unemployed and desperate

[desperate]

I was laid off a while back. Now I can't find a job anywhere. No one is hiring and those that are have told me I am over qualified. I can't even get a job in a clothing store because my last job was unrelated. Even though I am old enough and clearly smart enough to do the job. That should be all that matters. I need to make money to pay my bills and would really be happy if anyone had some ideas.

[Pledge]

Don't get discouraged! There are still a lot of ways to make some extra money. They may not be the way you always dreamed of making money, but it's income just the same.

Try to think of some things you are or might be good at. And I mean anything from mowing grass to holding up a sign. There really is so much to be done out there if you are willing to go look for it. Here are some examples...

Check out Craigslist.com in their Help Wanted/Jobs/Gigs sections. Be sure to look in ALL of the cetegories because you might see something that will catch your eye. Don't be afraid to try something new.

I have done all sorts of things to make money. At random, I have done or do the following with no real training or education... just my real life experience:

Clean people's homes.
Mow yards and weed.
Remove trash from homes/yards.
Walk dogs and pet sit.
Check on people's homes while they are gone.
Find old furniture people are throwing out, refinish it, and sell it.
Sell items on eBay.
Write articles or other written pieces for people.
Offer handyman services.
Participate in market research.
Fill out online surveys.

You can make money from a lot of online sources too. I use these sites to find projects...

mturk.com
Guru.com

I am sure there are more out there if you just look around. Hope this helps! And don't be afraid to take a step back and think outside the box while looking for employment. There are billions of types of jobs out there and someone somewhere needs you.

[jason75]

I have to agree with Pledge. There are so many jobs out there still. Jobs that no one would ever even think of. Maybe it won't be a job you like, but it's still a means to provide for yourself and your family.

Let's say you were an engineer in some fancy company. No one around is hiring engineers, or at least not with your qualifications. You have looked everywhere for a computer related or similar job and still nothing. So you look for any type of office job you could do and... nothing. Well, my friend, it's time to get creative.

There are jobs where you clean gutters on houses, clean the gutters in the streets, be the trash man, work on a horse farm cleaning stalls, find a landscaping crew, drive a semi truck, work at WalMart, work for the sewage plant, work in a factory, you get the point. Don't just look for sweet comfy jobs that you know how to do. Times are tough and you are just going to have to suck it up. Someone is hiring... I gaurantee it.