Finding a Job in East TNWell, I thought I would share my frustration with finding a good job here in East TN. It seems as if there are plenty of minimum wage jobs and jobs that pay way less than equivalent jobs elsewhere. I grew up here, and I love the beauty of the area. I found a woman and moved to Western KY. After a divorce, I moved back home, and have regretted it ever since. I worked at a major retailer as an Appliance Salesperson, which was awful, the only people who got ahead at that job were pushy and dishonest with their customers. Something that I as a veteran and with some moral fiber refused to do. So that didn' t work out. I then went to work at a Cellular Refurbishing plant, which showed me what people considered a "good" job here is very close to working in a sweat shop. We weren' t allowed to even breathe without permission and we were not allowed to leave everyday till we were released. How parents who worked there managed their lives I will never know. I managed to give a two weeks notice there, saying I had a promising career in another field. Well, that was untrue, I am now unemployed and can' t find anything worthwhile other than other factory jobs that pay way less than what factories in other parts of the country pay and jobs that I would be competing with High School kids for. I only have a HS diploma and two years of college, some military experience (infantry, nothing that can be applied to a civilian job) and way too much retail and retail management experience. I hate to say it, but I feel like I am at the end of my rope, I really think I made a mistake moving back home here and am now stuck. If anyone else knows of any good job opportunities here that actually have a future, lemme know. I totally understand your frustration as I too have just returned to E TN. I did formal educational training in St.. Louis, MO for medical assisting and now am back in small town USA and they don' t even seem to know what an MA is. There are jobs to be had, unfortunately as you' ve pointed out they are jobs that don' t pay or are general labor so you end up battling for it with everyone else out there looking. Not sure what part of E TN you are in but we are in small town Athens. There is more industry and agriculture here than anything else. You think when you pick a field of study in the health care field that you can' t go wrong, right? Well around here, you have to wait for someone to retire or get fired! I guess that' s a good thing if you do actually land a job though, since the physicians have such a good track record of maintaining and keeping their staff happy. I just wish I could somehow find my way into that inner circle. Listen though, don' t discount your Military experience. My husband ETSed in Dec 05. Granted he' d been in for 12 1/2 years mostly as a supply SGT. He was scared to death too that there wouldn' t be anything out there for him. It is terrifying to go civilian when your experience is military based. A lot of people respect your service to your country and that gives you a leg up when they see it on your resume. You have qualities that you most likely don' t acknowledge in yourself I' m sure. It' s not easy to be military, regardless of what position you held. I encourage you to keep your chin up and be proud of the things that you do well. Carry yourself with confidence and remember that around here, your word is your honor. They still care about someone being there face to face that can hold eye contact. Anyone can have skill and learned ability, however, personality, loyalty, team spirit, and willingness are often missing. There is a market full of employers out there that are looking for people just like you and me too. We just have to get in their faces and make a personal appearance for them to get past seeing us as one dimensional! Good luck to you and HANG IN THERE! I' m sure something is just waiting right around the corner for both of us Which do you regret, the move or the divorce? Did the woman have a good job? Maybe you can find another one. The place where you weren' t allowed to leave, did you wear an orange jumpsuit? You don' t like the factory jobs you' ve found, how about construction? If you' re unemployed, it seems to me you don' t need a job with a future, you just need a job. | |
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