite as pissed today as I was yesterday (and believe it or not I just got off work!). I figure if they're gonna be like that and not inform me of who is getting hired and who isn't after they said they would do so, I figure that's one broken promise out of many within the company and I don't want to work for them anyway.


Some homemadegrilled burgerssound awesome right now.http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/burger.gif


How about some beers along with?http://www.graphicdesignforum.com//emoticons/cheers.gif

"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[morea]

Mmmm.... burgers and beer.
/emoticons/burger.gif /emoticons/cheers.gif


See? Life is good! /emoticons/thumbsup.gif

You know what are neat? Sheep. Because they're wooly, and if you pick them up, they scream!

[jenpetosa]

/emoticons/violent.gif Ahhhhh I needed to come to soap box today.
I am so bored at my work. I've been here at this same company doing the same kind of stuff now for 6 years and I am feeling stale.

Although I have '8 years' of experience, it doesn't seem to be the kind of experience people want. I got a job right out of college at a newspaper designing ads for $7/hr and then got so bored at that then moved to a job that actually did COLOR for $8/hr and thought that was great. Still at that job. But my creativity is SO limited here because folks want to be so BORING with design. I can't do much that is OUT THERE. Everytime I try they think I'm just 'some crazy designer' or that 'artist type'. Oh my god, NEVER use purple they say, because purple is too ARTSY. Or make that font PLAIN please. Or don't make that look so FUN.(But hey, we're a rafting company!) My portfolio is /emoticons/sleepysmiley03.gif . How am I going to get a job with this portfolio with such places as Nike? I feel like I am on the WRONG track which is almost worse than the NO track.

Or maybe I just SUCK at design. Maybe I'm not as good at it as I thought going into college. Maybe it's time to go back to college and study something else? With what money. I have bills now. House payments. Car payments. Phone payments (UGH). /emoticons/freaked.gif

Sometimes all this just gets downright depressing. /emoticons/eyes.gif Thanks for the soapbox folks. Really needed that today.

Jennifer

[reuber1]

O.K. Anybody know any schools with good Masters programs in Marketing? I don't think my "Computer Graphics and Interactive Multimedia" bachelor's degree is going to get me anywhere besides McDonald's management, so I figure I'll go for something a little more broad. Also, do I have any chance of getting into a Marketing program without starting off for a bachelor's first, or can I go straight for the master's program?


"Oh wow man! Right beside the snack bar man!" -Tommy Chong

[idaho]

Reuber,

First off forget the Masters degree for now. It won't help you. My personal opinion is that a masters isn't worth crap if you don't have the experience to back it up. Marketing jobs are harder to get than GD jobs and if you don't have experience in Marketing you ain't gonna get the job. Tough field to get into.

Second, be patient in your job search. It may take you two years to find a job. It took me 18 months to get my first job and while I was waiting to get that first job I worked in a factory making garage doors. The job will come. It may not be the highest paying job but at least it'll be doing graphics. Just be patient.

I found my first job in the want ads. Had to interview 3 times before I got it and then I had to commute 2 hours each way just to make $10/hr. Wasn't my favorite job but at least it was experience which is what seems to matter the most to employers.

My advice to you is keep looking, keep improving your skills (learn about printing presses, 4-color and spot color work..as much as you can), post your work to get critiques from the fine people on this list, get the hell out of Iowa, and find some place other than Target to work. Try a factory (more pay, better hours).

Stay in touch with the people you went to college with. My classmates and I started a listserve for alumni only and it's pretty active. When one of us is looking for a job we send a post to the list and everyone starts looking to help that person out. One hundred people looking for you is a lot better than just you looking. It can be very effective. That's how I got my current position. Took just a few weeks.

Anyway, that's my $.02.

-Idaho

Check out the book 'What color is your parachute'. Good stuff.

[reuber1]

*Groan* Good ol' iron-man shift today (open to close) and when I get home after a long drive through the friggin' fog, I am greeted to rejection letter No. 4,679,209 (give or take)..


...F'ck it. I give up. I don't know how some of you can persevere, and how some of you made it past the looking-for-work phase (my hat's off to ya, if I had a hat on).I'm going for a small promotion at work; I need hours and I need the money and I'm going to have to bite the bullet and keep working at this sh!thole. If I can't even get this then I'll be certain there's a huge damn conspiracy against me (it's me against a bunch of recent high school graduates too stupid for college).


What my life could be like if I DIDN'T go to college:

Still working the same job but...
Not in student loan debt...
Afford my own apartment...
Afford all of the small luxuries that I want, like video games, CDs, DVD player, sweet TV, etc...
Still be in ass-kicking shape (no thanks to sitting in front of computers in administrative classes because everyone needs three classes on Microsoft Access and Powerpoint)
Not so stressed out about school-work and finding a job...
Not whining on graphicdesignforums about not being able to find a job...
Not have the displeasure of meeting college douchebags such as stupidfrat boys, slutty sorority girls,pretentious computer nerds, "enlightened" freshman...hell, I hated everyone I met in college...
Never would have touched the AS/400 computer system, and therefore have the painful memory of working on that pile of crap removed from my frontal lobe...
Afford graphic design books on my own and learn at my own pace, since that what college was anyway, except insteadofowing thousands of dollars in wasted tuition money andtaking classes like "Special Topics: Islam" (since my satan-worshipping agnostic ass deserved it) I could do bullet points 3 and 4...
Work on my portfolio from day one, and developing relevant projects, not "Make your self portrait using text only!!!" projects (man, that project was awesome, about as awesome as choking on Flaming Moe's mom's Brussel Sprouts). God that teacher was stupid, yet has a better job than me now that she quit...
Develop freelance work and establish client relationships to enhance my chances of finding a job that doesn't involve me saying "Would you like fries with that?"
Have a more meaningful social life than what college offered (see bullet point 8)...




I hate Valentine's.

Post Edited (reuber1) : 2/14/2005 2:51:27 AM GMT

[morea]

^ idaho has some good advice.

Also, try to set up some informational interviews. Go through the yellow pages and contact anyone in advertising, publishing, printing, design, communications, newspapers, etc. Ask for them to meet with you. Ask for them to look at your resume and portfolio. Ask them for honest feedback. And ask them to call you if they have any jobs open up that would make use of your skills. Even if you start off in a print shop doing customer service (that's what I did) you can eventually move into a more design-related position.

I'll tell you something, too. Sometimes things are so overwhelming that you just can't deal with them. TAKE ME VERY SERIOUSLY HERE, BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS:

If you recall, since January I have been separated, disowned by my family, divorced, laid off, unable to find a job, stalked by my ex-husband, not paid for $400 in freelance work that I did for a friend, and told by a former coworker that I could go to hell and that if I wanted the $200 she owes me I could see her lawyer. NOT A GOOD YEAR. I had to drag myself out of bed every morning to work on my job search, despite contant rejection letters. My mortgage ALONE is $800 per month, and I can't fall back on my family because they don't believe in divorce, and have not spoken to me since January.

What I'm trying to say is that things can really be too much for you to deal with. And it's not a weakness in you as a person. I suggest you talk to your doctor and see if you have a problem with depression. I see a lot of my own struggles in what you are going through, and can honestly tell you that anti-depressants might help you. They have helped me. You don't have to take them forever, just take them until you get past the rough patch you're dealing with and get yourself standing firmly on your own two feet. Life can get the best of you if you're not careful. Don't let it.

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[morea]

By the way, expand your job search.

I actually applied to ANY job I thought I could do within 50 miles of my house. I got a position as a RECEPTIONIST making decent money, and working a 40 hour week, no nights, no weekends. I have to leave my house at 6:45 am to make it to work by 8, but it's really a good job.

Also, as the company grows they will be hiring someone else to take over the phone work. I am going to be moved into my own office to design all of the company's direct mail pieces. The owner had no intention of hiring a designer, but I convinced him that I would be valuable to him. Try something like that - just get your foot in the door, and realize that the rest will come in time.

I haven't lost my mind... it's backed up on disk somewhere.

[Patrick Shannon]

I was in a similar situation very recently with being rejected time and time again, and Morea is correct: sometimes you have to think outside the box, and opportunity hits you at the approrpiate time. When I got kicked down yet again, decided that I was giving up on graphic design and was at the lowest general point possible, up came a VERY promising opportunity for a job with the IS department at a company, but that position also requires some graphics knowledge which screams to me. The bigger irony is that out of the entire area here, it just so happens to be located one block from where my friend works. Coincidence? Destiny? Likely I will be singing the same sob tune again if/when I'm rejected and not called yet again, but I'm not going to let off this guy's ass for a minute. He didn't respond to my email (asking him where to send my resume), so I'm going IN PERSON today. Thanks to some good advice, I've completely revamped my resume and it truly looks better than before, which perhaps was my problem in the first place. Anyway, this sounds like the perfect 'alternative' from graphic design without actually leaving graphic design, if that makes sense at all.

--
Patrick Shannon

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