Boiling...

[Aaron]

I'm quickly losing control of my emotions and temper.  Lately, I've been very angry, bitter, mean, rude, fake, impatient, hateful, etc.  I am extremely stressed out with my thesis, not having a job, and being close to no money in my savings.  I have $500 left in bills for this month with just $200 to my name in the bank.  NY State is challenging my unemployment claim because they don't feel I had a valid reason to leave my job (My parents are pastors, they got relocated to another church/town, I have almost $850/month in bills and at walmart I was barely making 1050-1100 a month after taxes. Nobody can afford rent in this state on that). I've applied to several jobs since I moved to a new town with family and have gotten 2 interviews (obviously turned down for both jobs).  I'm frustrated because I feel I've wasted 7 years (4 years undergrad, 3 years grad school) and can't get a half-decent job.  So many employers in the field of Human Resources and Training want candidates with experience but the hard part is that you can't get that experience when nobody will hire you for those jobs.  I'm not sure how these jobs are in other states but in New York, it seems that you can't get an entry-level HR job unless you're a female.  Sad to say, but I've been passed over for several low paying HR jobs that were given to women.  I'm not sure what else I can do to get a job in that field. 

I'm also not sure what else I can do to convince employers that I'm willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, despite having almost completed a Master's degree.  I'm not going to omit that from my resume just so people think they can pay me less.  How sad is it that I got turned down for an assistant manager position at a large mini-mart chain? 

I love my parents but I'm at the end of the rope living with them.  My mother is a constant source of nagging and frustration and I'm pissed off at her almost every day.  She's had the same job (pastor) for 30 years and doesn't seem to really understand the frustrations of the working world right now. 

I'm ready to snap which would be very bad for everyone involved.

Thanks for letting me vent.  I'm not necessarily looking for advice, but whatever y'all have to say will be welcomed.

[chrisnu]

That's really rough. I probably would have had a nervous breakdown. I'm not sure I have any advice to give. I will be praying for your situation every day, though. I sincerely hope that things get better soon. I know they need to.

[RedcoatJones]

That's a tough stretch. I can empathize with the job thing - that's exactly how I felt when I graduated in 2001, the last time there was a pretty severe recession. No experience (other than a couple internships), but everyone wanted experience. It took a year of waiting tables (while married and my wife still in school) before I landed my first "real job.". In some ways, we're still paying off the debt we built up in that time.

Only suggestion I have is keep plugging, maybe see if any friends who do hire people (even if not in your industry) can let you do some practice interviews or review resumes to see if there's anything that they see as a red flag that you may not even be aware of.

I'll be praying that have patience and endurance. I don't have many connections to the HR world, so I'm probably not much use on that front, but let us know if you're looking to relocate from NY.

[Aaron]

but let us know if you're looking to relocate from NY.

That's always been a hope of mine but I've never been able to stay semi-secure financially to do so.  Crap always hits the fan (car problems, etc).  Oh well.  In due time.

[murlough23]

This reminds me very much of my life circa mid-to-late 2005, which ironically was when I got married and should have been the happiest. Money unfortunately has a way of sucking all that away when you're worried about not having enough of it to support your basic needs from month-to-month. 2005 was when all the shit hit the fan in rapid succession for me - the car blew up and I had to get another one, I was having a lot of health problems and I wasn't sure how often it warranted visits to the doctor since that was costing me money, friendships were strained due to misunderstandings about the wedding, and as a result I had a hard time just letting go and enjoying the things that were good. I still had a job and all, but suddenly I had two people to support and my wife's employment outlook wasn't so great.

I've always been a bit of a short-tempered person, but I think that was a turning point where I started to become a very bitter and cynical person, one whose first thought when somebody pissed me off would be that I don't care what you think, and F you. I've been trying to undo it ever since, but it's an uphill battle. So I can feel some of your pain here.