New Depression in Los Angeles?

Emailed comments from a jobseeker

1.  How long have you been unemployed or looking for work?

-------I have been looking for a job since I moved from Berkeley to Downey

in June. I have never had a problem in the past with finding a job and now it's been nearly 5 months(!) and still no job offers.

2.  What is your field of expertise?

-------I mainly worked in retail and customer service before going back to school in 2002. Since my children were getting ready to move out of the house, I wanted to focus on something that I was truly interested in, something with meaning, y'know? I ended up w/an Associate's degree in Business Management and Supervision and then decided to transfer to UCB so I can study something I had passion for- the environment. I had to narrow in on a particular topic so I chose to focus on urban agriculture and the benefits provided for those who are faced w/food security issues.

3.  How old are you?  (trying to get a demographic picture of who is unemployed and who is working)

-------44, a young 44, lol. white, female, single...

4.  What have you been doing with your time (since you are not working?) 

Looking for work! I literally sit at the computer for hours and hours, job searching and filling out applications. I started by going directly to a place to inquire if they are hiring, and every single time they tell me to go to their website and fill out an application; so impersonal! My whole day is consumed w/finding work, I don't even have rent for next month yet! (Sorry, you caught me at a time when I'm starting to get a little panicky about being able to pay all my bills.)

5.  What methods are you using to look for work?

-------I still ask just about everyone I come across-stores, restaurants-if they know of anyone that is hiring. The answer is always no. So directly asking a place if they are hiring is 1, networking is 2, computer searching is 3... Any ideas on new methods?( I'm really trying to stay legal and moral!)

6.  What have been the most difficult -- and most rewarding -- aspects of the job search?  The most difficult is being turned down from a position that truly interests me, because there's not that many positions that I get excited about.

The most rewarding, hmmmm... I guess being able to talk/email with a lot of different people. Oh, and staying positive is getting more difficult with each and every day and I am normally a very positive person.

7.  What are your short, medium, long-term plans in regards to the world of work?

-------Short plans--take any job offered because I am broke! Medium  plans--start looking (if I don't already have) for a job that has meaning.

Long plans--to find a position in which I am truly making a difference in our world...