Jobs

[Tux]

I tried and tried yet I can't get a job that requires my psych degree and It certifications. I feel like I attended college and studied for nothing. I now accept that I have to take what ever 46.25/hr job this town has to offer but I feel spiritually injured. I don't want to admit defeat but I have no choice. The longer I try to get a decent job, the harder it'll be to get a job. No longer can I dream of owning a home, being on my own, living the American Dream. I feel that it's dead and buried. All that studying for nothing.

Any other college grads feel this way?

[mandyky]

1. Have you thought about starting your own practice?

Look for a massage therapist, and maybe someone who is into a spiritual practice like Tarot card reading or past lives, and set up a shop that tries to help people with their present problems as well as esoteric topics.

You could work with area churches, too. Lead a self-help group, build a list of clients, etc. The pastors might turn you onto folks needing marraige or family counseling.

Think outside of the box.

[Tux]

2. Mmmm

Good idea but the area is mostly Baptist. Would work in Nashville but not this town. We have a team of evangelicals who hang around B&N and try to convert people who check stuff in the religious section. Get a Buddhist book, get a lecture. Same goes for the computer section at times. A BS in psych means no practice since I need a master's degree and a license. Many former employers really wanted me to be a Christian at their church.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. It can really be tough

I was a school teacher with a Master's degree. When we moved to Arkansas, all I could get was substitute jobs paying $35 a day, the same rate as anyone substituting got (all you need is a high school diploma to substitute in Arkansas). I got a job in a daycare that eventually paid $8 an hour, and burned out after four years. I was unemployed for a year before I got a job as an office manager, again for a paltry sum. Yeah, I wondered about it, wondered a lot, especially when I was unemployed. I went into meditation, and finally found peace and some answers personal to me. I hope the same for you, and that you are able to forge your own unique path in the world.

[Tux]

4. I have considered

That maybe psych and computers might not be my ideal path to take. I did get good advice to use local temp agencies and how to handle them. Local ones pay slightly more than other places so if the work is regular, I could get an apartment or trailer. I am a UU member, like religious studies, intellectual (I think), so I have been considering UU ministry. Ran out of other options since I have math learning disorder. Still not sure but hey, a master's is a master's. And I do have an interesting idea for a poetry book that could add to income. Mmmmm maybe success through money and not achievement isn't for me.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Success is how you make it

That really sounds like a good plan to me. It's a good idea for a minister to have a psychological background, as they are so often called upon to counsel people.

If you're up to trying this, visualize yourself happy and successful in an occupation you enjoy. Don't go into specifics, just get as much into the emotional feelings this situation would bring you. Then send it out to the universe. Hey, doesn't cost anything but a few moments of your time.