What kind of skills do you have?Originally posted by Abbott
I'm 20, and I don't have a job.
Eh...who am I kidding? I need to find a job, so I can move out of Mom and Dad's and pay a mortgage. Their allowance always runs thin so it's not financially feasible for me to move out.
But what am I to do? I can only work days (or if need be, overnights), and I need a full-time job.
I take evening classes so it's not like I sit on my butt all day. But still, it'd be better to get a day job.
As being nothing but a high school graduate (at the moment, this'll change eventually) who needs a regular day job (or possibly overnight), what are my options?
Fast food joints don't count.
Being a bartender sounds cool, except I'm not 21 and I'd probably have to work weekends a lot.
Ben
17-19 Year olds, where do you work ??
- Thread starter jiza101
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Abbott
Master Don Juan
My job experience is practically non-existent:
Paper Carrier - 1.5 years
Combination Customer Service and Food Prep (they call it "Crew Person") at McDonald's (yeah, I know...) - 3 years save for one month. I gave my two weeks notice about three weeks before finishing high school.
Unlike most people in that job, I was sometimes expected to unload the truck and often expected to do a little of everything (the location where I worked was very small). If it wasn't busy, I could run the whole store by myself.
Non-job Skills:
I know a lot about computers. Got my first one at age 7 (in 1992) and knew more about computers than my father at age 8). Now I have a client/server (based on Windows(tm))network at home, which while common at businesses is rare in a home setting. I still don't know much about Linux but I'm trying. I can sometimes do computer work for people for $40/hr., but I'm not sure if I'd be able to make a living at it. I can't think about building a customer base since I want to move to Indiana next summer.
I can be funny, and sometimes make people laugh.
If I need to be formal, then I know more about how to dress than most men (I can tie a bow-tie and fold a pocket square, for example).
Education:
I went to our local university for one year, but then didn't stay.
Most recently, I've been attending a junior college trying to get an Associate's Degree in Computer Networking Technology but I don't have it yet. At least I can still work towards it if I get a FT job so that's not a problem.
So basically, I haven't worked since high school, or during my entire adult life (nearly two and a half years!).
I've tried retail joints mainly, though I think I've even tried applying for a waiter job once or twice. I've also tried office work, but they didn't hire me either. I'd consider factory work, but I have no clue on how I'd apply for that. I'm about to just get a CDL license and drive trucks for a few years until I get my bachelor's degree.
I can't understand what I'm doing wrong. For a 20 year old, I'm definately wiser than my peers. In public, I dress conservatively, albeit informally. I'm also a straight white male who doesn't listen to hip-hop, use illegal drugs, or come from a trailer park. So I doubt that it's because of a racial, sexual orientation, drug, or gender bias.
It could be bad luck, but after two years I somehow don't think so.
For the record, I was once basically told to get lost by Wal-Mart of all places (I hate Wal-Mart, but I applied once anyway). They said that they didn't want "my type of person." I don't know what they meant my that, but I don't care.
Hopefully I've answered your question to your satisfaction.
Mainly I'm trying to find a FT job that pays at least $8/hr. and has some benefits (especially healthcare, since my parents coverage on me will end in about a year and a half, due to my age).
Ben
I started at Applebee's at $8/hour as the lowest-paid guy in the kitchen, plus a cut of the tips and optional health/eye/dental coverage. I was making $9.75 when I left just shy of a year later, again the lowest paid guy there (the two highest being $14/hour and ~$12.50/hour). There were always hours for people who wanted to work–always.
jiza101, if you're looking for an infusion of cash with flexible hours, get a job (or two) washing dishes in a corporate kitchen, like Applebee's or Red Robin. To my knowledge, they always start off above minimum wage, and, save for some dirtiness, it's a piece of cake.
Even better: find a dishwashing job at a high-class restaurant. I worked with this guy who, in his younger years, started out at $14/hour washing dishes at Daniel's Broiler here in Seattle. (I believe it, too, because they employ pretty exclusively people fresh out of food school [ie, chefs], and their menu is pretty much $100/plate and up.)
A lot of places will hire someone with no experience in that field. If you want to work the fewest hours and get the most money...wait tables. You can make well over $25 an hour doing that and you always have a lot of cash on hand.
I agree–if you're unlike jiza101 in that you like customer service. However, my two-week take was sometimes more than a number of the best servers, who in turn were already making more than a couple managers… but I was one of the lowest-paid guys in the kitchen.Originally posted by Wyldfire
If you're going to work in a restaurant you want to be a server...servers make the most...usually even more than the managers.
I can't imagine what some of those guys took home when we'd pull 20-30 hours a week of OT: $21/hour times 20-30 hours on top of their $14x40 paycheck is my monthly income
But they had muchos años of experience on me, so I don't feel too bad.Abbott
Master Don Juan
Hmm...I just might have to do that (assuming they don't tell me to get lost or worse, never call me back). Then I can pay that mortgage, move out, and still have cash left over.
What do you do? Just be nice, give food to people, and clean up their mess? Sounds good, since I solve their problem (hunger) and mine (cash). And it's not like I need to clean months of grease build-up (I did that once at my last job).
Ben
The key is to work at the right restaurant. You either want to serve at a very busy inexpensive yet decent restaurant with very high volume or a more expensive place that is busy with a decent volume. The last place I worked I used to make about $200 a night...5 or 6 hours of work. You can earn full time white collar pay in part time hours as a server at the right restaurant.Originally posted by Von Neuen
I agree–if you're unlike jiza101 in that you like customer service. However, my two-week take was sometimes more than a number of the best servers, who in turn were already making more than a couple managers… but I was one of the lowest-paid guys in the kitchen.
I can't imagine what some of those guys took home when we'd pull 20-30 hours a week of OT: $21/hour times 20-30 hours on top of their $14x40 paycheck is my monthly income
There is a pretty high turnover of servers...so it's really easy to get a job waiting tables. It takes balance to carry the trays, the ability to handle stress, being pleasant and being able to tolerate a few a$$holes here and there. You'll definitely want to try to get in at a place with a good training program. At first it can be a little tricky to get the hang of...but once you do...it's very good money. The only down side is that most servers don't get benefits...but it's the best job for students who are still covered by their parents.
