My life couldn't get much worse

The BBQ Pit
1

I don’t have a job, and I’m almost out of money. I can’t ever decide where to put in a resume, because I’m always afraid of people saying “Eww, you work where?” I’d like to get a job at a local radio or TV station, but I have no credentials. I wouldn’t mind a brain dead office job, but I can only work after 4 pm on Monday-Wed, Fri, and Sun 12-7. So basically, my hours make me unhireable. I’d like a campus job, but by now, they’re likely already taken, and besides, they don’t pay for shit.

I have to drive an hour to get to class everyday. I’d like to move into the Frat house, but I don’t have a job. And, there’s no room. There’s an office open (12x10), but they’ve been thinking of making it into a weight room. No one is moving out until December, and even that’s not final. I can’t move out, also, because I owe my parents $1800 for my car. I have a car to sell my sister that’s worth $2000, but I can’t sell it to her until I get a front clip (hood, fenders, bumper, grille) because it was in a fender bender and the fiberglass hood is dry-rotting. I also need a new axle for it because it threw a bearing in the CV joint, and I think it has a burned valve. My beloved car has developed a knock after 135000 miles. I tried to get a student loan to rebuild it, pay off my parents, and move into the Frat house, but I can’t get a subsidized loan because of how much my parents make.

My parents won’t co-sign an unsubsidized loan, because they think I should be self-supporting. They give me a bedroom, and food. Everything else, clothes, car, insurance, I have to pay for. I spend about $200 a month on gas getting to and from college. I lost a scholarship, and my good grades insurance discount because I failed a class.

At the Frat meeting tonite, out of 50 active members, we had 16. The chapter is slowly dying because of apathy. It seems like nobody gives a fuck anymore, and the guys that do, don’t do anything to encourage the others. I got in an argument with one of my best friends about this after the meeting. I don’t want my chapter to die, but it’s on the slippery slope, and it’s downhill all the way. I don’t know what to do. I’d like to be a leader, but no one fucking listens to me. People always think I’m being a pompous prick, because I know everything. Well, not everything, but I can fix just about anything that breaks, and can answer just about any question posed, so they accuse me of being a know it all. It’s not like I break into a fuckin hour long monologue over nothing, I only ‘talk smart’ when people ask me fucking questions, then they make fun of me because I know the answer.

Fuck people. Fuck my life.

At least I got drunk with Lewis Black last night. That was pretty cool.

–Tim

2

Yeah, it can get worse. I can give you my sister in law. That’s guaranteed to make it worse.

3

Buck up Homer!

Apply for that radio job, your available hours sound ideal for a cleaning/straightening up type job. Consider offering your services to them as a self-employed contractor, rather than just another drone. Then if a job comes up more in line with what you like to do, you’ll have an inside line and a history with them.

You might try the same tactic with the frat brats, offer to swap your services for membership. Everyone needs something fixed, cleaned, help on research, or papers typed.

Besides self-employment looks good on your resume!

4

Rob a bank. I hear that pays well.

5

Hey there Tim,

Who cares where you work? The point is you’re working to support yourself. That’s totally respectable. Besides, you won’t be making a career out of whatever job you take. You’re in school. You’ll get a better job one day.

The people I know who have gotten jobs in radio or TV got them because they showed a willingness to work hard, not because of a credential they had. It showed in part in their grades, but also in their willingness to work their way up from the bottom. Does your school have a radio station? That’s a good place to start, and a great way to get experience.

I say check it out anyway. You might find something good. I found a very decent campus job quite late in the semester my last year in college. I worked for six months as a transcriber, under very flexible hours, for about 75¢ more per hour than my friends got at their campus jobs. It required no special skills, and the people were great. It won’t hurt to at least give it a look-see.

That’s a little unreasonable on their part, I think. Of course, I can talk-- my parents support me, even though I do work (haven’t been paid in three months, though). But it’s still a lot to have to pay for gas (you must have one hell of a commute) and insurance and everything else. You’d just about have to quit school and work full time in order to be self-supporting, IMO.

You can’t make people care. From how you described their receptiveness to your ideas, it sounds like it’d take a miracle to get them to care. If it really is that bad, let it go. It’s not worth the stress.

{{Tim}}

6

"My car rattles like an old, tin can,
My wife run off with another man,
I sprained a muscle in my fishin’ hand,
My income tax is due…

My doctor told me not to smoke,
Drink nothin’ stronger than a Coke,
I can’t even hear a dirty joke,
Might laugh and strain my heart…

Lost all my money in a poker game,
I think my left leg’s a’goin’ lame,
My brother asked me to change my name,
That’s what I think I’ll do…"

And so forth.
Homer, my friend, welcome to life.

Closing ‘Words of Wisdom’ quote: “Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it all depends upon what you put into it.” Tom Lerher

7

Homer. You need to get a grip. Your life could CERTAINLY get a lot worse. So, you are out drinking in bars (underage), skipping classes (from a previous thread), and jobless. I can’t imagine anything you can do to change your life! (sarcasm)

Come on, dude. Snap out of it. Who cares if you’re pumping gas or kissing ass? Put out a freaking job application! Make a little dough! Anyone who criticizes your job should be told to take a flying fuck through a rolling doughnut. Period. Worry about what YOU think, not them. Fuck 'em.

Can’t afford to move? Save some money that you earn working! (You seem to like working on cars- why not apply to a dealership?)

In short, pick yourself up and get your shit together. Don’t be bitching to the rest of us that “your life couldn’t get much worse”, because it sure fucking could. It could get LOTS worse.

Your hours don’t make you unhireable. Any retail place would work with your schedule. You don’t know that the campus jobs are taken until you ASK!!!

Plus, just because you KNOW all the answers, doesn’t mean you always have to answer, know what I mean? Nobody likes a know-it-all. On the other hand, if you have friends ragging you for knowing a lot (like in trivia or something) or make fun of you for knowing stuff, lose 'em. Life is too short for that shit.

You want your frat to be successful but it’s suffering from apathy? Find the others like you that WANT it to succeed and form a plan to recruit new members or light a fire under the other members asses. Club participation seems to be a cyclic thing to me.

You complain about their apathy, but then are apathetic toward your circumstances. (Like not applying for jobs because you’re “pretty sure” they’re gone).

I mean this in the nicest way possible. Stop drinking, go to class every day, and pull your head out of your ass.

And have a nice day!
Zette :slight_smile:

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What Message Board do YOU post to?

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well, I’m not going to hijack Homers thread discussing it. My point is this: You may know everything, but you don’t have to express it all the time. I certainly don’t do this, although others do. Posting on a board that aims to stomp out ignorance doesn’t make you a know it all, in my opinion. I don’t find the majority of people here to be know it alls, and the ones that are I find annoying. Exactly what I said.

In real life, your friends and co-workers generally don’t like being around you if you come off as a know it all. That’s all I was saying.

10

Zette, your post was pretty much 100% dead on. Homer, forgive me if I hijacked & poked fun at the SDMB culture we inhabit.

11

Hey Homer,
I have a campus job suggestion for you that isn’t too glamourous, but might be worth it in the long run. When I was in school, I worked in the cafeteria. Before you dismiss this out of hand, let me say that for me, it was a great experience. I made a load more money that my friends who worked in the library, there was a great sense of camaraderie with my fellow student workers, I got to know the local folks who were professional cafeteria employees (they were really wonderful and fun people, who I never would have gotten to know otherwise), and I eventually became a shift supervisor, which looks great on a resume. I’ll admit, once someone asked me how I could stand to work there, and once I recovered from the shock of this rude comment, I lost all respect for that person.

Best of luck.

12

I’d be real supportive and agree with AudreyK except this is not MPSIMS and you are you and I’m me.

Therefore, you get a boot in the ass and a “Who the fuck cares where you work and why is it any of their business? ANY work experience looks better than NONE! And college kids are expected to work odd hours at odd jobs!”

Knock 'em dead, kid.

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You must be about 18 or 19. Everything seems like a crisis at this age. And I have to back Zette with almost everything she said plus I’ll add my own $.02.

First of all… who gives a fuck where you work!! As long as you’re making money to support yourself it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a “cushy office job” or if your flipping burgers at McDonalds. And why can’t you work at all on Saturday and can only go in at noon on Sunday?? Getting too fucked up on Friday and Saturday night? Well, grow the fuck up. I understand that you’re in college and it’s somewhat expected that you’ll go out and get fucked up on the weekends but that shouldn’t stop you from going to work on Saturday morning/afternoon. I worked weekends when I was 18-19 and I would party all night and get shitfaced but I was always at work on time and put in a full 8 hours. I wasn’t living at home though… I had to work to pay rent, electricy, insurance, etc., so I had no choice but to get my ass into work on the weekends. What made you lose your scholarship? Couldn’t make it to class… too much partying? What? Maybe it’s time to figure out exactly what the problem was/is and correct it.

I also think you’re parents are doing the right thing by not co-signing an unsubsidzed loan for you. How are you going to pay the loan off when you don’t even have a job? And, FWIW, they give you more than a bedroom and food. Do you ever think about how much shit costs… mortgage, electricy and water, phones, homeowners insurance, cable t.v., internet service, food, trash service etc., etc. They have to pay all this shit to keep the house going and so you can have a hot water to take a shower, lights to see with, a phone to talk on, a t.v. to watch, and a computer with internet service so you can post to this board! Plus they probably have car payments, car insurance, life insurance, etc. It all adds up and you’re getting it for free!

Maybe I’m way off with what I’ve said about why you don’t want to work Saturdays and about your parents providing stuff for you but I don’t think I am. You’ve got it pretty easy right now and you just don’t see it. After you’re out of college and living on your own you’ll look back and see just how good you had it. And, hopefully, when you look back you won’t have any regrets about the grades you got, the jobs you held, the people you knew, and the choices you made.

14

Homer;

Welcome to Real Life ™.

And if you think that this is the worst your life is ever going to get, I don’t want to be around to see how you react to true tragedy and/or difficult circumstances. I am sure that there are MANY people who wish that their problems were as trivial as yours.

Yes, trivial. In the grand scheme of things, there is nothing in your list of “my life sucks” that can’t be solved without a little hard work, a little humility, and a little sacrifice.

Having said all that, I hope you are able to solve your problems and make your life better.

15

<Sigh> My kinda girl! So, Rachelle, what are you doing the rest of your life?

Wait–I think I’m already married to your clone!

16

OR maybe they’re all at their jobs so they don’t have to whine about not having money. OR maybe they’re doing their homework so they don’t fail a class and lose their good driver discounts on their car insurance. OR maybe they’re out drinking with comedians or “busy” posting on message boards like you. Decide what your priorities are, man. Are they to succeed on your own despite the odds, or are they to fail and whine about how everyone is against you when stuff doesn’t just fall into your lap?

17

voguevixen, you have amazed me these past few weeks. Your insight in other peoples problems, the ability to make spot-on judgement calls based on a bare minimum of information, the always present distrust in other peoples intentions and motivations… amazing. I am truely impressed.

Remind me to never share a problem with you. I have no idea what made you so heartless and bitter, but I’ve seen sides of you these past few days that might better have remained hidden, for your sake.

You have my sincerest sympathies. I hope your life isn’t as lonely and miserable as your recent posts seem to imply.

18

I think I have a little experience in this field. I just got married and found out I’m pregnant. My husband was in the hospital for three weeks and his work doesn’t pay for sick time. We have approx. $40,000 worth of hospital and dr. bills on top of everything else (car doesn’t work, insurance probs, can’t afford a child, dogs and cats tearing up the house). We don’t bitch about it. Know why? because someone somewhere is worse off than us. This isn’t what you want to hear right now, but I am telling you for a reason. I know this sucks for you right now but it will get better. It got better for us. It will certainly get better for you.
Find a roommate, a cheap apartment close to campus, and make payment arrangements with your parents. A good job with your schedule would be with Kinko’s (not a shameless plug, I work there). It’s pretty cool for college students because you have so much at your disposal.
Just a suggestion.

19

Coldfire, that is the wierdest post I’ve ever seen. What the heck are you talking about? I can only assume you’re referring to other threads, since I’m only saying the same thing EVERYONE ELSE in this thread is.

20

vv,

Yes, the flame was certainly cummulative. And in your defence: yes, I think Homer has a right to just vent and not be harassed by all sort of questions because of it. Even if this is the Pit. So yes, that part applies to more people.

But hey, make of it what you want. I’m sure you can put the pieces together, reading my last post carefully.