Fuck it all

[Sevrin]

Can't get EI. No formal employer, contractual employment on an infrequent basis. Tried that avenue already. Best I can generally hope for at the moment is disability, which I find the idea of distressing; I am not disabled, I am not suffering from severe psychiatric issues, I am autistic and clinically depressed. The funding would be better spent on someone who genuinely needs disability. I have likewise tried employment counseling services. They chiefly provide access to things I already have (Telephone, fax, internet, and the same GC job-list accessible by web), and when asked for tailored help, have either been unable to provide or they have pushed me in the general direction of a social assistance office for various forms of disability support. I want a meaningful job or degree, and a measure of progress, not a tax burdening stipend from a system already groaning under its own weight.

go ahead and get disability, if you have a diagnosis it should be pretty easy, you don't have to stay on it forever, a lot of the time its just to help you along till you are capable of supporting yourself, once you have your degree and the job you want you will pay back everything you were given, and society will be the better for it.

[EmoFox]

Fair enough, employment councellors tend to have the mentality of getting you out rather than actually helping. But I find if you go in and tell them in no uncertain terms what you want and expect of them, they're more helpful.

Don't let yourself get swallowed by the cracks in society. The system CAN work, but you have to be willing to manipulate it. (this is where a woman's natural manipulation talents really come in handy, :p har har) You have to stand up and say "No, you're doing it wrong, this is what I want, now do your effing job." Otherwise they all take the easy way out. Not just employment councellors either, I find this to be true with all sorts of people, especially government mandated employees.

[Unition]

go ahead and get disability, if you have a diagnosis it should be pretty easy, you don't have to stay on it forever, a lot of the time its just to help you along till you are capable of supporting yourself, once you have your degree and the job you want you will pay back everything you were given, and society will be the better for it.

I agree with this.

Find out if your tuition is subsidized if you're on disability.  If it's enough you can work while you go to school and not have to depend on loans.

[kohl]

I blame the British.

Useless and unintellegent people arn't afraid to do grunt work. They like getting dirty. If they gotta sit in line for two hours just to earn 6/hr, they'll do it. There's no shame in having to walk through a foot of chicken shit if it's putting food on the table. I'm just assuming by "useless and unintellegent" you mean the lower class, low income population. As for the people that are making six figures, yet can't even figure out how a door stop works...that just perplexes me.

There's never been any point. People just get caught up in career choices and employment ladders. Working for a company for almost half your life, I'm sure you'd be making more then you'd ever made before, and if your money's with the company, a retirement fund on the way.

As for the last twenty years Old People Pulling Pranks (Benidorm Bastards) do what ever the fuck you like, you're old, and most people are to to afraid to do anything about it.

[Van_Fox]

I dont think that video was needed.

[Fargo]

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned, is that the labor market is overly saturated with qualified people, thanks to Canada hemorrhaging jobs to slave labor countries like China, India and Bangladesh, to name but a few. This gives potential employers here, the ability to pick the "cream of the crop" in terms of selecting new hires. In other words, you now have to compete with possibly THOUSANDS of people competing for the same position you are.

You've probably already done this, but have you looked at your interests and skills, to see if they could be applied elsewhere? It's not a guarantee, but worth a shot none the less.

[Moonlight]

Selkit, I know I'm young, and albeit have little work experience, but I listen. And I have learned, from friends and faily, when you want a job, do not stop calling. Phone them once every two weeks, so as to not come across as desperate, but that you're serious about the job. Another thing to keep in mind is that most people are LUCKY to make that much money in TEN YEARS, so I wouldn't be bitching about three. If my words are not heeded, I won't be surprised, but I'll offer what advice I can. Don't give up on looking for a job. Even if it's merely a minimum wage temp job. Seasonal work is easy to find, and volunteer work is everywhere. I don't know where you live, but I know at least three places in Maple Ridge that are hiring.

Everyone else in this thread; Selkit wants advice. He doesn't want you to try and out-whine him. It's unnecessary, and childish.

[Pat The Fox]

Wait, you're 28, how does your father's income affect you? Your father's income only had bearing on your student loan until you reached the age of 23. After that, you can claim independence from your family and your family's income no longer counts against your qualifications for a student loan.

Job hunting will take time. Usually in a normal economy it can take up to four months. In one as bad as our's, it can take double, if not triple. This is usually why financial advisors tend to suggest having on handat least four months of living expenses in case of hard times. Depending on the industry you might try a headhunting agency and see what they can wrangle up for you.

[Lt ReiStark]

This is why Capitalism A Love Story was made. A company's prioritys are to the industry, but not to employees. if you have not seen that Michael Moore film it can help shed some light on the issue, Canada is just as bad as the states when it comes to industry, even if its hidden well, like most new homes being built for high income citizens not low income people like are everywhere. all that just pushes the little guy down.

[Sikhoten_Tiger]

I'm not a pro job-searcher unfortunately so I can't nessesarily help in that regard, though I would offer some perspective. Whatever the particular circumstances of the people posting here they all have it pretty all right at least, you live in the first world, and a pretty nice corner of it at that which contributes to your ability to make this post to begin with, if you're feeling like it should all burn then consider getting outside and getting some fresh air and hopefully a reminder that in the big picture things are mostly all right. Maybe this is part of why I read non-fiction, hard to ever really feel sorry for yourself after reading 'Shake hands with the Devil'.

[Taiga]

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned, is that the labor market is overly saturated with qualified people, thanks to Canada hemorrhaging jobs to slave labor countries like China, India and Bangladesh, to name but a few. This gives potential employers here, the ability to pick the "cream of the crop" in terms of selecting new hires. In other words, you now have to compete with possibly THOUSANDS of people competing for the same position you are.

But what about

"all the good jobs that have gone to all the 'chugs, niggers, chinks and raghead vermin that should be erradicated'."

Not my words, either.  >:( I am by no means racist, so don't get me wrong, but I've had this come back to me numerous times, said by the same person, and it makes me livid to no end.  Seriously, that does come out of some individuals' mouths when they can't get off their asses and actually go hit the pavement hard for a job.

Do you have anyone in a decent position, Selkit, that they could give you a good reference?  I know that in this day and age you need a ticket to land a lot of jobs, but I'm still seeing quite a few people land jobs just by getting a good word put in by someone they know.  Who you know still does play a fairly big part getting some jobs out there.