How Can I Find Love (Let Alone a Real Job) In this Economy!?!

[wmped]

"So as a disclaimer, I am as of this moment unemployed and living in a guest room with my parents."

 

Now how bout' that for a pick-up line? ](*,)

 

In truth I'm technically unemployed: I'm 27 and work seasonally for the National Park Service as a Ranger, but my season is over until February. Firstly, I really do love my work, but it doesn't really provide what you might call stability to my world.

 

What my "job" if you can truly call it that entails is basically getting hired and fired every year with no benefits and never truly given a chance to advance due to the INSANE Federal Service hiring system.

 

Now there is the possibility that someday I could finally get permanent, but to do this you essentially have to sell you soul. The hope is that some person will retire and you can fill their spot, IF there are no veterans, disabled employees, or anyone with a more impressive resume. In short: Your chance of being brought into the fold is almost akin to threading a needle with a camel.

 

3 Choices:

 

1. Suck it up and keep doing the seasonal gig until I can finally hunt down Satin for a blood pact.

2. Leave the Feds and start ALL OVER AGAIN.

3. Find a job that makes use of my personal skills that I've already acquired.

 

I have a degree in History (seemingly worthless unless I want to teach, which I don't really...Gov't indoctrinators today mostly), have provided school groups and visitors with tours of historic sites, battlefields, and natural environments, etc.

 

On top of this (and getting to my real point), how in the hell can I hope to find love when I have to keep moving and also just remain so unstable? I am, by default, actually an individual whom likes everything to be planned in advance and meticulously at that. This lifestyle is driving me nuts and what's worse I'm afraid that I'm missing out the best years by devoting my life to work. Each year I get more depressed, and my despair deepens especially when I go online and read from news sources about the true state of the economy.

 

My conundrum: I can seem that the US is slipping further and further into the pit of depression (and don't believe the hype) and I only have so many years to secure a stable source of income before things begin to get REALLY bad here. But what is a job worth if by the end of it all I never had the time to find that special someone...and let me clear: I really really want to find her.

 

I briefly thought I'd found her but as you can read here: Things didn't pan out as I'd hoped.

 

What can I do? Suggestions please folks! And thank you all in advance, you guys are awesome.

[toby17]

Suck it up and:

(a) find a holiday season job

(b) be grateful you have until February off and do whatever you want

© take up a hobby

(d) volunteer

(e) do DIY for your parents

(f) go on Coursera and do a free course

(g) learn a language

(h) learn to code.

 

You won't find love because you're too negative and whinge too much.

 

There are people out there who would give anything for what you have.

 

Does the NPS have jobs in other parts of the country that you can do until February?

[wmped]

Suck it up and:

(a) find a holiday season job

(b) be grateful you have until February off and do whatever you want

© take up a hobby

(d) volunteer

(e) do DIY for your parents

(f) go on Coursera and do a free course

(g) learn a language

(h) learn to code.

 

You won't find love because you're too negative and whinge too much.

 

There are people out there who would give anything for what you have.

 

Does the NPS have jobs in other parts of the country that you can do until February?

 

Well now first off, I've been helping the folks out quite a bit so no need to make it sound like I'd allow myself to just become a worthless slab that sits around the house.

 

I've done most of those things already: I volunteer at the local history society, have taken up gold panning as a hobby, help take care of my elderly grandparents, already know two languages, etc.

 

I've also refused to take unemployment benefits unlike some people that really don't need it but take it anyway. As far as other jobs go around the country: I made out over 300 applications (a real number I'm not joking) to various other positions in state, federal, and private jobs...no luck. And it's not from a crappy resume: I've been to a number job fairs and had experts confirm that my resume looks very solid and well written.

 

But you know, thanks for making the assumption that I have been doing nothing.

[mbee]

In regards to love... love takes time to find. It sounds like you recently ended your last relationship who was your first girlfriend. You are 27... plenty of opportunities to meet women. I think around the holidays it's normal to feel sad and wonder if you'll ever meet the right one. I am going through that myself. I thought I had met someone great but he wasn't really that at all... I'm in the process of moving to Australia from the USA and even that will be a temporary move. Sure, there are days where I feel down wondering how can I find the right person, but I know these things work themselves out all the time. Just be open to dating. Do online dating, approach women anywhere and just be positive. For the record, if I met a guy like you, I wouldn't be turned off by what you said at all. You do have a job that you are good at and enjoy. You don't have a family and living at home is really quite common nowadays. It's different if you planned to live at home forever. My ex-boyfriend was 27 when I met him, lived at home, and was an adjunct professor and obviously unemployed during the summer. He made very little money. It did not turn me off since he had other goals, was actively doing something to change his situation and so on.

 

Please keep this in mind when dating. Be positive about your situation and if a girl writes you off because of these things then she's not a good match for you at this time. Some women will be turned off by some of these things but this is not a dealbreaker by a long shot. Again, just be positive and never give up. Things tend to sort themselves out when you least expect it. You just need to be PATIENT and POSITIVE. Nothing happens overnight.

[Ms Darcy]

Finding a job is a full time job so I would keep focusing on that. I do not know if you are willing to do low wage jobs .... janitor, maid, mcdonalds cashier ... but I think you should try those as well.

 

I always recommend putting love on the back burner while you look for work.

[annie24]

Finding a job is a full time job so I would keep focusing on that. I do not know if you are willing to do low wage jobs .... janitor, maid, mcdonalds cashier ... but I think you should try those as well.

 

I always recommend putting love on the back burner while you look for work.

 

For the most part, those jobs aren't going to pay the bills. Especially if he's on his own.

 

I might try to network at work and look at USAjobs.gov to try to find full time work with your job experiences. In addition, with a degree in history and knowledge of 2 languages, you can consider a tutoring side job.

 

I would try some networking, see if anyone you know might know of a good opportunity for you. I once heard it's not your close friends who help you find a job so much as acquaintances.

[Ms Darcy]

For the most part, those jobs aren't going to pay the bills. Especially if he's on his own.

 

I might try to network at work and look at USAjobs.gov to try to find full time work with your job experiences. In addition, with a degree in history and knowledge of 2 languages, you can consider a tutoring side job.

 

I would try some networking, see if anyone you know might know of a good opportunity for you. I once heard it's not your close friends who help you find a job so much as acquaintances.

 

$10 is better than no dollars. I don't understand refusing to work in favor of earning no money.

[annie24]

$10 is better than no dollars. I don't understand refusing to work in favor of earning no money.

 

Minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and he does have a college degree. It's not a livable wage. Yeah, something is better than nothing, but i think a college educated man with government work experience should be trying to find something closer to his field and something with more advancement options.

[Ms Darcy]

Right - I wasn't saying the $10 as an hourly figure. Just as a sum of money. Same as $100 or $200.

 

He can flip burgers while he looks for another job. It's not mutually exclusive.

[Throwaway999]

Wow, people are being pretty harsh! I understand the need to vent sometimes, it's not "whinging" geez that's why people come to this forum...

 

It is tough getting hired with the Feds even on a part-time basis. Once you have your foot in the door and have worked for the Federal Government once it should be easier to move into a permanent position should one become available. Even though you've been trying and haven't had any luck, I would keep an eye on usajobs.gov and keep applying to any full-time, or part-time but permanent openings like applying to them WAS your full-time job. There are often openings in the places nobody wants to live, so if you are willing to move you WILL be able to find something eventually. When I was seriously looking for federal jobs (I ended up not getting any, though I applied) I remember it seems like NARA always had some openings in the middle of nowhere in Kansas - I think they have empty salt mines where they warehouse government documents! Of course, then you've got the whole problem of finding somebody in some low-population area where nobody wants to live, in the middle of nowhere, but hey it beats being unemployed.

 

Also remember, the economy sucks, there are just as many educated women out there your age who are unemployed/underemployed, and who won't look down on you for being in the same boat that they are. I would concentrate of your job search, but I wouldn't live like a monk and put off all human contact until your life is "settled" because no job is stable in this economy and life is never secure. Just remember that you are the same person whether you have a good job, a crappy job, or no job at all.

[wmped]

Epic wins on this comment! True, there are many jobs in the middle of nowhere and I surely am applying to them all. But the one thing I hadn't thought of (and thank you for that) is the whole idea of women having the same hiring issues (if not worse ) as I have had. So simple I'd need somebody to say it!

[Ms Darcy]

But the one thing I hadn't thought of (and thank you for that) is the whole idea of women having the same hiring issues (if not worse ) as I have had. So simple I'd need somebody to say it!

 

I don't know why you wouldn't think of it. Actually lots of groups have a much more difficult time finding jobs in a bad economy. It is especially tough on women, ethnic minorities, immigrants, the disabled, and those without higher education.