Getting through tough times

I just got out of college in August and times are tough. Countless resumes and no call backs, I have one job working with my dad and am going to a temp agency on Monday to get another. My bank account is now in overdraft, student loan payments start soon, and my CC and line of credit are both maxed. I know it hasn't been that long but my current situation is pretty shitty. So I guess my question is to those who have been here: how did you get out? How did you keep your spirits up and not lose hope?

Keep a positive additude and keep paying your bills (don't be a dead beat) that mentality will trickle down to your work ethics. For now keep your standards lower for a job and take what you can.

Good luck

 

thinking bigger, not limiting yourself is key.

 

True these times are tough, but you need to think in a "get to" mentality, not a "have to" mentality.

 

You get to go out on Monday and find greatness. Are you ready? Most people arent. They think in terms of limitations. I cant do this times are tough.

 

I cant do that, times are tough.

 

 

Chin up, keep your eye on the prize. We've all been down.

thinking bigger, not limiting yourself is key.

 

True these times are tough, but you need to think in a "get to" mentality, not a "have to" mentality.

 

You get to go out on Monday and find greatness. Are you ready? Most people arent. They think in terms of limitations. I cant do this times are tough.

 

I cant do that, times are tough.

 

I like this! U ripped me up in another thread and truth is your right!

I like this! U ripped me up in another thread and truth is your right!

I had enough faith in you that you could handle it, and knew you were smart enough that you would change your focus.

I had enough faith in you that you could handle it, and knew you were smart enough that you would change your focus.

 

It wAs a dumb post. I made a few of those today.

It wAs a dumb post. I made a few of those today.

but look at your avatar. Its a thing of beauty. Stop beeing self defeating. You made those posts because you were feeling frustrated. Now, Get over it!

Here are some helpful but unpopular tips.

 

Get rid of any expensive cell phone/service. Get a cheap pay as you go phone. No texting, etc etc. Just for incoming calls from potential employers.

 

No internet. Just use the library.

 

No cable/satalite tv.

 

Ride your bike or take the bus.

 

Shop at a goodwill or thrift store.

 

Make meals at home. Eating out is very expensive.

 

If you ever thought about stopping smoking or drinking, now is the time.

 

Put an ad on Craigslist as a handyman (be sure to state you are unlicensed)

 

Give blood.

 

Sell that old hotwheels collection.

Keep applying and don't give up. It's a numbers game, don't lose hope. When people get down they try less hard, but they should be doing the opposite-- try harder.

In US, you can defer your payments for up to 3 years 6 months at a time if you do not have a job. I'd check that out if you can do something similar.

 

Sell anything that you are not using and if you have nice clothes you are not wearing, i'd sell that too.

 

Any more ideas, I am listening too.

 

 

be better prepared the next time

My advice - look for hidden angles. If everyone is applying for the same jobs, find a new way to become relevant to an employer or apply for a nontraditional job that nobody else is paying attention to. There is always a way.

 

P.S. Stories like this are why I didn't go to college. Degree does not equal job.

Try gambling, No-Limit Texas Hold'em!

Be a contrarian...look for success in what everybody else is NOT doing not what the masses are doing. This can apply to a macro or micro environment depending on your situation. Always, always, always envision yourself succeeding at whatever your passion may be, this will eventually lead you there.

To repeat the advice Chris Clougherty gave me when his sister wouldn't go out with me..... "This too shall pass."

 

As trite as it sounds, those words have stuck with me for 22 years now and have gotten me through many a rough patch.

In the worst of times the greatest fortunes were made.....

Roll with it.

Why do you have CC's maxed out and lines of credit? What were you doing?

 

What is your major?

If it were me and just graduating from college right now... Use this time to go and get you Masters/MBA. What better time to do it right out of school. You can extend out your Student Loans due to going back to school.

 

The amount of different contacts you make in a high end MBA or PhD program is also much more than you will ever get in an undergrad.

You cannot truly appreciate success until you have realized defeat and struggle.

 

There are hundreds of stories on lp of guys that weren't wealthy, and that landed the right job, started the right business, or made the right investments at the right time, and have realized their dreams. I can guarantee you it wasn't easy along the way.

 

Stay focused and sit down and create a plan and goal to correct your situation the quickest way possible.

Get the advanced degree. Consider the armed forces - like your Coast Guard or Air Force, I would love to fly. Think positive, apply for jobs outside of your degree. Don't beat yourself down, your at a interesting point in life. Be mobile, willing to move anywhere. Most won't do that. Don't jump at a chump job if you can avoid it. Have your resume critiqued. Practice on interviewing. Don't sit at the house, get out & exercise. Trust your gut instinct. The only one limiting you is you.

All I can say is keep a positive attitude to everything. Remember that at this moment, things will change as time passes.

 

Tough times are good times if your willing to live through it, don't be the dead beat who throw everything away.

There are a LOT of opportunities out there right now- Green Tech (solar, in the south, especially) Bio, Elder Care and planning, liquidation services, government contracts or even some guerrilla marketing.

 

Live small. Think BIG. Keep the haters at your back. Leverage yourself if you can.

 

 

A lot of the advice here is really good. I've lived on leftover deli sandwiches and apple juice for 6 months, in a foreign country, without a job and no one to support me. I was setting up my company at the time and was massively,massively in debt trying to get it off the ground. I had just enough money to pay my rent, get around on the subway and eat. Here's my personal advice to get through it, it may not work for everyone.

 

Find what you love doing and do it, the money will come.

Your down and out but realize this may be the defining point in your life and fight for it, one day you will look back on this and remember it with pride.

Focus. I know it was said earlier but strip everything away that is a distraction. Equip yourself like a soldier, you only need the essentials to get you through this.

Find inspiration in a book that you can read and go back to when you need to get strength, I had one and it worked a treat.

If you can surround yourself with people who are a positive influence, people who inspire you.

Best of luck.

I don't want to sound downbeat or harsh, but sometimes there is no solution other than time, and just maybe luck. Not even hard work will always yield results. I don't think any inspirational talk is going to make you feel any better or fix anything for you. I think everyone's problems can be solved by someone else, whether it's material or not, but sometimes you're just on your own. You may feel beat down and broken by life, but that's just how it is sometimes. You just tough it out and that's that. If there was a guide to life, we'd all follow it. And besides, you can't give up even if you wanted to, and you know that. So what other choice do you have?