What type of job fields would be appropriate for an 18 year old who is looking to make some decent money? I've already applied to countless retail stores but haven't made too much progress with that. I'm very proficient with computers, and I am exceptionally skilled at Graphic Design. I have extensive knowledge of Video Games, and I have remarkable communication skills. I also do Photography in my spare time. What type of job would be good for me with these skills? I've been scouring Craigslist for hours but I can't seem to find anything. I just don't know what to look for. My mom is driving me crazy and pressuring me to find a job already, but I just don't know what the hell I should be looking for. Seriously, this has got to stop. I need to be applying myself already. I can't keep sitting here at home all the time. I need to be getting out there but I wish I knew what kind of job to get with my skills. I mean, I've already applied at numerous Retail chains and I've had little luck with that. I know I'm better than this, and smarter but I can't help but feel like a pathetic failure. I feel like my existence is just futile. Like, what is my purpose? I hate not doing anything productive, but on the other hand my options FEEL limited. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. There are so many different various job fields out there and I honestly don't know what I should be looking for.
Well, retail isn't anything to do with the skills and interests you've listed. Think about the jobs where you'd actually apply them. Look up, for example, design studios or something. If you're good with computers, then make a portfolio website showing the kind of stuff you can do, and use that along with a CV talking about that, and send it out to places which need computing people, designers, etc. Most companies need something of the sort these days. Or a website with your photography on, and advertise yourself in the local paper/online to do boring commission work (eg:: photoshoots for bands, weddings, and stuff). You don't need a studio to start off with if you go to the customers rather than bring them to you. All you need to do is have a good camera, and charge slightly more than it costs to get them printed. Don't do customer service or retail or whatever. Of course you're going to feel unfulfilled if the only place you apply to is McDonalds. Edit: In fact, do the photography thing no matter what else you do: it probably won't make much money, but if you can work it in around another job then it'll be a good boost to get you started, and if you enjoy it and make enough money then you can drift into doing that full time. There's a guy I went to school with who's been slowly starting doing that - has a facebook page and some other stuff, and mostly friends commission him. Our band is going to pay him for a photoshoot some time. Obviously since he's the only photographer I know in person I'll always recommend him.. Little things will get you started But he is working another job while he does this since it's still just a hobby that occasionally pays.
But take the Mickey Dee job if you can. Breaking into those jobs involving graphic arts is difficult, because there are a lot of talented people competing for them. However, you may be able to get your foot in the door with an unpaid internship. That's why I say take the fast food job to tide you over. Internships let you experience the real pressures and accomplishments of your preferred job, and also gets you recognized by those doing the hiring.
I heard unpaid internships were illegal, but that may just be in the UK and apparently everyone does them anyways
I think the problem here, Matrix, is that you are asking the advice of people who don't know you. I have said this in multiple threads you have started asking users here to help you out with some very important and very serious life problems. I don't know how to get this across to you, and I don't really know why I'm trying. And really, why would you want us to? Why would you trust us? Do you actually know any of us? What makes you think we are qualified? Why do you think we would be helpful with putting you on the path to success? Obviously we have not been successful in the past for any of your problems because you keep coming back with more of the same complaints. You need to be asking people who know you personally and can therefore actually provide you with advice which is personal to you. Whether we want to know you intimately or not, the fact of the matter is that you are just a name on the Internet to us. We don't know your personality or skill set or anything else about you. Yes, you have given us a brief summary of skills, but it's still not very specific. Computers: Hardware or software? PC or Mac? Etc etc etc. Photography: Landscape / setting or people-focused? Abstract or straightforward? Etc etc etc. What you need to be doing is asking people who can actually help you and not faceless people from the Internet. Ask your mother for advice. If you see a therapist, ask her about application strategies. Ask your friends and family who have jobs. Be very vocal to your neighbors and your friends and your family that you are looking for work. Talk to agencies that provide people with temporary jobs. I understand that it is difficult to find work right now, but it is more than possible. I promise. But asking advice of people who have no idea who you are is not going to help you one iota. It will only waste your time.
Do whatever that makes YOU happy. If you really enjoy all the stuff you listed, pick one and give it a shot. You never know until you try.
Don't panic. MacDonalds? There's better. Apply everywhere, choose somewhere you like. It may not play to what your "expertise" is nor contribute to it. Right now as an 18-year-old with only a high school diploma, you can only find and get jobs that require only a high school diploma. Get experience, gather good references, and get used to doing work you don't like. Ultimately, any money and work experience you have will help you tremendously in the future. I'm with you in this. I'm about to go to college and I just finished working 2 months at a job I got just before school ended - I hated it, yes, but now I'm in a much better position. And for your hobby, do not wait for someone to come to you and ask. Put yourself out there, but do not expect nor demand quick results. You may be familiar with TotalBiscuit, Xephos, Chuggaconroy, or the such. Sure, Let's Plays are a completely different media, but they none of them would have been found nor funded by The Game Station if they never put themselves out there.
It depends on what you call decent, lol. If your looking for a job to get some quick cash, restaurants are good (I would try the ones like Olive Garden or something. Might as well reach as high as you can), but there are also things like Temp Agencies that will hire you out to various businesses and such where you can possibly get a little face time or establish some sort of contact with employers. Paper delivery, retail...There are plenty if you are seriously looking. To find out about jobs, try to stay in contact with a lot of people. Job openings are usually heard through word of mouth, and you can actually land a job by knowing an employee, friend, or someone somehow related to the job or the employer. Even if you don't find a job, you can also just volunteer and build up your skill set. Some colleges and city institutions have free classes that teach you certain computer skills or trade introductory trade skills that get you a certificate that at least showed you put an effort towards something. I'd say try to stay in touch with people and be proactive in your job search. You'll find something.
Also, consider landscaping/lawnmowing jobs, housepainting, yard cleanup, jobs of that sort. You'll meet a lot of people, and if they see a hard worker with a good disposition, it can lead to other work.
Do you honestly think that I would turn to the internet if I had other people to turn too? Clearly that is not the case..
Clearly. Whoever you meet on the internet can just see into your life like no one you can ever physically meet. Dude. We don't know you. You might want to get some ideas over the net before consulting people you know out of shyness. You asked for help and advice and you got it. It's not smart to be write messages like this, it makes you seem ungrateful.
Thanks, Lemex. I agree that it seems ungrateful... I'm not the ultimate job expert of all time, but I think my advice is sound. And using an excuse that you don't know anyone is a cheap way out, and is a dismissal of everything I said which, while perhaps mildly insensitive, is truthful and hopefully helpful. You asked for advice; that was mine. All the same, I guess I can see that I maybe came across as a little unsympathetic. I sent you a PM, Matrix, apologizing for that. I am sorry that you feel like you have no one you can turn to in the real life for help, but, to me, that seems like the first big, red flag of what I can only imagine are many. You will never find work if you have no one to inquire to. Even if you get rejected, you can still turn that into a positive. If you get rejected by a company, it doesn't hurt to ask that manager or owner or whoever if there are other branches that are looking for new employees. My friend got a job that way. He was rejected by a Pizza Hut close to his home, but he asked the manager for advice, and he was told to apply to another food service place a few blocks further because he had heard they were planning on firing a few employees for poor behavior in a little under a week. He made a good impression and got the job. I hope things improve for you, Matrix. I really do. But you need to be pro-active. My whole post was about how we don't know you, so take this with a grain of salt, but that is what seems to me like what you need to improve on. Go the extra mile. Talk to people in the real world who can help you practically. Don't hide behind excuses. Otherwise you will never see a change. If you don't know anyone in the real world, don't take that as an excuse to come back to the safety of the online world and complain about how you cant find a job. It means you need to get back out there and meet people. Make good impressions on them. Evaluate where your roadblocks are, and find solutions around them. That's what it seems to me like you are having trouble with. You can do it.
You said you have great communication skills, so maybe a job as an administrative assistant? You can make some fairly decent money doing that. I did it for a bit. I kinda liked it, too
Mercurial's point is a good one. Nevertheless, based on the bits of info you've given, I'd recommend a game testing job if there are any to be found where you're at. I doubt you'll find them on Craigslist, though. Also, some sort of low level admin clerk job might be a good fit, or you might want to take some IT courses and then apply for slightly better paying jobs. Good luck.
