Really in need of employment and career help

You're down to $100, don't have a car, and don't have a cell phone? Beggars can't be choosers. Now is not the time to figure out how to get your dream job, or what job will give you the best experience. Now is the time to take any job, the first one that comes along, that will pay you anything. Hit up every fast food joint and grocery store within three miles of your house. They're almost always hiring, and the barriers to entry are pretty damn low.

Here are some ideas to facilitate getting a job; these suggestions are not necessarily careers, but I do think that you can get there. The phone. Since you are using a computer, have you looked into google voice? With google voice, which is free for now, you can set up a voice message (and messages that pple leave for you are recorded and also transcribed and emailed to you). You can also forward GV to a home number, cell number, and keep on changing it as long as you need. So even if you do not immediately answer a call, it sounds professional. Interviews. I'm mentioning this because I'm also introverted and it sounds like you currently aren't very positive, so you may want to work on projecting enthusiasm, etc. How? Practice interviewing with people (I know it sounds silly). But I studied up on possible questions, and studied up on possible jobs. So in the end, although I am almost never excited about working with team A and company X, I could learn about the product/things that I wanted to learn (think of it like school, it sounds like you enjoyed or did well in that environment), so at least in an interview I would come across as excited about the chance to learn those things. I think that you can do the same thing and it is subtle but it is likely to be your first and possible only interaction with a potential employer. But see if you can practice with your family or if there are any job clubs in your area, or even with friends on SKYPE or whatever. Location. I agree that your big limitation is where you are. What about former friends from college or other family? Would anyone be okay with you traveling there and crashing on the couch if need be? What I am envisioning for you is: 1) pick city that has many more jobs (closest location/friends are nearby), 2) set up GV with area code for that area 3) submitting resumes EVERYWHERE 4) When calls are made for an interview, schedule them for days that fit with your hosts and go to the city. When you are there, you may want to consider walking into places and asking about jobs, too. As a fellow introverted person, believe it or not, if people just see a face in front of them, sometimes that leads to jobs. I think that you should continue your quest for a career, too, but I think getting any sort of job what start you on this path. Re-evaluate your college career, too, before interviews. Many people who had a BA in X don't end up in a job focusing on the same field. What they learn from college (hopefully) is how to learn and problem solve, so that you can do the same in a work environment. Try to think about your degree in a positive way and make a list of what you learned. I'm stating this now because an interviewer is likely to ask you about this experience, especially since you are young and don't have much job experience. You want to project enthusiasm and positive things, even if it wasn't entirely what you wanted it to be. Good luck. Feel free to email me. I'd be happy to listen and help you brainstorm if possible.

Stop trying to figure out how to get the job you want, right now; work on just getting whatever job you can get. Even if it's clerical work or retail or fast food, just get some cash coming in, kick a bit to your parents for rent, they'll almost certainly be a lot more patient with you while you figure things out after that. Then work on finding the job that will make you fullfilled/happy/able to move somewhere less crappy. If necessary, leave your college degree off applications, it does sometimes help. If people ask why you have employment gaps at those kinds of low-level jobs, you can just tell them it was family issues or something, they're way more forgiving than better jobs will be. Once you have some cash in hand, lots of things become options that would not have been otherwise; there's just no substitute to that.

Repeating what was said above. Having a low-paying menial job is better than having no job. Are there fast-food places? Flip burgers. Are there retails stores? Run a cash register. Are there diners or restaurants? Wait tables. Almost no one starts their career path in the job they eventually want to have - you have to start somewhere. Working a job like this will also give you the good feeling of actually earning money and being able to contribute to the household I'm a VP in a software company responsible for hiring decisions. If I were hiring for an entry level position and I saw that a potential candidate had worked jobs like waiting tables, running cash registers or flipping burgers, it would reflect well in my eyes because it would speak to their work ethic. I have been where you are: at zero, facing mental health challenges and no visible way to get to where I wanted to be. I took a job working security at a car dealership. It wasn't part of some grand plan; it was just a job where I could earn some money and look at myself in the mirror. That job didn't get me my next job; I don't even work in a related industry. But it was a job, and it made a difference.

If you have a BA and are interested in teaching, why not teach in Taiwan or Sout Korea etc. ESL teaching often takes native English speakers with any sort of undergrad degree. Housing and flights paid for too although you may have to earn or borrow cash for outgoing flight up front. Also might be good to leave home if you have PTSD and mold fears from living at home.

I think knowing your degree would be helpful. Please let one of the mods know what it was to update your post. As for the PTSD diagnosis, thanks to HIPAA it won't be a problem in most job situations. Some highly sensitive ones, but your average job it will not. The ROTC is probably different being it's a military organization, which does do background checks of that nature. Unemployment is insanely high for young people, which based on your post, I'm guessing you are. In addition to what others have said, I'd look at craigslist for odd jobs. It might not be fun raking leaves in the cold, but a few bucks here and there you can earn will go a long way, and show your parents you're trying. You said you are living at home but don't have health insurance; are you 26 or under, and can you go on your parents plan? I'd stop worrying about the mold. Yes, it might be an issue, but probably not. A lot of houses have some mold and people freak out over it; because of the few horror stories. But most mold in houses is pretty harmless unless you're allergic or immunocompromised. It could be a thing, but more likely it's just a little mold. Don't let it distract you right now. It shouldn't have even been in this post, which is why I'm mentioning it. It sounds like you're obsessing over it and really shouldn't be. I'm a bit surprised about the money you lost, I know labor laws vary from state to state, but most will compel an employer to pay - unless they declared bankruptcy. But both are amounts I'd consider taking to small claims court if it's not over the limit in your area. Or find a lawyer who's willing to work for a percentage. If you have a strong case, you should be able to find someone to do that. If not, then you know it's not worth pursuing. What I wouldn't do though is spend a lot of time on it. Pursue it, yet don't let it get in the way of other plans. It's the past, and it's not guaranteed. Look ahead, not back.

For the long term, take a look at Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron.

Tutor. You have a BA - tutor. SAT/ACT/Math/Chemistry/English - whatever. You are going to need a phone to do this, but it will be a good investment. Save every scrap you can and then *get out* of your deadend town. Even if you only earn $10/hour that's $100/week if you work only two hours on week days. That is an achievable goal. You need to start cobbling together part time and freelance gigs. Wash dishes, walk dogs, tutor, babysit, house sit, whatever. All of that? It's on your resume as Small Business Owner.

That is a lot of stuff to be dealing with. You definitely need to come up with a strategy for short, middle and long term for both your career and your emotional wellbeing. In the short term is there a temping agency where you live? When I was out of uni for a while and still hadn't figured out what I was doing I went to an agency and got a job doing admin/reception work. It was minimum wage but they got me a job within a week, and I had a succession of one or two week contracts with them for months, until I was kept on for a year by one company and then everything followed from there. It gave me an income and stability while I figured out what I really wanted to do. If that works for you it will give you a bit of breathing space to sit down and come up with some kind of five year plan in terms of what you want to do, how to get there, where you'll live while doing so, etc. Good luck.