Please enter a Job Title and/or City.
-
College Degree vs. High School Diploma
April 06, 2006 by matthew pMy topic comes in response to the “Little Pay” entry. I agree that employers are not paying what they should, especially to college graduates.
I obtained my Associates Degree and Bachelor’s Degree, and a friend of mine, who has a high school diploma makes $4,000 more per year. I believe the problem is experience. A high school grad most likely began working full-time post-graduation, which gives them four years of job experience, compared to a college grad who begins working full-time after four years in college.
It is difficult to accept a position which pays less than you feel you deserve, but in situations like these, one should weigh the pros and cons: Are there advancement opportunities? How often are raises/bonuses given? If the job is in your field, and the pros outweigh the cons, I would definitely go for it! -
On the Job!
March 24, 2006 by matthew pHey everybody. I received a call from the dollar store I had applied to on Wednesday and they wanted me to start right away. I worked Wednesday night from 6-8:30 p.m. and today from 6-10 a.m. I also work tomorrow 7-11 a.m. The job is pretty easy; it’s mostly light manual labor. I usually just unpack boxes, put stuff on the shelves, and break down the boxes. That’s the extent of my job. It’s great! I work at my own pace and there’s not really any pressure on me.
Everyone at work is nice, especially the manager, she asks how I’m doing every time she walks by me. And anytime I need help, she’s perfectly willing to help me as is anyone else who is working there. The store doesn’t seem to get that busy. The manager says it does get busy on Friday and Saturday nights because the store is really close to a movie theater but other than that, it’s usually slow paced.
One thing I noticed is that everyone else who works at the store, and most of the people who shop at the store, are black. I’m the only white person. It’s interesting to be the minority for the first time in my life. Most of the time it’s the other way around. I’m excited about it because now I’ll see things from the opposite side of the spectrum.
Finally, I’ll have some money coming in! Apparently I’ll be getting at least 16 hours a week at 6.15 an hour. The manager said she’ll try to get me more hours if she can. I don’t mind the amount of hours; it’s good for me to ease back into a working schedule. And now I’ll be able to buy more art supplies! That’s my motivation for working hard.
I’ll give you an update again soon… -
I Got a Job!
March 19, 2006 by matthew pFinally, I got a job at a dollar store. They seemed to hire me for just walking in; I wasn’t even interviewed. The place doesn’t seem run very well. The backroom is a complete mess. But I’m not being picky! I actually have a job and it’s a two minute drive from my house to the store. I’ll actually have a paycheck coming in.
They made me take a drug test which I’ll pass and then they said I should get a call in the next week. Now I’ll actually be able to save money for art supplies. I’m not sure what job I’ll be doing yet. It seems like they usually only have two people working at a time plus the manager. One of the employees is stocking the shelves and the other is doing the register. The store doesn’t seem to ever be too busy. It’s in a plaza that is nearly dead and besides the movie theater, none of the remaining stores draw too many people. It shouldn’t be that stressful.
I’ll have a decision to make once the graduate summer program starts in June because then I’ll be living in philly for two months. I’m not sure whether I’ll want to commute back and forth to the dollar store but I might have to just to keep money coming in. We’ll see. At least the job search is over for now! -
Searching the Deep…
March 15, 2006 by matthew pWith about three whole months left until my summer program, times are getting desperate for me to get a job. Yesterday I went to a movie theater I had worked at in 2003 (a mainstream movie theater, not the independent film theater I’ve recently worked for) in search of employment. They’ve just lost their general manager and they told me to bring my application back in a week and I should be able to talk with the new one.
Also, there is a dollar store in the same plaza as the movie theater that actually had a “Now Hiring” sign on the front! The first store I’ve seen with a sign like that in awhile. I went in and got an application. I’ll fill it out today and take it back and see what happens. I just need money for my housing deposit and for art supplies.
I’ve inquired about a job working at a department store in the electronics section as well. I figure that I’m pretty knowledgable when it comes to electronics so I should be okay with a job like that. I’ll let you all know if any of these works out. Hopefully one does and this painful job search will end soon. -
Paying for Graduate School
March 10, 2006 by matthew pWith my acceptance letter from graduate school came an information packet on websites for finding scholarships. I’ve found this information very helpful because I desperately need money for graduate school. I got accepted and I guess I just thought the money would fall out of the sky because I didn’t have any real plan to pay the tuition bills. I’m stretching just to get the downpayment on tuition and housing paid. And that’s just my first and probably cheapest bill!
The situation isn’t too dire for this year. I do have some money put away that I can access when I need to. And hopefully I’ll get enough loan money and some financial aid so that I won’t have to dip into my bank account too much. I’m mainly worried about the future years. The total money I will have to pay for grad school is around 38,000 dollars and I have less than a third of that in the bank and no job. Plus I have to pay for supplies and food while I live on campus.
I’m filling out as many essays as I can to apply for scholarships. There are scholarships for everything: art students, civil rights ideals, homosexuals and allies, writers, etc. If I just get at least a few that would be great. Well, that’s all for now. I’ll post again in a few days. -
Hunting
March 08, 2006 by matthew pShe sniffed and looked around through the watery haze. “I smell something.” she said as she crawled to the left, dragging her joints across the rough soil. “I’m definitely sensing it.” She focused harder as the leaves on the bush rustled nearby. “Wait…be patient…just a little longer.” Then, it leapt from the bush. She tried to clutch it in her hands but it slipped through and escaped into the horizon. “There one goes again. Another job lost.” she groaned as she plopped on the ground in defeat.
I’m sure many of you have felt like that some time or another. Recently I let a job get right by me. As some of you know, I applied to a video rental store about a month ago. I didn’t hear from them for a few weeks, so I figured they weren’t interested. Then, I scheduled a visit to my old school and the day before I left, they called me to set up an interview. I told them I couldn’t at the moment, but they said that was fine and they would call me back in a week.
Well, a week went by and they didn’t call. My mom told me to call them but I was distracted by my girlfriend visiting and I put off the call. Now, I’ve lost their number. I checked online and the number their website gives is a fax number, not a phone number. I went to the store and the manager was out at the moment. I’ll try again later but I can’t help feeling that I’ve missed the opportunity.
My beginning story was a tad overdramatic. I feel fine; I’m just getting a little frustrated. But I haven’t been working that hard at getting a job so I have no one to blame but myself. “Oh well” is going to be my attitude for these past few weeks. I’ll put it behind me and move on. I’ve already applied to a different video rental store this morning in hopes of finding a job there. Their application was incredibly similiar to the one I had filled out previously. The same length of time, the same repetitive questions but maybe it’ll turn out better this time. We’ll see. I’ll keep you updated. -
Applying for Loans
March 03, 2006 by matthew pLesson: When you’re applying for a loan online, make sure you remember not only what loan you applied for but what site you applied through as well.
I applied for a graduate school loan “online.” However, the application process couldn’t be completed until I printed off the application, signed it, and sent it to the company. I’m used to doing things like this, usually I just print them out, scan them, and email them back to the company. This time, that wasn’t allowed. I had to send it to them through snail mail, you know, the old style.
I kept putting it off and saying, “I’ll mail it tomorrow.” Well, eventually I lost the papers. I tried to access them again online but I couldn’t without reapplying and going through the whole process again. I didn’t know if filling out the application online twice would screw everything up or not, so I didn’t want to do that. I went back to what I believed was the site of the loan and I called the number that was there. The customer service representative said that my information wasn’t even in their system. Then she said, “Make sure you’re calling the right lender. There are lots of companies who you can apply through for this loan.”
I then searched around my house for a letter I had received from the company that I was getting the loan through and realized that it wasn’t the company I had just called. So, when you’re applying for loans, make sure you not only know what the loan is but who you’re getting is from. And keep track of your paperwork! -
More Thoughts About Graduate School
February 27, 2006 by matthew pLately, my thoughts are solely on what project I’m going to work on during the eight week intensive summer program for graduate school. I have so many ideas; I just have to pick one and focus it. Since I got in for sculpture, but I’ve mainly been a painter, I will try and combine the two into one project.
I haven’t heard back from the video rental store yet about setting up an interview. Maybe I’ll give them a call, but I’m not too worried about it. Since I got into grad school, the job search is much less important now. I would like to have some money coming in though so I can use it for art materials, especially once the program starts.
I’ve been reading through the graduate school booklet and I’m excited that I have to write a Master’s Thesis. As a former English student, any writing exercise is a welcome challenge. After reading through a thousand pages of Troilus and Crisede then writing a research paper on it, nothing they can throw at me will be too difficult.
I think the fact that I have an extensive background in education probably helped me get in. Once I get my MFA, I’ll probably start applying to colleges for jobs teaching art. But that time is far away because this graduate program is two and a half years long. That’s all for now, I will post again soon! -
Grad School!!!!!
February 23, 2006 by matthew pI got into graduate school! I only applied to one school so far and it was the one that I really wanted to get into. I’m so excited! The summer program starts in June and runs eight weeks. Then, during the fall and the winter, I do independent study and check in with them every few weeks.
However, there is one thing that has to be settled before they can process my application: they haven’t received any of my recommendations yet. All three recommendations were sent over two weeks ago, but I forgot to tell my professors to put “Admissions” on the envelope. So, the letters should be somewhere on the campus, they’re just not in the right department. As soon as they track down my recommendations, everything’s set!
Now that I got into graduate school, it’s a huge weight off of my shoulders. I have a focus, a plan, and something to look forward to. I won’t be completely content until they track down my recommendations, but it should be no problem! And if it is, I’ll get them resent.
I’ll have my own studio to do my art! I’ll be able to use their wealth of tools to create the best art of my life. After I graduate, I’ll have a Masters in Fine Arts and I’ll be able to teach college. This is everything I wanted and it’s a relief. -
A Visit
February 21, 2006 by matthew pThis week I’m back at the school I recently graduated from for two reasons: One, to see my close friend Heather’s directorial debut in theater and two, to take my girlfriend back to my house during her spring break. However, being back at school gives me a weird feeling. I know I don’t quite belong here anymore so, I feel kind of awkward when old friends see me. However, I also convince myself that I shouldn’t care what other people think and I’m here for certain reasons. Plus, I acknowledge that after her spring break, I have a job interview with a video rental store and hopefully, I will get the job. Therefore, who knows when I will be able to see my girlfriend again.
In a way, I comfort myself by the fact that as long as I have something to read and a creative project to work on, I’m content. So, even though I really don’t have a place at this school anymore, no matter where I am I can be okay as long as I have those two things.
It’s somewhat ironic that I waited for two weeks to get a call back from the video rental store and long after I gave up on it, they called me Sunday, the day before my visit that had been planned since last fall. I asked them if they could wait a week to give me an interview and they said that was fine. So, hopefully it will work out. And if it does, I plan to be a busy person with a job and a lot of volunteering to do!
