Get A Job

I’m 30 and I’ve struggled with employment just with anything else in my life. Ever since I was told “You can’t learn like everyone else” it made me only want to try harder since that’s what I was told is people want you when they try. My first job was at Goodwill under a program that could get people in that had a hard time getting jobs. Especially getting out of high school In 2013. It was a much needed help and it taught me what I could do on my own to see about getting a job when the time came that their programs that couldn’t help me and I had to figure out what to do and when that time came, unfortunately just didn’t turn out good the next 13 years .

I’m told often that I have a good disposition, good work ethic that anybody will want to hire me, but unfortunately decision is still made. That no is said because I don’t have the experience to be even given an attempt to try.

On those no reply emails, I want to ask ”Can you tell me why you didn’t want to give me a chance?” then just saying there isn’t a chance to give anyway.

The one rejection still stands out to me was applying to a library for a part-time position. I tried three times just in case since threre were still openings and there’s always been an encouragement to reapply because sometimes it might look good that you’re adamant about this position. Eight months later, I was given a email saying that they wanted me to stop applying and that they were not interested in me at all. Even though I got the gist after eight months.

I’ve survived the past thirteen years off of side hustles. Selling crafts at events, online shops, housesitting jobs, occasional errands, and the biggest side hustle of them all (and certainly doesn’t say no) DoorDash.

I apply for barista jobs, retail jobs, restaurants, assistants, anything that takes a standard High School Diploma. But in the end, it’s just those no-reply emails to say no without saying no to my face.

I tried getting jobs where I lived out in Virginia, no matter how good I looked, professional resume, or words I used. But, I just unfortunately did not have “the experience“ they were looking for. But where I lived at there were people that were not pre-trained and you were lucky if you were pre-trained. But other people are still not given opportunities to have the experience to be pre-trained where I’m at. Where I lived at in Virginia was very sparse for a opportunities. The options for women from what I saw growing up was either to go to the shipyard or to get married. There was no in between for people like me that wanted to find something that wasn’t both of those.

I’ve had friends told me you have to just fake it till you make it—lie on your résumé and say “you have the experience”, saying that they will put on an Oscar nominated performance just to get me in and give me a chance that no one seems to give unless there is a word put in, special convincing, or the family referrals.

I’d have say to my time being a Dasher for DoorDash gave me more job options than the ones online. Because there was proof of my hard work in action because the proof of my résumé doesn’t mean anything. but I also don’t want to lie on my résumé . I’m the kind of person that wants to earn the experience ever since I was told that I couldn’t learn anything, so I wanted to earn to learn. But still doesn’t mean anything.

I moved out to Southern California to try other places that won’t be as stigmatized and dry as Virginia. But the experience train still followed me out here.

I don’t understand why I see all these opportunities about jobs wanting to hire, but the answer I keep getting even though I’ve moved is still-

NOT SELECTED BY EMPLOYER

or

It doesn’t make sense to me that all I hear is, “We’re looking hard-working positive people to have to our team and give them experience”. But most of the answer is that I get I don’t have experience to be hired. Make it make sense.

I’d like to think that something could change, but between 2013 and 2026 being in the same position no matter how hard I’ve tried or trained I’m either at risk of being used and abused on a job that won’t say no to me only that they can use me like I’ve had for a majority of my or there’s something that doesn’t warrant an opportunity to not be honest with me. I know my situation is the same rickety boat with rough waters for others stuggling out there too.

I’ve been told that I have a pleasant disposition, hard-working nature, good attitude, and work ethic, but but still has not gotten me a job with having all the things that people look for on a job. And I try not to let it affect me to maintain being positive that something will work out, but it is very hard to stay positive when all I keep getting are rejections. The truth of it is…I’m scared. I explain what I can do, what I can accomplish, my availability, and what I have accomplished. But none of it gets believed.

All I can do to not let it depress and stress me as much as it has is to still believe in myself. I believe I was put here to be a writer of fictional stories and me being employed shouldn’t take that away as hard as I work for it. Jobs are important, but it doesn’t define me of who I am as a storyteller. Whether I can make writing a job or not. I still hope one day that maybe my own material will be monetized and I won’t have to worry about doing this anymore.

Either way my hard work is going into the hope I can find something financially stable or to be stable within my own creativity.

If you do want to help out a girly that’s struggling like all of us, I have a podcast where I talk about movies and TV and discuss how they age. You can find me on there and see what interests your ears, while I‘m out looking for a job In this mess called America.