Trying To Find A Job And Failing Badly

[izifaddag]

I think the purpose of this post is to just relieve my frustration a little. I am all ears for advice but I am not sure there isn't anything that I have not already thought of.  
:huh:
At the beginning of July I finally managed to sort out my car problems and hit the road.  The fantasy was to go to Jackson, WY and get a job so I could hide from the heat and make a little money to supplement my meager SS.
It was fun - sort of - driving over here. I lost the center tongue jack for the trailer and also blew out a heater hose that puked out all my coolant. Kind passers by helped me enormously. There are some good hearts out there. 
I was forced to buy a new generator and fuel was used like water. I made it though. 
After some dithering about I backtracked to Alpine (south of Jackson Hole) to a travel center and got a job making pizzas in a Little Caesar's. I lasted 5 days. I managed 28 hours. 
A brutal fact hit me square between the eyes forcing me to face reality. I cannot stand for 5 hours at a time. I tire, my back and feet kill me. A 5 hour shift leaves me useless recovering just enough to begin the new shift.
I feel very stupid. I feel like I have failed. 
The original idea of supplementing my social security has rapidly run into a brick wall. I am too old for most work. I just can't leap around like a gazelle anymore. I could sit answering a phone or even driving rental cars but these jobs do not seem to exist. 
I have spent so much time on Indeed and even Ziprecruiter that I have become an expert on manipulating their search engines. 
I can find absolutely nothing. 
Frankly I am out of ideas and starting to think that my $1000 a month from SS is going to have to be enough for the rest of my life. I am terrified of touching savings although I know I shall have to. I will need a 2nd LiFePho battery and definitely a 12v compressor cooler of some sort.
Expenses can be reduced by following the weather, avoiding running the generator too much by substituting solar and battery power. At the moment I am still recovering from the last shift slinging pepperoni like a Las Vegas poker dealer. Once my energy returns I shall see about continuing installing my solar panels. 
Like I said at the beginning  of this post I am just trying to verbalize my feelings of failure right now. I am not complaining - too much I hope - and I am open to input. I have a strong feeling I am not alone with this problem.

 

[ByeBye]

Living a simple life is rewarding in many ways, including financial.

Our rigs are different, our scenarios aren't.
I, too, had a great gig set up at Jackson Hole...till the panic.

Solar is probably best investment I made for the camper. Opens many more options for me

You'll find your sweet spot. Good luck!

 

[desert_sailing]

Here is a link to a company that hires at home phone reps.

https://www.liveops.com

Maybe it would work for you or others?

I don't know much about it yet. I checked some info about it online. I plan to  check it out more thoroughly and see if it fits me well.

Putting pieces together wherever we can.

 

[izifaddag]

Living a simple life is rewarding in many ways, including financial.

Our rigs are different, our scenarios aren't.
I, too, had a great gig set up at Jackson Hole...till the panic.

Solar is probably best investment I made for the camper. Opens many more options for me

You'll find your sweet spot. Good luck!

Thanks.
One of the biggest issues is the stupid mask. A solution that doesn't work for a problem that doesn't exist.
Nevertheless the entire country has turned hypochondriac and is dying to virtue signal by jumping onboard the current bandwagon.
So as you enter Jackson Hole you are greeted by electronic billboards that announce that by city ordinance everybody is expected to wear a facemask. They serve no purpose but wear 'em anyway. OR ELSE!!
I have discovered that I cannot breathe with the stupid thing on and neither could anybody else I worked with. I must say management were extremely understanding about the muzzle and it wasn't really enforced. None of the staff in the actual store wore one at all. Funny thing, I never saw one person drop down dead. 
Same applies to all the shops in Alpine including the supermarket. Maybe sanity is returning to small town America. 
Yet another reason I am unemployable now. I will NOT wear a facemask. Never. I tried and I could not do it. Not if I wished to continue breathing anyway. So I guess I am done.
Maybe next year will be better. I intend spending the winter in Quartszite and I am going to try for a job again. I have hopes for the Big Tent and a summer job in a campground. Might not be too bad. $8 an hour is better than nothing.

 

[bullfrog]

Go to coolworks.com search for shuttle driver or night audit lodge jobs or reservation clerk at boat rentals at major lakes at major concessionaires to the National Parks. You may want to take advantage of air conditioned housing until you get your build done it is $50 a month for an employee full hook up site here at Lake Powell they should have short time openings as some college students go back to home or school but if not government should be sending some aid till they do. We cleaned bathrooms for four hours a day over other’s days off a couple days a week for a free full hook up site at Escapee’s parks once. The Escapees Care Center is always looking for drivers or kitchen help a few hours a day for a free spot and some meals. There are ways to supplement your income without getting paid and volunteers are usually accommodated and well treated much better than paid workers we have found. National Parks when the visitor centers open up usually have information/clerk jobs filled by volunteers for a free site as well. Quit being resistant to wearing safety equipment. It is easy to find or make a face covering that works and is easy to breath thru. Muslim women have always worn them, nurses and doctors wear them, even fishermen wear them to avoid cancer. You will have a difficult time finding a job with so many people at risk in essential jobs wanting to stay well so they can work. The main reason to wear the mask it’s to keep others well.

 

[izifaddag]

Here is a link to a company that hires at home phone reps.

https://www.liveops.com

Maybe it would work for you or others?

I don't know much about it yet. I checked some info about it online. I plan to  check it out more thoroughly and see if it fits me well.

Putting pieces together wherever we can.

Thank you very very much. I will investigate. The one I spotted was Sitel but they want a lot of unreasonable equipment 'musts'. Everything must be hardwired which is ridiculous nowadays. So that means it is no good for nomads. We tend to do everything wireless. Again thanks I will definitely look.

 

[izifaddag]

Go to coolworks.com search for shuttle driver or night audit lodge jobs or reservation clerk at boat rentals at major lakes at major concessionaires to the National Parks. You may want to take advantage of air conditioned housing until you get your build done it is $50 a month for an employee full hook up site here at Lake Powell they should have short time openings as some college students go back to home or school but if not government should be sending some aid till they do. We cleaned bathrooms for four hours a day over other’s days off a couple days a week for a free full hook up site at Escapee’s parks once.  The Escapees Care Center is always looking for drivers or kitchen help a few hours a day for a free spot and some meals. There are ways to supplement your income without getting paid and volunteers are usually accommodated and well treated much better than paid workers we have found. National Parks when the visitor centers open up usually have information/clerk jobs filled by volunteers for a free site as well.

Thanks for your input Bullfrog. I have found nothing on Coolworks.com. I have been looking on there for at least 6 months and zero results.
I am afraid I need money so working for just a spot is not really for me. Finding free places to park is not that much of a problem. Although I must admit if it meant free electricity it is tempting. Shutting off the generator completely is not a bad idea at all. 
I will explore the Escapee's Care Center, I know nothing about this and all leads are helpful. Once again Bullfrog thanks for taking the trouble.

 

[bullfrog]

Call the major companies and submit an application even if no jobs are listed. Try calling locations directly and ask to speak with the managers or HR you will probably have better luck. I usually go there and volunteer then find a paying job, it helps to be on site.

 

[izifaddag]

Call the major companies and submit an application even if no jobs are listed. Try calling locations directly and ask to speak with the managers or HR you will probably have better luck. I usually go there and volunteer then find a paying job, it helps to be on site.

That makes much better sense. 
Go and work for a spot then angle for a paying job. A good idea. When you say a 'major company' would do you mean?

 

[Qxxx]

Izi, some of the people around here are wearing "face shields" who do physical labor. The shields apparently satisfy the face mask mandate that is in effect here. OTOH, I'd say that 80% or more of the people here are ignoring the mandate, in any case. 

There are plenty of states and cities with minimal or no requirements, so you might go there to look for a job.
https://www.littler.com/publication...g-your-face-mask-duties-list-statewide-orders

 

[tx2sturgis]

You are not that far from Sturgis, the bike rally is about to happen, and ALL venues and ALL campgrounds need help during the rally.

Yes, it might only be employment for a few weeks, but very often, especially at campgrounds, you dont pay for the campsite, and they pay you to work.

At campgrounds the work you might apply for could be maintenence, groundskeeping, security, restaurant/bar help, customer service, ticket/wristband sales, etc etc.

Typical venues might need cooks, barbacks, cleanup, janitors, general help, security, t-shirt sales etc.

Many of these places will hire part time, even during the rally. You might sit under an umbrella for 4 hours and check wristbands as riders enter and exit a campground. Or you might drive a tractor or side-by-side around a campground picking up trash, such as beer cans, etc. Or you might end up selling hot dogs at the snack counter...who knows....but they need help and if you have a camping unit of some kind, you will likely be accommodated.

Of course, this year is a weird year, and I dont know how many, or if any, employers will require masks...that is something you would have to ask. Ask about the mask!

I would check all the websites for job openings.

I can't possibly type out all of the thousands of venues and campgrounds, but here are a few of the larger ones:


https://www.glencoecamp.com/contact/employment

https://www.buffalochip.com/COMMUNITY/Employment

https://fullthrottlesaloon.com/pages/employment

If I had a choice, I'd prefer to work at Glencoe...its got it all....and I wont provide details, but lets just say, if your eyes are working, they will like it there.


Then some of the smaller ones:

https://www.sturgiscampgrounds.com/

Something to consider, at least.

 

[bullfrog]

Major concessionaires like Aramark or any of the linked National Park ones on coolworks.com. There are several. You could call the parks themselves I guess and ask for the person in charge of concessions as well. He deals directly with them and should have a list of contact numbers.

 

[mjbeam64]

Try making a mask using a material with a different weave. Lots of things can be done through pantyhose for example, even breathing. If that is too restrictive, try some netting like they use for catching fish. Eventually you will find something that you can breath through. The mask doesn't need to be effective, it just needs to meet the requirement.

 

[bullfrog]

The main purpose of the mask is to catch any mist or water droplets that you expelled from your body as you can have the virus without ever knowing it and infect others that several days later can become severely ill and die. It can hang freely in front of and to the sides of your nose and mouth. A vail or scarf can be effective. Some face shields now have a curtain that tucks in that doesn’t physically touch your face. Cowboys didn’t like them either but it was better than eating dust without one. ATV/UTV riders learned how bad dust is and have some really nice solutions as well. Most work places will if they don’t already require them and are legally in trouble if an employee’s estate can prove a wrongful death.

 

[WanderingRose]

If you’re refusing to wear a mask during this pandemic, when so many places are requiring them, you are really limiting already limited options.

Perhaps reconsider, then apply for anything and everything, take what you get first, and get started.

Always easier to get another job if you are already working, in my experience.

Good luck.

 

[izifaddag]

You are not that far from Sturgis, the bike rally is about to happen, and ALL venues and ALL campgrounds need help during the rally.

Many thanks for going to so much trouble with that post. It is a very promising idea. I will be following up on it.

 

[izifaddag]

If you’re refusing to wear a mask during this pandemic, when so many places are requiring them, you are really limiting already limited options.

Perhaps reconsider, then apply for anything and everything, take what you get first, and get started.

Always easier to get another job if you are already working, in my experience.

Good luck.

There is no pandemic. There is no reason to wear a mask. I will not encourage this insanity by cooperating. So naturally I refuse so should you. Every thinking person should try some investigation and also refuse once they see the facts. The job thing will eventually shake out - without wearing a silly mask that does no good. The mask is a solution that doesn't work for a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[izifaddag]

The main purpose of the mask is to catch any mist or water droplets that you expelled from your body as you can have the virus without ever knowing it and infect others that several days later can become severely ill and die. It can hang freely in front of and to the sides of your nose and mouth. A vail or scarf can be effective. Some face shields now have a curtain that tucks in that doesn’t physically touch your face. Cowboys didn’t like them either but it was better than eating dust without one. ATV/UTV riders learned how bad dust is and have some really nice solutions as well. Most work places will if they don’t already require them and are legally in trouble if an employee’s estate can prove a wrongful death.

They do not work. It is pointless. I will not wear one.

 

[izifaddag]

Try making a mask using a material with a different weave. Lots of things can be done through pantyhose for example, even breathing. If that is too restrictive, try some netting like they use for catching fish. Eventually you will find something that you can breath through. The mask doesn't need to be effective, it just needs to meet the requirement.

I like your thinking.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Hey listen, trying to find a job and finding it difficult is one thing, but dismissing a world-wide pandemic as some kind of hoax or whatever, is another thing entirely.

I have an acquaintance, 39 years old, who was down for 3 weeks with covid, and I knew a couple of people in their 50's in the area who have died from it. We have even had some celebrities die from it. 

Worldwide over a half a million people have died from covid...as of end of July, 2020.

I agree that the typical masks worn by most of us are at best, useless, and at worst, a repository for the virus, that sits on your cabinet or table when you get home, whatever that home might be.

Suppose you could make some money by sweeping the floors for one day in the infectious ICU 'covid wing' of your closest big hospital...and no mask or other PPE allowed.

Would you do it for $100? $500? $1000? $10,000? Or no amount of money?

I'd let someone else do it...I'm an old fart, and whatever time I have left, I value more than money.