iwishiknew Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 I have been living in my car for the last 6 months and been enjoying it. I was working a retail job and only making $8.50 an hr. I been there for 3 yrs and there are no opportunities, pay raises or advancements with the company. I have been looking for full-time work for yrs and have not found anything at all. I'm sick and tired of dealing with customers who are dumb, smelly, rude, disrespectful and mean. There is absolutely no satisfaction at all working in retail and I'm tired of making peanuts. In Feb, I had an interview for a temp/contractor position, only for 6 months that pays $12 an hr, 30-35 hrs a week. $12 an hr is not much, but better than $8.50 an hr and its not a retail job! Yay, and I don't have to deal with rude, disrespectful customers. A few days after the interview, I got a call back and got the temp job, so I took a leave of absence from my crappy retail job for 6 months, which I was so thrilled and happy. The location of the positon is about 3 hrs from where I'm at and I couldn't afford living in an apartment or hotel. So I took the challenge of living in my car for 6 months and it has been great. At first it took a little adjustment, but after a week it wasn't so bad at all. I really enjoy life on the road, the freedom and never been so happy before. I been going to different camp grounds and forest preserves and enjoying the out doors and nature. I met some nice people on my trip that live the RV/Van life. Sadly next Wed is my last day and I'm sad that this positon couldn't be full-time permanent. Then I have to go back home and work my miserable dreading dead end retail job Link to comment
Moontiger Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 You have a new experience to put on your resume and new contacts. Keep in touch with them in case anything open up at that company. Update your redeem to reflect your new experience and keep applying to jobs. Link to comment
gebaird Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Way to make the most of your situation! Keep looking for new work. You never know when something great will come along (like the assignment you just completed). Link to comment
ParisPaulette Posted August 27, 2016 Share Posted August 27, 2016 Maybe this is off topic, but have you ever thought about working for an industry that does travel? Like RV parks, companies like KOAA campgrounds, that kind of thing? Or yes, something that keeps you traveling. I say that, because if you've been happy and you enjoy the freedom and all then maybe that's who you are, that's what feeds you. Retail is dreadful, you will get no argument from me there. As Moontiger said, this contract work will freshen your resume and maybe it's time to see what's out there. You sound ready for change. And that's never a bad thing. P.S. If you did well on this last job and they liked you, ask if they know of anyone else who may be looking for workers. Might also lead to something. Link to comment
ControlDenied Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Networking-networking-networking..... You need to expand your network and talk to people everyday Link to comment
iwishiknew Posted September 6, 2016 Author Share Posted September 6, 2016 Maybe this is off topic, but have you ever thought about working for an industry that does travel? Like RV parks, companies like KOAA campgrounds, that kind of thing? Or yes, something that keeps you traveling. I say that, because if you've been happy and you enjoy the freedom and all then maybe that's who you are, that's what feeds you. Retail is dreadful, you will get no argument from me there. As Moontiger said, this contract work will freshen your resume and maybe it's time to see what's out there. You sound ready for change. And that's never a bad thing. P.S. If you did well on this last job and they liked you, ask if they know of anyone else who may be looking for workers. Might also lead to something. Yes, sadly I'm back in my dead end retail job. Yes, retail is a dreadful job with no satisfaction and I can't stand working in retail anymore. Yes, I do like traveling, only on the road, I don't like flying. Before I went home, I did go to RV parks, camp grounds, regular parks, and warehouses to apply but they weren't hiring, but I did fill out an application and left my resume with all of them. I did well on my temp job and my boss says if anything does open up in the future, she will call me. Link to comment
SnowFox Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I just want to say that I think its cool that you had such a good attitude about living in your car. The fact that you made lemonade out of lemons is admirable in such a situation. One of the keys to coping with adversity in life is our attitude. And this seems like a great case of using your attitude to turn what could be an utterly miserable experience into a great adventure instead. Think about the stories you will have to tell others years from now. Have you thought about keeping a blog about your experiences while living in your car? I would enjoy reading something like that. It seems like it could be very inspirational. Link to comment
thejigsup Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I couldn't live in my car. I just couldn't. I'd beg, borrow, or steal before I let it get to that point. Seriously. How do you shower every day or set your table or cook or listen to your stereo, or have friends over? You can't and that is my nightmare. I think you must be a great person to be able to do that. Link to comment
abitbroken Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Notice your attitude. While doing that job and living in your car, you are optimistic, openminded, flexible and up for adventure. Now back to the retail job with the bitter attitude. Maybe if you had that adventurous can-do attitude back home you'd be on the upward swing in your home town. There are plenty of people that see nothing but opportunity in retail - to move to management, loss prevention, or even to get the know how and open their own business. So go back with that attitude and maybe you'll find something that pays more or find your passion. I was hired for a better job because a customer really liked me and they referred me/had pull. It was still retail, but it paid commissions. I entered the non-retail business world after that. Because guess what - someone liked my attitude. I actually went from a coffee counter to a restaurant, to a shop to commission sales to the corporate world. You could also try industrial work. Lots of places are dying for someone willing to apprentice to do millwork. Starting pay is anywhere from 30K to 60k depending on area. Link to comment
iwishiknew Posted October 6, 2016 Author Share Posted October 6, 2016 I couldn't live in my car. I just couldn't. I'd beg, borrow, or steal before I let it get to that point. Seriously. How do you shower every day or set your table or cook or listen to your stereo, or have friends over? You can't and that is my nightmare. I think you must be a great person to be able to do that. Living in a car is not hard at all. To me it is like camping, I have done a lot of camping when I was growing up. Taking a shower is easy, I go to the gym and after my workout I take a shower. There were a few camp grounds I stayed at that had showers and they were really nice and clean. I only cooked outside when the weather was nice, (If I had a van, I could cook inside) I had a small portable camp stove to cook my foods and the days I couldn't cook, I just made myself a salad and ate nuts, fruits, vegetables and grain cereal. My future plan is to build a camper van, so I have more room and I can go anywhere in the states if I get a job offer and not worry about paying rent. Link to comment
Colinwilliams2 Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Cool story, keep your head up and keep looking for a job you enjoy. I don't know about your area but around me there are a lot of warehouses. They hardly Pay good and offer good benefits, plus no customers lol. Tbh, my lease is up in February and I've been thinking about living in my car so I had more money for the things I want. I don't think I could do it though. Glad you kept such a good attitude Link to comment
jennylove Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 You are amazing!!! It's definetely a story you could share when you interview for a new job, it shows how dedicated you are. Is college on your radar? I think "travel nursing" is right up your alley. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.