Dang, I was all psyched about applying for this job

[Elidor]

"Designer needed, experience a must. Send resume to Deborah's Designs." Not many design jobs in my little town, and I despise the one I already have. So I'm polishing my resume, adding some new stuff to my portfolio, etc., when I begin to get a funny feeling about the whole thing. I searched the company name online and found out...it's a florist.

:(

It sucks to have my job. I can't take the stress and the massive amounts of bullshit anymore. I have to quit soon. I may end up flipping burgers just to escape my indentured servitude. In fact, flipping burgers looks pretty good from where I'm at right now.

[Brigid]

1. I feel your pain.

In my town, there are few jobs for college graduates, though there are several good colleges in the area. And then TPTB wonder why most of the graduates leave. :(

[Elidor]

2. Several family members have suggested I return to the Big City

I just won't do it. Having escaped Atlanta, I will never return. I like living in a smallish town too much. And yeah, my hometown has a decent university...and few places for the graduates to work.

[Zoigal]

3. What type of design

do you do? Son is in the process
of hiring some graph folks; daughter
is in clothing design.

[Elidor]

5. Graphic design

My options are pretty limited because I won't relocate.

[grace0418]

11. What about elance.com? Can you get some jobs that you can email/ftp/etc.?

My friend here in Chicago has a bunch of clients all over the country. In fact his business partner is in Los Angeles and they do most of their "meetings" virtually. I plan to do the same when I quit my shitty-ass design job. I already have a client in LA myself. We email jpegs and send samples via FedEx and it works just fine.

Just get yourself a good internet connection and it won't matter much where you are. Good luck!

[Elidor]

14. I'd like to get into that...perhaps

I no longer have adequate software of my own, so I'd need to cough up some major cash. At the moment I have 3 pennies and a ball of lint in my pocket. Perhaps that can be a goal for sometime in the next few months. I'd forgotten all about eLance. Thanks!

[hippiechick]

4. Aww, sorry to hear that ...

... I got a call from a headhunter on Monday re: a potential job only to have her call back today and tell me that the company has 'hired from within'. UGH.

:(

[Elidor]

6. Looking for a job sucks

I'd forgotten how much I hate it. Even the language of the help wanted ads makes me nauseous. The successful candidate will have extensive experience doing bla bla bla...proven track record...detail-oriented...and other meaningless verbiage that sounds important, cleverly obscuring the painfully obvious fact that the head of HR is a self-important idiot.

[hippiechick]

7. They usually already know who they're looking for ...

... so the rejection letters are pretty much written and waiting to be sent, it's just a legal formality that they have to post the job and interview a few outside schmucks like us.


:(

[Brigid]

12. A-men.

I knew I couldn't be the only one feeling this way.

[SmokingJacket]

8. The only thing wrong with a job like flipping burgers...

is they don't pay enough. Office jobs pay better so that you tolerate the bullshit. I have an advanced degree in my field, but I'd rather wash dishes than put on a pair of uncomfortable shoes and be expected put up with an office environment. (Right now I'm in retail... way underemployed, but fine with it.)

Self employment is the best solution -- hard to get insurance, though...

[Elidor]

9. I'm at the point where the pay doesn't matter

The stress and the BS are more than I can tolerate. I'm being treated like a galley slave. The burger jobs I had as a teenager were infinitely easier to deal with, and much less stressful.

[hatredisnotavalue]

10. Have you thought about freelancing or setting up your own business?

I have a nice little side business in a small town doing web sites. I am sure if I can learn how to do them you would be a real hit with your graphic design experience.

I started out doing them for barter, plumbing work, construction work, a perennial garden, etc. and now I am getting paid real cash. I charge $25/hr and do the business's logo, web page, etc and create an identify for them. It's not a lot of money, but I am building up a resume for when I go international:)

[Elidor]

15. I used to have my own business

I did all the design and some of the coding, and my partner was a hardcore database programmer. He got a job teaching computer science at a university, and I was unable to continue without him. I've never really aspired to be self-employed, but that may be my only way out. But all my software is out of date; I'm like a carpenter without any tools. Still, I can make anything happen when I put my mind to it. Friends say I'm scary when I get the bit between my teeth.

[hatredisnotavalue]

17. All you need is frontpage

you can buy it used on ebay. You can even publish a decent looking site with Word. I get the rest of my software free off of tucows and c-net. You might want to contact your local ISP and offer your services for web design. Smaller businesses really aren't all that picky about bells and whistles, they are just so pleased to see their names in lights. Good luck!

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Am just starting up my own design company

It's Interior Design

Come on out to CA! :hi:

[Elidor]

16. Congratulations! And good fortune to you!

:toast: That's a tough row to hoe. Alas, I know nothing about interior design.

Self employment would be great if it weren't for all those damned customers wanting things.