Im not a robot!

[seewithgreatereyes]

I'm almost 25 y/o and I'm embarrassed to say I'm just now realizing this. I grew up dirt poor in the deep south. Obviously, college wasn't an option for me (didn't stop me from trying though) because A: couldn't afford the loans and grants weren't enough and B: I needed to work to support myself and my family from 15 years old. My grades were perfect. I grad. With a 4.6 GPA despite working manual labor from the 11th grade on. I have no problem working manual labor. Even if I did that's all you can reasonably expect to get without an expensive degree in this area and make enough money to survive. I've been working "unskilled labor" jobs since 15. Recently, I had noticed my back was excruciating. It's to the point I struggle to get out of bed in the mornings or to get in and out of my car or to even lift a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. So I went to the doc and emptied my very modest savings account to pay the co-pays on my shitty company insurance to get my back looked at. I was told I injured 3 disk in my back from years of hard repetitive manual labor. Now that I'm permanently injured for the foreseeable future my factory job is trying their hardest to find a reason to fire me. I've realized that the 3 years of my life I've given to this company doesn't matter. They and all factories in this region of the U.S. just work people as hard as humanly and legally possible and when they "break" they throw them away like some sort of cheap Chinese machine. These people treat they're workers like a fleet company treats their cars just run them till they breakdown and replace it with a new model. I've tried to get better jobs in the past I'm very smart and knowledgeable in many areas mainly due to the life experience growing up so poor. But unfortunately that isn't really an acceptable thing to put on a resume. Now I have no choice but to find a job that is more like office work but that pays the same or better or I'll lose everything I've worked so hard for. I can still work i just cant do manual labor anymore. My only other option is to sell everything and live off the government. I have an interview tomorrow for a position at a car dealership as a salesman. Given my history with trying for those type of "plush" jobs I don't expect to get it and that's weighing heavily on my mental health. I've started smoking again too. I don't know what else to do but sit in a corner and just cry. I'm so tired of making decisions like ok am I paying the rent or do I want something to eat other than a bowl of cereal. Is it the phone bill or or work lunches this week. I just wish someone could take the wheel for a while and let me mentally rest ya know. Sorry if this was offensive or depressing. Just needed a vent.

 

[rafterdd]

@seewithgreatereyes You are 25. You had a high GPA. If you can collect disability, do it. Then apply to community college/trade school. You will need to apply for financial aid. The admission office will help you. Research the types of jobs you are physically able to do that are expected to continue to grow/expand, and go for it. Voc.Rehab. is a great resource and may help with the cost of your education. Don’t have kids until you have a trade, and let your adult family members support themselves. Once you are comfortable financially, help only sober, drug free, non-smoking, non gambling loved ones if you want, but only after your own bills, including insurance, savings, and retirement account are payed into.

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@rafterdd Great idea. I don't plan on having kids though I watch my nephew quite a bit and andddd I honestly don't feel I could handle that full time.

 

[lovehumility7]

@rafterdd I agree to all of this. I liked community college a lot and didn't pay anything for it.

 

[shaima]

@seewithgreatereyes A lot of cat dealerships will hire basically anyone who shows interest. I've worked commissioned sales before (but not at a dealership), and it can be very hard work.

Basically bad salespeople self-select out bc they aren't making any money. It's not a huge risk to the dealership to hire people that aren't cut out for the job. They basically don't pay them anything until they leave (or the dealership fires them for not hitting sales targets).

Just trying to give you a heads-up about sales. It's a very tough way to make $$, but can be very lucrative for those who are cut out for it. I certainly wasn't made for it

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@shaima I appreciate that. I've actually worked at this particular dealership before in the maintenance dpt. I was let go because they decided to "streamline" their service and detail dpts. I used to get bird dog fees from helping a salesman bring in customers before I was let go. Any tips as far a sales goes? I can tell you pretty much anything about a car made after '92. And I certainly have worked retail before.

 

[shaima]

@seewithgreatereyes I've never been in car sales, but from being on the other end I can tell you that most car sales peeps don't know shit about cars. They understand sales and what makes people buy

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@shaima Ah ok well based on my retail experience working at a mattress store I think I should do well then.

 

[ugostrange]

@seewithgreatereyes Assuming you are in the USA, contact your local Vocational Rehabilitation agency (every state has one), they help people with disabilities who can no longer do the jobs they were doing find jobs and/or training to do jobs they can do without making things worse.

 

[owl147]

@ugostrange This is a great idea. My son when he was in high school and have a learning disability went to vocational rehabilitation and they got him a job at Walmart. They also sent him to like him other places like a woodworking shop and he was afraid he couldn't handle the machines that do the work now and he was taken to place that sells tires put them on and does a couple other things to cars. That man tell my son's worker that he was very knowledgeable about cars and we thought he would want to try that but he didn't. To my understanding if you need surgery or something along those lines like chiropractor or a brace or in my son's case he needed a hill lift also. But any of this stuff that you might need to go back to work they will get for you so you can go back to work. Call your Social Services office and ask them what Vocational Rehabilitation number is

 

[finallyfree]

@ugostrange This. I have an acquaintance who lost a leg in a motor vehicle accident and couldn't be a welder anymore as a result. Vocational rehab and a few years later, and he placed into an office job doing something tech for a substance use rehab center, and makes twice what he did as a welder.

He never would have even known he had those skills - nor would he have been able to get out of the poverty hole to try out other jobs - if he hadn't ended up in voc rehab. Not saying it's worth losing a leg or breaking your back, and I'm sure not everyone's story is as successful as his, but there are opportunities there.

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@ugostrange I've never heard of that is it like the unemployment office or more like a temp agency

 

[ugostrange]

@seewithgreatereyes It’s a state agency to help people with disabilities become employed/keep employment/be retrained for different jobs.

Here’s one state agency’s website for an example; some states have different programs but all are legitimate.

https://ood.ohio.gov

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@ugostrange Ohhh ok. I'm assuming you need an official disability diagnosis from a doctor for that.

 

[ugostrange]

@seewithgreatereyes You should be eligible since you have records of your injuries. You don’t have to be on disability to apply. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a call, for sure!

 

[seewithgreatereyes]

@ugostrange Awesome if it doesn't work out with my interview tomorrow I will absolutely try to apply.

 

[ugostrange]

@seewithgreatereyes Good luck with the interview!