vj288
not actually Fiona Apple
Hello SPW, I have a question for you. The question is not "What is a good job for shy people/people with social anxiety/people who don't like people?" That's far too vague of a question. One person with social anxiety, for example, could thrive in a customer service setting since the conversations are all scripted, while others would be overwhelmed with all the social interaction, scripted or not.
What I am wondering is, how is it everyone here gets by? Everyone is on this site for one reason for another, and I was wondering what routes real people with these issues take to survive in a world where you need money, either your own or somebody else, to make by. You know, unless you're like a nomad living off the land, but I figure with everyone having wifi that is most likely not any of you.
You can be as general or detailed as you like. Like one word answers are cool with me, IRL it's my bread and butter ::
So if you work, what is your job?
If you don't, how do you make by?
Are you dependent on family?
Are you in a place where the government supports you?
Is it some combination of the three?
Are you in school, and if so what work do you plan on doing?
Have you had any previous jobs?
What things have worked for you? What things haven't?
And then any other related topics as well.
If you're a tl:dr type of person, everything below this line is just me talking about me. Not prevalent to the question so much, and I would not be offended if you skipped it ::
For me, I've had three jobs in my life, all restaurants. My first job was in high school, working as a dishwasher. It was low stress, and at a time where I didn't need money for anything. I worked there for a year and a half until I graduated high school, and then went away to college.
I didn't work my first two years of college, as I had everything paid for by the college (aka my student loans). I made casual attempts to find work, but I really didn't want to, and I was in a position where I didn't have too.
Part way through my sophomore year I realized the enormous debt I was piling up at the school I was attending, and transferred to a cheaper school. I also moved into an apartment at my grandparents house, and really needed a job after that. I found one, working again as a dishwasher. Dishwashing there was completely low stress, I could go in without saying a word to anyone all shift. It was minimum wage, but it was enough and allowed me to finish college and live in two apartments. I moved into another a year my senior year.
Once I finished college, I moved back home for mostly non-financial reasons, but money wasn't completely off my mind. I also moved up to start cooking at my work. Once a week, in a pretty isolated part of the kitchen. It was a good step.
Over time I moved up to positions in the kitchen the required a lot of communication, one of which had me literally yelling orders around a corner. It was a slow process to that point, so once I got there I felt comfortable and confident. Had I been thrown into that position immediately I would have probably stopped showing up at some point. This was a good phase of time for me at work, it felt like a great experience.
Around this same time I got a job delivering pizza where a friend of mine worked. I was real worried about this one, but pushed myself and needed the money. It was great exposure, showing myself I could do something I'd never had thought possible a few years ago. And the money was great for the amount of work I was doing.
After a while though, it really start to wear me down. Two jobs, both of which were socially active, every day felt like a struggle. After a year I had quit the pizza place. It didn't feel as positive as it first did, and had just become pure stress. The restaurant I stayed at for a year and a half longer, totaling around five and a half years there. I had tried working different parts of the restaurant, different hours, many things. It grew to the point where I found myself always unhappy, especially at work. Being around people for 40 hours a week was incredibly draining, and the job and pay weren't awesome either. There were times where I found that work could fit into my life, but by the end I couldn't find a way to make it.
So now I sit at my computer, presently unemployed, and trying to figure out my next steps. So tell me, SPW, how is it you all make by?
What I am wondering is, how is it everyone here gets by? Everyone is on this site for one reason for another, and I was wondering what routes real people with these issues take to survive in a world where you need money, either your own or somebody else, to make by. You know, unless you're like a nomad living off the land, but I figure with everyone having wifi that is most likely not any of you.
You can be as general or detailed as you like. Like one word answers are cool with me, IRL it's my bread and butter ::
So if you work, what is your job?
If you don't, how do you make by?
Are you dependent on family?
Are you in a place where the government supports you?
Is it some combination of the three?
Are you in school, and if so what work do you plan on doing?
Have you had any previous jobs?
What things have worked for you? What things haven't?
And then any other related topics as well.
If you're a tl:dr type of person, everything below this line is just me talking about me. Not prevalent to the question so much, and I would not be offended if you skipped it ::
-------------------------------------------------
For me, I've had three jobs in my life, all restaurants. My first job was in high school, working as a dishwasher. It was low stress, and at a time where I didn't need money for anything. I worked there for a year and a half until I graduated high school, and then went away to college.
I didn't work my first two years of college, as I had everything paid for by the college (aka my student loans). I made casual attempts to find work, but I really didn't want to, and I was in a position where I didn't have too.
Part way through my sophomore year I realized the enormous debt I was piling up at the school I was attending, and transferred to a cheaper school. I also moved into an apartment at my grandparents house, and really needed a job after that. I found one, working again as a dishwasher. Dishwashing there was completely low stress, I could go in without saying a word to anyone all shift. It was minimum wage, but it was enough and allowed me to finish college and live in two apartments. I moved into another a year my senior year.
Once I finished college, I moved back home for mostly non-financial reasons, but money wasn't completely off my mind. I also moved up to start cooking at my work. Once a week, in a pretty isolated part of the kitchen. It was a good step.
Over time I moved up to positions in the kitchen the required a lot of communication, one of which had me literally yelling orders around a corner. It was a slow process to that point, so once I got there I felt comfortable and confident. Had I been thrown into that position immediately I would have probably stopped showing up at some point. This was a good phase of time for me at work, it felt like a great experience.
Around this same time I got a job delivering pizza where a friend of mine worked. I was real worried about this one, but pushed myself and needed the money. It was great exposure, showing myself I could do something I'd never had thought possible a few years ago. And the money was great for the amount of work I was doing.
After a while though, it really start to wear me down. Two jobs, both of which were socially active, every day felt like a struggle. After a year I had quit the pizza place. It didn't feel as positive as it first did, and had just become pure stress. The restaurant I stayed at for a year and a half longer, totaling around five and a half years there. I had tried working different parts of the restaurant, different hours, many things. It grew to the point where I found myself always unhappy, especially at work. Being around people for 40 hours a week was incredibly draining, and the job and pay weren't awesome either. There were times where I found that work could fit into my life, but by the end I couldn't find a way to make it.
So now I sit at my computer, presently unemployed, and trying to figure out my next steps. So tell me, SPW, how is it you all make by?