Feeling worthless

And naive, too. I thought a job in retail would be easier to get now that I have a little customer service experience (I worked in a supermarket last summer), but I was looking at application forms online today and every single one mentions words like "confident", "dedicated to the brand", "determined to succeed", "motivated", "passionate"...none of these things apply to me. I'm not confident, I'm not dedicated to any particular brand, the career I'm determined to succeed in is design engineering, not retail...I don't even want a job in retail, but it's the only thing I have experience in. I didn't enjoy my job at the supermarket - it was exhausting having to talk to people all day (yet I got lonely spending breaks by myself ), the tills kept breaking and I kept having to annoy the other staff by asking permission to sell alcohol to customers (I was 17, so I was underage - I'm 18 now, so I wouldn't have to ask any more, but in a way that's even worse because I'd have to be assertive enough to ask for ID, and I'd risk a prison sentence if I got it wrong )...I really don't want to go back, but it's looking like I don't have any choice.

Why am I never good enough at anything?

Rio,

This is easy to say, but don't measure your worth by the job you can get especially in today's job market.

Did you say you are taking college courses in design engineering.

Engineering and scales are really at the opposite of the continuum.

(((((((Rio)))))))

EJ

Wait a darn minute; what happened with the engineering-related jobs you were going to apply for!

Anything is better than retail for you it sounds like

Send your resume to civil engineers and land surveyors like I told you and ask to be a "rod man" for the summer.

Check out summer jobs at colleges and municipalities near your home, or see if you can get a summer tutoring job teaching grammar school kids maths and/or reading so they can keep it in their heads for next Fall.

No settling for something you totally don't want and which is stressful! If worse comes to worse; get a job in a hardware store, that's closer to engineering than groceries!

((((((((((( Rio ))))))))))))

Im exactly the same, ive found it difficult looking for a job when all they want is confident in-your-face people...

The trick however is to act like you are confident... pretend that you are that motivated person and sooner or later you will feel it... everyone has it in them, its just that others have to feel it to believe it exists

good luck in your job hunting
babyg xxx

((((EJ711)))) Thanks. I've never been good at thinking I'm worth much anyway, but I'll try.

Yep - I'm in my first year of a design engineering degree. It's a lot of work (my post in Anxiety is an example of that! ) but it's really interesting as well.

That's true. It's pretty much the only thing I have any work experience in, though - I did work experience at an architect's when I was 16, copying drawings into their CAD program, but that was only for a week...other than that, the only job I've had is at the supermarket. I don't know if I'd really have enough engineering knowledge to make myself useful yet.

((((((((Rio))))))))

excuse me for butting in but you have more worth than you realize! hang in there and you'll see it soon. trust me at your age...the world really is your oyster, all you have to do is one thing. the one thing i never done...BELIEVE in yourself and you'll get there. i've seen it many times over. I used to work with runaway kids and if they can do it...YOU can do it.

sorry i'll shut up now before i tick you off.

What're you talking about? Never good enough at anything? You're just not into retail. What's the big deal? Neither am I. In fact, the only thing I'm motivated to do these days is post on the internet. There's nothing wrong with you.

Thanks, Perna. I did send off emails to various companies, but didn't get much back. The most promising one said that he'd talk to his boss about it and let me know, but that was almost a month ago...other than that, I've either had replies saying they're not hiring interns, they haven't made their minds up yet as to whether they're hiring interns, or just no reply at all. I'd basically given up on getting a job that way. (I was talking to dad at the weekend, though, and he said not to give up quite yet - one of the people I emailed was a friend of his, who passed it on to his boss, and apparently the boss is still on holiday, so may not have seen the email).

I think I'd agree with that!

Thanks for the suggestions. I think the "rod man" job sounds the best (teaching sounds pretty stressful to me as well, to be honest ), but I Googled it and I can't find any results in the UK - is it an American term? I can't think of a British equivalent.

I did actually try and get a job in a hardware store when I was 16...that was my first job interview, and also my most intimidating - there were two of them there, one of them making notes of everything I said. I didn't get the job, and after the interview I was glad I didn't - although they'd told me it'd just be 6 hours on a Sunday, at the interview they told me it'd be 6 hours both days at the weekend, plus extra time during the week, and this would have been during my busiest year at school. Might be worth trying again if I can't find anything else, though, I guess.

I was considering finding work doing data entry...I made a similar post to this one last year , and it was one of the suggestions. It still sounds like quite a good one, although there's a chance I'd be asked to do general admin as well, which would mean phones... Then again, I've had a bit of practice at phoning recently, what with phoning the engineering companies and phoning around about flats for next year, so maybe I'd cope.

(((((Fuzzybear))))) Thanks.

Thanks, BabyG. Sorry you have the same problem. That's good you've found a way that works, though! I've never really been able to act confident - people always say I'm quiet, and when I'm nervous it's generally pretty obvious (unless I'm playing the violin, bizarrely ). I think I'm a bit better than I was, though...used to be that I'd try to avoid people completely, but since coming to uni I've managed to make a few friends.

Thanks!

It might be a US idea, not sure. But here, maybe you can find how you all do it looking at sites like these?

http://www.uktutors.com/

http://www.hometutorsdirectory.co.uk...lusTutors.html

It's basically just one-on-one with a kid who is having trouble getting on, needs a little help with their work over the summer hols? Pays 3-4 pounds an hour?

Thanks, RozG (like the new name!)...sorry, I missed your reply last night! And don't worry, you're certainly not ticking me off. You're right, it's just a hard thing to do.

((((RozG))))

Thanks, Edahn. The point is that I was using retail as a last resort, and when I made this post it felt like if I couldn't get a job in that then I couldn't get a job in anything. My dad also told me "there's nothing wrong with you" last year...apparently retail work is easy, anyone can do it, so why don't I want to? Maybe now that I have done it, and didn't like it, he'll understand...he basically told me I was getting a retail job last year, despite my protests. I found it just as hard getting a retail job then as I am now. But I think this time I'm going to look for something else.

Thanks, Perna. Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear - it was the rodman job I searched for and couldn't find any UK results, not the tutor one! One of my friends tutors, so I know they have them here. Not sure it'd be entirely my thing, though, I'm not too good with kids.