[FreeSpirit]

Sometimes it takes a while to find a job. Start looking NOW instead of after your trip. There's always something to wait for. "I'll wait until after my trip." then "I'll wait until Christmas..." then "I'll wait until New Years." etc etc. There's always an excuse, it was the same way for me with weight loss. Always waiting until xyz. If you want it then go for it now. Everyone is hiring for the holidays, and even if it's only temporary it's still $$ and experience.

[Linsy]

I was going to wait until after my trip because I figured if I got lucky and got an interview/job before then and then wasn't available during my trip it would cost me landing the job. Am I wrong in thinking this? I'd rather start looking now to be honest, it's not that I'm putting it off.

[Linsy]

Also, does anyone have any other tips as to WHERE an inexperienced socially awkward 18 year old could work? LOL. Restaurants? Fast food? Grocery stores? I live in a very small and VERY poor city so finding jobs is probably even more difficult, especially because I can't go out of town...there is a place around the corner from my house with a Wingstop, a sub sandwich shop, a Mexican restaurant and a couple of stores. Do you need to have work experience to be a cashier? I don't know how this whole job thing works at all, sorry haha. I live in lala land!

[LindseyLou]

Originally Posted by shcirerf

Unless your living with your parents is really crappy for some reason you don't have to move out.

The reality is without a college education it's going to be tough to find a job that pays enough to support yourself without roommates or a second job.

I totally agree!!!

You might even be able to get a job AT the school. I know my old community college back home they had work-study programs. I had a good friend that did that, she worked at the college's coffee shop and she didn't have a car. She rode the bus until she could afford a car. They worked around her class schedule. I would definitely look into something like that if you can!

You might also be more interested in a vocational kind of program. Instead of a college degree, now many schools offer diploma programs in medical assisting, phlebotomy and pharmacy technician, medical records technician, and like shcirerf mentioned cosmetology! I was never really "academic" I did good in my classes, but I felt like I thrived more in a hands-on learning environment, I ended up taking a medical assisting type program, landed a great job at the local hospital. The only reason I left that job because I truly loved it was I was moving out of state. Now, I've started my bachelor's after seeing over the years you REALLY NEED an education nowadays. If you want to be independent and live comfortably I would HIGHLY recommend getting an education of some sort! You're young too! Do it now. I'm 24 and I've got about a a year or so left to finish my B.A.! I wish I would have been more serious about it when I was 18 or 19!!!

Don't let your weight hold you back, life is WAY too short for that!!!!!

Good luck!