Just got fired .....again......

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Somehow I survived in the Army for 3 years and it was extremely damaging to me, and I got out 1 year early on an honorable discharge based on chapter (depressive disorder).

Im 28 years old, and I can't bare to scrape by financially for the rest of my life. i am determined to figure out a solution to the fact that every where i go, people misunderstand me, or think im being rude when im just asking a simple question. its complicated, as im sure you all know. i only have a bachelor's degree in sociology. i tried to make a list of things i dont "like" so as to raise some red flags for my in the future job hunt. i have about $71,000 in debt including a brand new 2013 car, so I can not afford to just work $8/hr. i also would like to get a masters degree in archival librarian studies, but even that im insecure about, bc this world has made me hate myself so much. i never seem to fit in any where i go. im living with family right now, so im not paying rent, luckily i have supportive family.

its also hard to think that i will never have a normal life and be able to have a career i can depend on, to buy a house, to have a healthy relationship, etc.....is that something i should just get over and accept, or is it still possible?

things i like (job related):
art museums
libraries
parks
being creative
planning

things i dont like (job related):
stairs/standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time (injury)
customer service
complicated math and science
computer stuff

please help, any advice?

Hiya . . . Welcome : )

I think it's a matter of finding what you can tolerate. I used to work in retail and I know that would be extremely difficult for me to do again; plus the pay is terrible.
Libraries are a good place. I worked as a shelver for a long time and it was okay. But, again, the pay isn't great.
Debt only gets bigger . . . and I find that a lot of jobs that I can handle just don't pay that much.
I don't know about giving up on owning a house and such . . . who knows. I think you just have to keep trying.

Thank you so much, sounds like you def know what im talking about

the library thing sounds good. don't give up.

the problem with library work is that i would need a masters degree in library science to make a decent living and that is at least 3 calendar years away. i must make $30,000 to pay my bills and living expenses (including debt!) I mean, do I just accept that this is my life and that im not like everyone else and work 60+ hours a week to eventually pay off debt, or do i try to be a working professional......or say screw it and work here and there, concentrating on getting into a PhD program and delay this all for another 7 years?

Last edited by cantfitin2013 on 02 Mar 2013, 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

what is your current occupation and what job in your adult life have you been able to keep the longest?

I guess the job I've had the longest would have been in libraries; but there is a customer service element to it that I struggle with. In the end I took a lower paying job as a page so I could concentrate on shelving.

I just started a new job last week as a dog walker. So far this has gone well. I really like animals. Again, though, the pay isn't that great.

I've never had much luck with high paying jobs, I think because I have a hard time with long hours in offices.

Brace yourself because I'm going to give you some harsh advice, but I'm saying it to help. First, learn to manage your finances a bit better and live within your means. Why the hell did you need a brand new car? Second you may need to accept a crappy low paying job as a stepping stone, first you'll have some income and second it is much easier to find work while in work. An employer will look on you much more favourably if you are already in gainful employment when applying for a new role.

um....you passing judgement on me having a new car is not why i posted this, and im stuck with it for the next 5 years, and it was a great decision and i dont regret because i will have a safe, reliable car after years of having the complete opposite and pouring the same amount of money into it. It will get me easily to the job interviews i need. and by the way, if you have to start a sentence with "brace yourself" and "harsh" then you probably shouldnt be saying it, especially to someone you dont even know.

anybody else with CONCRETE job search words or ideas like the first two women would be appreciated.

Well, if you really want to do a master's degree in Library Science/Archival Studies then there are some universities that offer such degrees completely online. It would be better to do an online degree while living with your parents and not have to pay rent while attending a brick and mortar university.

Just use this link to find a program that fits your needs:

http://www.ala.org/CFApps/lisdir/index.cfm


If you like writing, I would suggest considering a job in technical writing. There are lots of jobs for technical writers. I don't know what country you live in but there's a Canadian college that offers a post-graduate certificate in technical writing and is available through distance education.

http://xweb.algonquincollege.com/woodro ... 1182X09FWO

Sorry that this has happened to you. If it is of any consolation, similar things have happened to a lot of us.

I can understand the initial appeal of the idea of working in a library, but a couple a years ago I read an article about how the role of the librarian has changed over the last decade or so. It now involves a lot of customer service type skills (and even social work), such has helping patrons find information. Nevertheless, I have heard of people with degrees in library studies (or "information sciences") obtaining work in other fields where their skills are needed, such as government intelligence agencies.

Every so often I see an article in the press about jobs that are, or will be, in demand (in the sense of needing to hire lots of workers). Here is one example I found by searching the web:
"Here Are The Most In-Demand Jobs Around The World Right Now [2012]"
http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are ... now-2012-5
Another article that may be of interest:
"Not Into Schmoozing? 7 In-Demand Jobs for Introverts"
http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/03 ... ntroverts/

Some low level jobs pay a bit more if you are willing to work "unsociable hours" (i.e. nights, weekends, and holidays). I do a form of data entry work, at night. Unfortunately, over the next decade, technology will make this, and many other low skill jobs, obsolete (see, e.g., "The robot menace", http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexch ... ur-markets ).

Finally, I am not sure how much help this will be, but there is a growing body of free courses available on the web. See the following websites:
https://www.coursera.org/
https://www.edx.org/
https://www.khanacademy.org/
http://www.ocwconsortium.org/courses/ocwsites
https://www.udacity.com/
http://www.uopeople.org/

wow great links! thanks!

and ive been hesitant to do online classes, because ive actually tried to do graduate classes online 3 separate times and never was able to complete them, although I did well in a classroom (had 3.75 my first two years of college) when i didnt live with my crazy boyfriend.

now that im in a better environment, i can try a free class and see if i can complete it and then if i do, that would give me confidence in actually trying to enroll in graduate classes online. its not the level of difficulty of the class by any means, it was all the other stupid stuff that goes along with online classes.

Gotta love those generic "personality disorder" discharges from the armed forces. At least you got honorable. At least it wasn't for a "psychotic personality" based on NVLD, drugs, and prostitutes like it was for me back in '09. As long as you do your job, you'll get an honorable discharge.

And an honorable discharge opens up lots of opportunities. I'd suggest getting a Masters in something. My state actually supplements the GI Bill with, not sure about yours. I live quite well on BAH and get paid to attend a graduate law program that normally costs $45,000/year, in tuition alone.

Another thing to consider is federal jobs. Some agencies have rules that they are required to prove that there is no qualified veteran available before they are allowed to hire a non-veteran. And Asperger's counts as a disability for disability preference. You could even get noncompetitive appointment in some cases. And many state governments have similar programs. You're only required to disclose the details of your military discharge if you got less than an honorable discharge, which is not a problem for either of us. If it's honorable, they'll automatically give you the preference (though you may or may not have to disclose things later during the background check which, depending on the position, can pose a problem even with an honorable).

I disclosed my disabilities along with my veteran status and got selected for a pathways program at a federal agency in D.C. where I absolutely don't belong. Everyone else in my program is an overachiever from Harvard or Yale.

Also, government is full of weird people. The Attorney General's Office where I work now has a well-known aspie in a senior position who is not very high-functioning. So I would definitely make a pitch to federal, state, and local government employment. The private sector is full of discriminatory dirty capitalists anyway. Who would want to work there?

I did give you concrete advice, just because you didn't like what I said doesn't mean you can just brush it off. You can either sit there and cry 'woe is me' or you can get up and fight.

I'll repeat myself, ANY money coming in will be a help. Also it is a fact that people in employment are looked on more favourably than those who are unemployed, especially the longer that unemployment goes on.

All the best and good luck.