I'm getting no where and I'm still young :/

You're still a teenager bro. You're still way young. You just gotta keep your chin up and keep going. Don't stop. Set a goal and figure out the steps it's going to take to reach that goal, and do whatever it takes to get there.

 

Hexigon,

You seem like a knowledgeable guy from what I've seen. I have had a tough life from the get-go. I had to get a liver transplant when I was 3 years of age, I am extremely lucky to even be alive today. I consider myself very blessed to even be here, job or not.

Here's a few things I've learned in my 23 years of life...

Follow your heart. If you like guitars become a musician, apply to work at record stores or music shops. If you like old video games and just general nerd stuff like most of us, apply to places like radio shack, small electronics shops etc... I loved cars and worked at a shop, but got burned out. I Currently work at a network communication company and get to rip apart and play with huge switches and routers, so I really enjoy work.

Be persistent: Got turned down? Keep on keeping on... As a recent graduate, I must have applied to at least 10 jobs, then lucked out! It all happens for a reason! Be comfortable with rejection, it happens.

Don't know what you want to do? Go to college. Best years of my life, you will make lots of friends by living in the dorms and it allows you to better know yourself. By your last year you should have a good idea at what your good at.

Still applying to jobs? The best advice I've heard is to know yourself. Study yourself, what do you do, what do you like? Make a mini speech to pitch your skills you bring to that particular employer, practice this in the mirror. Good at HTML? Make a website to promote yourself. This helps w/ employment. Also make a linked In account and just start connecting with any of your friends (if they have one). The last really important thing to do when applying to jobs, is to just meet the manager in person introduce yourself and discuss the position. Ask them questions...What does the position require. Chat and give them your resume.

Hexigon, i wish you the best of luck. My advice is just that, it's worked for me but everyone has their own recipe. I'm not saying its the best, but its a start

 

+1 Just do it!


EDIT: If your feeling down, watch at least 1 minute of this video. It's effin hilarious http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJUP9O9RG8

 

You gotta be persistent. Say you apply for a store that's hiring, like retail or whatever. Fill out the online application. Then go to the store in person, in a collared shirt and tie, with resumes in hand and ask to speak to the hiring manager. You gotta show them who you are so they can get a face to go with the application. If they say they haven't looked at the apps yet. Go back a couple days later and ask again, and ask when is a good time to schedule an interview. You just gotta be upfront, let them know you want the job, have open availability, and be ready to start as soon as possible. If you get the interview, make sure you go in prepared. And be able to speak to how you are the best person for the job. After the interview, write a thank you note and drop off for the manager the next day. If you do all that, you should be able to land any number of positions.

Be proactive. Filling out online applications isn't enough anymore. You can't sit around and wait for them to call you, in times like these, they're not gonna call and you gotta go get it.

Keep track of all the applications you fill out in a log. Follow up with each one by calling the companies you apply for after filling out the app. If you don't call them, you're wasting your time filling out the app. Try to get interviews scheduled and get face to face with whoever will be doing the hiring.

You can do it.

 

Thanks for all the support guys, I'd like to thank you all individually but there is so much support I wouldn't know where to start. The kind words have really made me feel better about myself... It's also sad to hear people have gone through the tough time too, as it's tough any where. It did feel like I was the only one (even know I know I'm not) but it really does after rejection after rejection...
So with all that great advice given to me, I just got back from a store and asked if there are any positions while holding a resume in hand. The best I can do is check back on a regular bases, I'm only 10 minutes away.

I'll will tomorrow go to another store and ask for any positions. I've also applied online to a games department but what you said graciano1337 I will also go there and speak to the hiring manager.

It's just a little worrying about the interview, apart from the "stay honest, and brave" is there any other key points to look out for?

Again, thanks for everyone's support, I'll add rep to everyone

 

My dad didn't even want to hire me at the business him and my uncle owned. So just to get experience in a some kind of job I went through a staffing service where I got a job at a food factory that made MREs. I went in the staffing service on Friday and started on Monday. It wasn't the greatest job in the world but it gave me experience in just having a job. After that I got a retail job and literally about every question they asked me in the interview I referred to my experience at that factory.

I haven't been in to many interviews but a big point would be to always give a firm handshake which shows that your confident. Also, if you have a car, clean it before you go to an interview. The interviewer may walk you outside to your car and a messy car will have a bad impression.

 

It's really rough out there especially for you younger ones. One thing to do as well is apply at places that aren't hiring or have a sign in the door so to speak, everyone is always looking for good people so you can luck out sometimes with timing.

Check to see if there are any gov't programs you can apply for (odds are they'll suck but it'll give something to do), how come the temp agencies have turned you down ? If times are tough they are my go to option.

Above all stay positive it's a sucky situation but it will change.

 

They've turned me down cause I have to go to this place called "centrelink" which is like a government organization, and temp agencies won't look at me until I go through centrelink, so I'm a little stuck at the moment... If I was 21 they'd look at me, makes sense right?

 

Universal fact #567

Australians are Sexy as hell.

Have you considered doing porn?

 

Just shooting it out there, but how many people here are college/university graduates (non-arts)?

 

University of life here.

 

Damn, that sucks. Much different over there.

 

im a uni graduate in Computing Science

 

I'm with BadAd84

 

capboy nailed it.

I was arrested at 16 in year 12 of high school (late birthday) - subsequently expelled, lost my TEE (all the subjects to do engineering at Uni with). and was up shit's creek thinking I've gone and fucked up... nowhere to go from here... I essentially became a disappointed, depressed and somewhat mentally unhealthy individual for a while before I took a chance and asked for help. First thing that came by for me was a personal development course - it is the best thing to this day that I have ever done, the best thing you can do is learn about yourself and work on yourself.

I enrolled in a Diploma of Drafting at TAFE, then an Adv. Dip. - got hired at a drafting firm just before I completed my Diploma and completed my Adv. Dip. part time to maintain work. Wasn't the best pay but in years to come the experience will pay off. I'm now at Uni with 1.5 years to go completing my Engineering degree, so I walk out with 3 qualifications, and about 5-6years experience in the industry. It was a long road, a much longer one than most would take - but it worked out regardless of how insecure I was, or how depressed and disappointed I was.

Best thing you can do - pick your self up. No one will help someone who can't help themselves.
Be persistent, find what you want to do, what makes your heart beat, what makes you thrive for more - and start doing it. No greater focus can be felt than that of loving what you do.
If you want to study - study. The government does help with AusStudy, centrelink etc. so at least you have some cashflow while continuing to be looking for a job. Maybe a bar job suits you while you study, Harvey Norman, basic labourer at a building site... whatever floats your boat just take what you can get while you study. At least you have drive to support yourself. People I know at uni have parents well off who don't help them, they are on centrelink, they cbf'd with a job so they study and get on some gear every now and then. I couldn't do that. I study full-time and work part-time even today.

You are in a position whereby your parents are willing to help you, don't throw their help away because you want to be independent, become something with their help and you and them will be all the prouder for it. My parents didn't give up on me when I become a delinquent - and I am eternally grateful they didn't. I could have ended up in worse places but instead my desire to prove everyone wrong and show them I'll become something led me down a better path. Not everyone is lucky to have parents that help them out (my gf's parents have basically abandoned her so she is your age, working full time, studying part time and recently got promoted to Manager where she works because she has a desire to also prove everyone wrong). She whinges about not having helpful supportive parents all the time and the struggle she has, however it has made her who she is today - the individual to go and get what she wants, and strive forward. Be grateful for what you have, because there's many out there who wish they had it themselves.

I'm 21 going on 22. I feel I haven't done anything worthwhile because I had greater expectations of myself by this age. The worst thing you can do is expect to much of yourself and be disappointed with not hitting the mark you set. Just go with the flow - enjoy it while you can. You will live this life only once. Everyday you work now adds to the future you have. It's a long term process.

 

This bloke was at my school yesterday assisting us with interview preparation for Uni aswell as future employment.

Try to find videos of him because he is really that good.
http://www.gwynday.com/

 

OK FINE if you won't do porn I'll give you my advice.

Society puts it in everyone that you go to school turn 18...then go to school again but what we want in our 20s might not be what we want later in life. It took me my entire 20s to figure out what I wanted to do with my life I was 28 when I finally went back to school to pursue a degree in Psychology.

You might think you're stuck but you're free, free to think and decide where you want to go and what you want to do with your life. It seems dire now but Don't be bogged down with what you're "Supposed to do" Take this time to find yourself.

That or do porn.

EDIT:
OOPS I had to check what you initially said, OK then it's not uncommon to feel like you're stuck or a burden but make the most of of your situation. There's no shame living with family especially if you contribute and make their lives easier. YEAH people will be reluctant to hire somebody who is young. Don't let that damper you, just wait gain wisdom and follow what I said earlier.


And if that fails....there's still porn

 

Do you have any advise for someone else looking to get into the business of small time translations?
(In my case, it would be Spanish/English)

Thanks

 

It can be incredibly demotivating when you want to advance to a point much further beyond where you are now, and you even know you can, but it just doesn't work out for some reason. That's exactly where I was for a long time. I had the potential to do a lot more than what I was doing, but I found somethings so overbearing or discouraging that it would make me give up hope.

If anything, though, it's good that you're getting discouraged about it, and that you want to fight on and move forward. You may not realize it now, but it's a great start in a very ironic way because you're serious about finding ways to improve yourself and the atmosphere around you. That same thing that's your main demotivational factor right now will ultimately end up being a skill that you could apply in your line of work someday.

The worst thing facing our generation (I'm 18, btw) isn't the economy, it's the media. They've pumped this situation up to be something much worse than it really is, and in the process, they've discouraged quite a lot of people from even going out and trying.

I had just turned 15 when the 2008 recession struck, and all the news and hype of the time made it sound like we were about to fall into a depression. At the time, I worked 4-6 hours a week at a Chinese restaurant, but I wanted to do more (sound familiar?) despite the "adversity" that faced me. I eventually found out that it was total bullshit. Yes, it is slower, and yes, it could be improved upon, but once you actually find a job where you deal with a lot of people throughout the day, you'll realize that you're probably more competent than a good number of them already in several different respects (even though they might even be double/triple your age).

In our time, finding a job is less a robotic process as it was in the days of the baby boomers (i.e. walk into a factory, get a job pushing a broom, and get paid $15/hr with benefits and a full pension), and much more an art form. You've got to be creative above all, and never give up! Keep your chin up and try to get out of the rut you're in, once you figure out how to do that, you'll be fine! That's what I did and now I'm working on getting my 9th job.

(and btw, i know you probably wont but try to enjoy the support you get from your parents. i moved out a year ago, and its just really taken me until now to get things on the same level of comfort i had when i still lived with mine. it's a whole new level of "there's nothing to eat", lol)

 

What is the saying, you don't know how strong you are until that is the only option you have?

Give up now - you'll regard yourself as a failure forever.
Keep pushing and finding ways to move forward - you'll probably come into the exact situation you need to make exactly what you want happen.

The universe is a wonderful place...