Where to go when your prospects are limited?

[Jarreddo]

Hey, I've been here for a little while and I've been reading the blog for a few months now, and although it's all been very helpful, I have a lot of trouble applying what I learn to my own life.

It seems like all the advice I've seen is for the middle class(college, career, etc) or for the upper class(especially Steve Pavlina's stuff, lately...). Right now I'm living in a basement apartment with people that really irritate and distract me, have no job(and very few prospects, considering I have little to no experience and, well, the economy right now...) and I have been getting by on maybe $20 a week for food and very little else. I spend quite a bit of time drawing(hopefully a career, someday), reading books from the library, and going for walks, but none of that is really helping me out of my economic situation.

I'm just wondering, where do I go from here? Almost all of my job prospects(retail, fast food, MAYBE a warehouse or other manual labor job if I'm lucky) seem like they'll distract me and stress me out, and basically just keep me from improving the rest of my life. However, the way things are going, I'll be utterly flat broke by the end of January. Any other ways to improve my life require more financial security or a few months to get started. Has anyone here ever actually been dirt poor and on their own? How do I build a life from scratch with no raw materials?

[MagicalRealist]

Originally Posted by Jarreddo

I'm just wondering, where do I go from here? Almost all of my job prospects(retail, fast food, MAYBE a warehouse or other manual labor job if I'm lucky) seem like they'll distract me and stress me out, and basically just keep me from improving the rest of my life.

Only if you let them.

And is hanging out at home, barely getting by, and dealing with crappy roommates helping you improve your life at all? Or is it just filling time? Do you have some sort of goal or dream for the future in mind, or are you just drifting?

Get a job--any job. It will give you the experience to help you get another, better-paying job. It will also give you the money to move out of your current living situation, and into something better. And if you don't have a burning desire to do any one particular thing, even low-paying jobs can redeem themselves--by showing you what you don't want to do; by giving you a chance to meet new people who might be helpful; and, at the very least, giving your day some structure.

As for work being a distraction from self-improvement, that's nonsense. If anything, getting out in the world and interacting with people and having to assume some responsibility is where you'll learn the most about self-improvement. You can read about self-improvement all you want, but until you've put what you've read about into practice, and done so under a wide variety of conditions, all that reading is pretty much useless.

If you want your life to improve, you have to take action. Lots of people have come from poor backgrounds, with little education, and made something of themselves. They succeeded because they didn't dwell on all the things they didn't have; instead, they focused on what they could do to get what they wanted, and they did it. Look at any hole-in-the-wall Asian restaurant run by recent immigrants. Chances are, the owners didn't even speak English when they got here, and maybe they don't speak a whole lot even now. But they managed to get the money together and get the permits lined up and open accounts with suppliers and open their own restaurants and deal with Immigration and culture shock and the ever-present language barrier--which is pretty damned impressive.

If the range of actions you could possibly take right now is limited, go with the one that will at least represent a step forward, however small, unimpressive, and possibly even unappealing it might seem. Do not stagnate. Do not move backwards. Go forward. And given your current situation, I'd say a fast-food job is a step forward.

Has anyone here ever actually been dirt poor and on their own?

Yes. That's why I'm kicking your ass.

How do I build a life from scratch with no raw materials?

You do have raw materials. Just reading your post, I can see that you're young, you're (probably) healthy, you're (probably) a citizen, you speak and write English well, you're literate, you're reasonably intelligent, and you still have a roof over your head, an Internet connection, and (very likely) a phone.

Trust me; you have a hell of a lot more raw materials than a lot of people out there, including a lot of people who are successfully taking steps to improve their lives.

What is holding you back is your idea that there is something else you need in order to move forward with your life, when the truth is you don't. You have what it takes to get some sort of job that will provide you an income. And no, it probably won't be the kind of job you want, but would you rather be flat broke and homeless in a couple of months? And yes, the job may indeed suck, but it's not forever. It will just be a brief stop on your way to getting your life on track.

A big part of personal improvement is taking full responsibility for your own life. That means taking whatever action is necessary to improve your life, rather than making excuses or placing blame. Stop focusing on what you don't have and start paying attention to what you do. Move forward.

[barrie07]

I spend quite a bit of time drawing(hopefully a career, someday), reading books from the library, and going for walks, but none of that is really helping me out of my economic situation.

Of course its not helping you get out of your current situation as you dont earn money going for walks and reading.

I'm all for relaxing, reading, walking but there is a little law in life call.
THE LAW OF COMPENSATION.
This Law of Compensation says that you can never be compensated in the long term for more than you put in. The income you earn today is your compensation for what you have done in the past. If you want to increase your compensation, you must increase the value of your contribution.

I'm just wondering, where do I go from here? Almost all of my job prospects(retail, fast food, MAYBE a warehouse or other manual labor job if I'm lucky) seem like they'll distract me and stress me out, and basically just keep me from improving the rest of my life.

This is BS, I'm sorry to sound harsh but how will it distract you. Everyone has to work bro. I'm not to keen on what I currently do, however its a way to pay the bills and live an ok life until I find what I really want to do.
You find a job in starbucks,wallmart etc and get paid.
This will boost your income and give your CV a boost.

[Rapid]

How about registering with a temp agency and get a job working in an office? If you need to brush up on some basic office skills, you can:

- practice with a typing software (they will test your speed when you go in)
- learn to file
- take freebie online courses on using Microsoft Office (again they will test you on this)

You should get higher pay if you were to work in an office. But be careful about staying at a temp job for too long; it can get too comfortable after a while, but then you're still going nowhere.

Originally Posted by Jarreddo

I'm just wondering, where do I go from here? Almost all of my job prospects(retail, fast food, MAYBE a warehouse or other manual labor job if I'm lucky) seem like they'll distract me and stress me out, and basically just keep me from improving the rest of my life.

[pyrogen]

I was in your situation for years. Tended to fill my time with distractions, and I WASN'T in a situation of poverty. You can get into a mindset where you're spending your entire time amusing yourself and *that* is the real timesuck.

Work isn't one of those distraction problems unless you're in a job field that pays really badly and requires you work so many hours that you have time for nothing else. By that, I mean more than 40+ hours. Or if you're in a field that requires you devote every spare moment of your off time, studying your job, and it's not the field you want to be in.

You don't need to start off working fast food. If you're already not working and can get away with being unemployed for another two to four months, there are plenty of fields that require just a little training (~6 weeks to 3 months) but open the door to better pay/more advancement, and pay more than minimum wage right from the beginning. An example is health care, but I'm sure there are more out there... I like h/c because it allows you to work pretty much whatever hours you want to. It's how at 35 I'm able to be a full time student.

[sbdiane]

I've been very poor. I know what it is like. I lived in a garage full of mice and stink bugs. I used to look at the quail outside my window and imagine eating them because I was hungry. It was free so I could live on very little that way.

I really wanted to work but I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to do retail or fast food. I also didn't think I could work in an office or do much of anything. I was depressed and scared and did not feel capable of even full-time work.

I took a job, at the suggestion of one of those government career center places, that had me work only when someone else called in sick. I did my job to the best of my ability. It turned out I enjoyed it, too. I liked getting out there, out of my head, out of my garage and meeting other people. It was fun. I worked with people who had mental disabilities. I thought I would hate that kind of work, but I actually enjoyed it. I only made $7.50 an hour but it was enough.

One day I suggested to my supervisor that if more regular work was available I would be interested. She gave me a full-time job. I really enjoyed that. I saved and earned enough for my very own apartment. That was one of the happiest times of my life living in my own apartment. I had always wanted to have my very own apartment. I felt so good about myself.

Get a job. Get any job. Be honest with yourself if you don't want a full-time, high-stress job. Find something lower stress. Then see where it leads you. It may turn out to lead you to some real happiness.

[sbdiane]

P.S. I think sometimes that having the ability to walk away from work and pursue a multiple streams of income type life is kind of a stage of life thing or luxury that you can have once you have some saved-up money, not necessarily practical or even desireable for everyone.

[HighGrace]

Confucious wasn't so far off.

Sounds like everybody is pounding on you quite a bit. That just tells you what you already know--Get a job.

But since you've got between now and end of January before you are flat broke, you've got a few weeks to dream a bit.

What would you really WANT to do, if you could? What's the first step to getting there? Who do you know that might help? What education might you need to get there and what financial aid is available?

You can always work part-time AND do what you want to do. Sounds like art might be just the field for you.

Good luck!