About your job - how, when?

[marshlander]

I've been self-employed for fifteen or sixteen years. I make my living from music - composing, performing, running workshops. Over the past couple of years I have worked hard at reducing my outgoings, so that I only have to earn money a couple of days a week. It's a work in progress and there is a way to go. Working for a living is over-rated. By many standards I live below the poverty line, but I am not poor. I don't claim benefits and I don't owe money, although it is a bit hand-to-mouth most of the time. I can't see a time when I shall ever be able to retire, but that's okay while I have my health. I love my life. I live in a beautiful place with horses, moorhens and the odd kingfisher for neighbours.

B.A. is right. The edifice is crumbling. Clear your debts, because it will get messy. The way most of us live is completely unsustainable. We are consuming far more than our fair share of the world's resources.

As for advice to the OP, the only thing I can suggest is find something you can do for which others might want to pay you. Try not to rely on someone else to supply you with a job.

[NayNay]

I am currently a team leader at a call centre that sells phone and internet service, but I am sort of a multi tasking employee. We are not a third party call centre, it is an in house call centre.

I started my job in June 2009 in Ottawa as a Customer service representative. Every six months I moved up within the call centre and by June 2011 I became a team leader. In between, I was part of the training committee since we were a small company at the time and I would teach them how to use our systems and teach agents how to do sales (at the good old age of 21)

Ive always been used as a wild card at the company, Ive assisted and lead in interviews for the call centre, including the call centre manager position.

I was the customer service trainer for 3 call centres across Quebec and Ontario from October 2012 to December 2013. Then they decided to re-organize the call centre framework and I re-became team leader. Now on my day off on Friday I got a call from management telling me I need to do formal interviews all of next week for our new agents we are recruiting since our current recruiter is on vacation. Yea... great planning on management part.

You know before this job I had little job experience, I worked at a tim hortons (coffee shop) and did maintenance work at a townhouse student housing complex. I did go to college and have a degree in Business Administration specializing in human resources but honestly I could have all learned this on the job.

What I am trying to say is when you take a job, you never know where it may necessarily take you. My job has shifted and changed in so many ways, even though I have only had a few titles.

Ive done monthly status reports for agents, reviewed calls and created call evaluations, coached agents, did training with agents, have fired agents (well management fired them based on my decision), created and developed training material, helped with creating different strategies for interviewing, been part of the physical re-design of the call centre. I ve been part of a panel deciding who to promote within the company.

Meanwhile when I started the job, I just thought it was a job where I would be temporarily while looking for a place where I could get into my actual field.... funny how things turn out

Good luck on the job hunt You will be turned down many times, but know its not of your fault, a lot of times the company already have people in mind for certain positions

[Wade]

Nothing..how the fuck would I get a job at this age?...

If you're arguing for the repeal of child labor laws, I agree.

[Ekwarph]

Where do you work right now? How did you find this job - Internet, friends, magazines, etc? What was your first workplace?

I'm 22 years old and I'm ashamed to confess but I've never worked yet. Now I would like to get my first job but I don't know how to start, where to look. I'm still studying in the university. I just know for sure I would prefer working with papers rather than with people.

A quite easy way for students to get money is to give private classes for high school students for instance. I've never tried to find a real job to pay my studies, just that. But university is almost free in France...

[Jahed]

If you're arguing for the repeal of child labor laws, I agree.

Good for you.