I am bored out of my mind. I lost my job almost 2 months ago, and I am still looking for a new one. I go to the gym every day, so I’m getting buff, but that’s about it.
I don’t have much money (that $267 a week from unemployment is much less than I was making), so I’m having trouble amusing myself.
I’ve read almost all of this message board, and I’m considering (gasp) trying to find another one.
Any suggestions for cheap things to do or cool web sites/message boards?
Yes. Learn to read the forum descriptions.
Off to IMHO.
Thanks Manhattan, I started out there but changed my mind at the last minute.
I got bored once and drove to Iowa for no reason except that I couldn’t think of anything else to do. My brother’s done the same exact thing (except he went to Mexico) like a dozen times. DRIVE. It’s fun.
I quit my job in the beginning of July. I had a job interview on Thursday. I have another one tomorrow morning, and yet another one on Monday. Since I quit my job, I drove to Colorado and back. I’ve spent WAAAAY too much time and money in Best Buy. I’ve smoked a whole lot of pot. (Drugs are bad, m’kay?) I’ve made new friends that I’ve actually gone out with. (This is a HUGE thing for me. I usually never go out with anyone.)
Needless to say, I’ve had a lot of fun. But it’s over now, since I have to make a car payment by the 21st. 
Damn responsibilities straight to hell, I say!
Silver Fire you were in Iowa and you didn’t stop and say hello???
I work around the house a lot.
Not that anything really gets done , NO money is a bitch,but a lot of things get started.
I post to three message boards. One is about hunting and another about country life.
It is difficult finding anything to do that doesn’t cost money.
Probably the hardest thing is fighting off getting depressed.
This computer helps. So does this message board.
I keep hoping that something comes up here that sparks some long forgotten interest and maybe a different path.
Try the library.
Go fishing
Go to the flea market or better yet gather up some junque and sell it at the flea market.
Yard sales
I’ve been to Iowa quite a few times. I had to go through Iowa to get home from Colorado. I don’t like it. You have to drive slow (according the speed limit), there are NO RADIO STATIONS, just a whole lot of corn. Bah, Iowa!!
How about <gasp!> working? And before you tell me that that’s what you’ve been trying to do, let me say that if you’re surfing the internet and going to the gym and collecting unemployment, you’re not trying hard enough.
There simply is no better way to find work than to be working and that’s very easy to do by registering for temp work.
Temporary employment has all the following benefits:
[li]You make way more money than you do on unemployment.[/li][li]You get your butt out of the house every day and actually do something.[/li][li]You might just get offered a job at one of the companies you get sent to for an assignment. Believe me, I know this. Temping is how I’ve found every job I’ve ever had (with the exception of retail when I was in high school). And it doesn’t have to be the job you’re sent to fill in for. There may be other openings in the company that you’d be great for and what better way to get a foot in the door than for them to see you in action somewhere in the company. That’s how I got a sales position at GTE Directories many years ago - by temping in another department and the manager hearing me on the phone with customers and recommending me for a job in their sales division.[/li][li]Temp agencies also contract for full-time/“permanent” work. They might just have jobs they can send you out on interviews for immediately. That’s exactly how I got the job I currently have.[/li][li]You can use the opportunity to network. If there are no openings where you’re sent, someone in management might know of an opening somewhere else and be willing to recommend you if you show you’re a hard and capable worker.[/li][li]You can learn new skills. Temp agencies provide all kinds of free training that as an “employee” of theirs you’d be entitled to take advantage of.[/li][li]You can pick and choose the assignments you want to take. Tip: you’ll get the most opportunities by registering with multiple agencies.[/li][li]Temp work isn’t just about filing and answering phones anymore. Companies are looking to outside agencies for all kinds of contract employees these days. And many, many companies won’t even advertise their openings because they prefer hiring through an agency on a “Temp to Hire” basis so they can asses your work before making a commitment to hiring you.[/li]
I just did a random search on job opportunities at one of the hundreds of temp agencies you can find listed on the net. Here’s a small sampling of openings, to show you the diversity of what’s available:
Catagory Job Title Salary
Administrative Administrative Assistant $32,000
Marketing Product Manager $65,000-80,000
Marketing Brand Manager $70,000-80,000
Finance Accounts Payable Specialist $30-33K
Other Consumer Relations Rep $30 - 35,000
Finance A/R Accountant $36 to 40,000
Other Buyer to $36K
Other Art Director $30,000+
Other Customer Service $10.00-$12.00 hour
Finance Payroll Specialist $35-45K
Operations Inventory Control Analyst $30-35K
There are also temporary/contract opportunities in the IT and engineering fields, as well as warehouse and production/assembly type work.
Bottom line; there’s simply no excuse (save for mental or physical disability) not to be working - now.
Good luck - I hope you find something soon!
Jeg elsker dig, Thomas
Thanks Shayna. Good advice, I’ll look into it.
Whaaat No radio stations???
You must be listening to FM and traveling I80.
We have lots of hills. Next time try AM. I know you can hear WLS all the way across the state.
Yeah lots of corn and beans. If you want scenery get off the interstate.
I suggest NE Iowa except if you are determined to listen to FM.
Take the Great River Road. N/S along the Mississippi.
If you really want boreing Nebraska is the state for you.
So Shana any of those Temp agencys found you a good full time job.Apparently not.
They make their money placing people. I think they are the scourge of the working man.
I probably have a few more years working than you and I’ve never had a difficult time finding part time work. Until Temp agencies.
You are right about companies hiring good people from their part time employees. But not so much anymore. Why should they???Just hire another temp.No benefits No hassles with lay offs.
I’m going to let that slanderous comment about my home state, where I am returning BTW to visit family in two days, slide.
WEW, one of these days someone is going to throw a brick at my head for my endless rah-rahing of voluntarism, but… have you considered volunteering? Obviously you can’t sign on for anything long-term since you’re hoping to be occupied full-time in the near future, but surely there is some agency which needs help and which doesn’t have a complicated training program.
It would take up some hours in the day, it would probably give you insight into some aspect of your community you never knew about, and it might someday help you network.
Otherwise, I have a list about as long as my arm of stuff I want to do once I finish my damned dissertation. Do you have a list of hobbies you’ve wanted to pursue, or things you’ve put off because you’ve lacked the time? Do the one that don’t cost a lot now.
I beg to differ, justwannao. Apparently you didn’t read my post very well. Every job I’ve had as an adult was found by going through a temp agency.
The day after registering with one agency, I was sent on an assignment to Mattel. They kept me working steadily from department to department until an opening in their Marketing department became available and I was hired by Mattel full time. In the meantime, temping there garnered me experience working in Finance, Human Resources, Investor Relations (where I had direct contact with the CEO) and Engineering. GREAT experience!
As mentioned above, a temp job doing phone surveys about telephone directories earned me a job selling yellow page advertising for GTE Directories.
A temp job in customer service got me a job - in fact, I was the first one hired because I was “inside” the company - selling tax preparation software when the company I was working for opened a new sales department in their midwest offices.
Attempting to re-register with a temp agency I’d worked through previously, got me a job as the Office Manager FOR that temp agency!
And registering at a temp agency a year and a half ago got me an interview on day ONE of having registered, where I was immediately offered the job I currently still hold - as Office Manager for a Political Consulting firm.
I’m 40 years old. I’ve been in the work force for 20 years now. I’ve WORKED in the temporary placement field, not only as a temporary employee, myself, but as an Office Manager for a privately owned company and in outside sales for a National agency. I have considerable experience in the field and I speak from first-hand experience and knowledge of the industry and how it works.
I’m sorry you’ve apparently had bad experiences with it. Perhaps if you changed your attitude…
<shrug>
I have to second what Crankyasanold man said. As someone who served in Americorps*VISTA for a year, I can assure you that you local branch of the America Reads challenge (they go by state,**Reads and are listed in the phone book) would be thrilled to have your help right now, since most programs desperately need help with their summer programs for k-3rd grade kids.
Anyway, if you’re just looking for a temporary diversion, I’m going to plug my site. Take a look, continue/start a story or five, it’s all fun. There are about 20 odd orginal stories in various states of completeness. Anyone want to help start a few fan fiction stories? That section could use a lot more attention…X-files, shows on the WB, whatever.
http://pub45.ezboard.com/binteractivestories18786
Shayna
The reason that I said what I did is you’ve apparently not held a job long. Maybe because you’ve wanted to move but if you keep getting layed off that is not a permanent job IMHO.
I’ve had many jobs myself and the ones that start off temporary and build into permanent never seem to last and even if they do the money isn’t there.
It may be self serving but I’ve always said that companies love to hire me for their low paying jobs because they get 30 years of working experience for free.
That is not the reason you said what you did. You couldn’t possibly have known (nor do you still know) how many jobs I’ve had or how long I’ve held any of them when you wrote that post. Try again.
Who on earth said I “keep” getting laid off. You have no clue why I’ve changed jobs when I have. And for the record, moving out of the country and then to another state covers a couple of reasons. :rolleyes:
Oh, so that makes you a fine one to judge how many jobs I’ve had. Right.
And that’s because they start out temporary? You’re really going to try to get away with drawing that conclusion?
You mean you take work for no salary? No comment.
Shana
to quote you quoteing me
quote shana
Try again???
You sound like you think I’m trying to insult you.
Not So.
In drawing my conclusions I noticed you had some first hand experience at new jobs. There is only one way to have first hand experience at several new jobs.
Yep thats my conclusion.They were never meant to be permanent.Its really shitty but thats the way things have become.
No I perform my job with the experience that I have gleaned from many years doing a similar job but I get paid as if I were 18 or just out of school.