I have discovered something about my mom

[smileyeagle1021]

Namely that she has no fucking clue what reality is. I have the job at the casino, and I know I need to get out of it (I am not able to sustain myself off of it, all it is doing is slowing down how quickly I lose money compared to being unemployed), but she keeps telling me, look for accounting jobs, don't just settle for another food/bev/hospitality job.
I want to know what fantasy land she is living in. There hasn't been an entry level accounting job anywhere in this country since 2007, and in this state that might be even further back. I knew the entire time I was going through college that I was studying a dead field, but was hoping that the economy would turn around... which in fairness, it has absolutely boomed in the last several years... in China. She acts as if I don't want to get an accounting job. Seriously, I would love nothing more than the last 6 years I spent in college to get my bachelors degree to not be useless, I'd love nothing more than to have something to show for my student debt, and most of all, I'd kill to have an income that I can actually support myself and a family off of. I know that I will never be approved for adoption with my current income, not that it matters, because I wouldn't even try right now, because I know that if I can't support myself, I have no business trying to support a family. I know to get that kind of income, I can't still be working in food/bev/hosp.
It's not as if I haven't been trying. I've even been applying for jobs that traditionally don't even require a degree and have been shot down for lack of experience. I have applied for positions that have explicitly stated "entry level" in the description, but gotten a reply back that I didn't have enough experience. Entry level is a myth, just because companies are still posting positions that they claim are entry level, none of them will actually hire entry level... apparently they just like putting that in so they can have extra work going through the thousands of resumes they receive from those of us who are desperate to start our lives. My soul dies a little every day that I go into work, and that is a condemnation of the industry, not the company. As much as I try to tell myself that any job is a good job as long as it is a job well done (even Ayn Rand conceded that much, and she had very few kind things to say for those who weren't extraordinary), I can't help but thinking that it is an absolute waste to have gone to school for 6 years and then never use it. It is a job that can be well done by people who have a passion for working with the public with a lot less education that I have.
But, apparently I just like working in a field that in no way uses my degree and just am not applying myself enough to finding a better job.

[Ben_Who]

Unfortunately, parents are really really good at offering employment advice that is of zero practical value. They don't really understand our qualifications, especially if those qualifications are technical. Nor are they up-to-date on things like expected pay and benefits, hourly vs. salaried, any employment law that went into effect in the last ten years, or our own budgets and needs.

They may also not be aware of the employment situation - whether there are available jobs in your field in your area. Talking heads on television are talking about "the economy" in vast abstractions and statistics, and they may not see how that applies to us on a practical level. My mother is one of those "any job is better than no job" people immune to assertions of exploitative asshole bosses paying beans and sabotaging efforts to find other work.

Unfortunately, you may have to put up with it; I'm not sure whether trying to school her would have any advantage. My co-workers are constantly surprised at what DATE it is, much less what the price of gas and heating oil might be from week to week, and it's possible they may be impervious to explanations.

[Food Lady]

My co-workers are constantly surprised at what DATE it is

This totally made me . Everything else you said is spot-on.

[Gizmo]

I had the same with my inlaws with "get a *local* job" rather than one of the three major cities around where I live. It took until I was unemployed for a long time to get them to stop saying it!

*hugs*

[KiaKat]

Around here there are a few accountants who work as bookkeepers and account-keepers for the local small businesses. Any chance you could freelance in that for a little while, to get some experience?

[Tanasi]

Maybe a way to get some experience is in the hotel business. Most of the large chains Hilton brands, Holiday Inn brands have 2 or more people in their accounting offices. Apply to be a desk clerk and then try to become the night auditor. Then after a while let it be known that you'd like a chance in accounting. I know several people have done this and several have gone on to big accounting firms. I know it's not a direct way in or even guaranteed but it's a chance and that beats the heck out of no chance.

[Pixilated]

Unfortunately, parents are really really good at offering employment advice that is of zero practical value. *snip*

They may also not be aware of the employment situation - whether there are available jobs in your field in your area.
*snip*

It's not just parents -- my younger sister has pretty much the same "anybody can find a job; if you can't find a job you're just not trying" attitude. I am not doing well in my current college program ... in fact, there's a possibility I might not make it through the year ... and I have no doubt she'll consider it a personal failure on my part (luckily she's not likely to say it to my face; more than likely she'll vent to our brother, poor guy ...)

Smileyeagle, I'm sorry for your situation. It's hard enough to be struggling with inadequate jobs, and looking for one in your field with no luck, without having people imply that somehow you are at fault, even though they may not consciously intend to imply that. You could try explaining the realities of today's economy to your mom, but whether it would do any good is something you would know better than I.

[wolfie]

Smiley, it looks like you've got 2 problems that you're looking to solve:

1. Short term: find a job (any job) where you can make ends meet.
2. Long term: find a job where you can put your accounting degree to use.

Instead of a generic accounting job, you might have a better chance looking for a "niche" job in a field where you have experience with the industry. Telephone relay probably isn't enough of a niche to have accounting companies specializing in it, and casinos probably don't have entry-level accounting jobs. Someone's already suggested hotels, but there are other possibilities.

While you're still working at the casino, would you also be able to take on a part-time job with one of the franchised tax services? It might be a bit late to get on this year (busy season already started). An accounting degree would probably mark you as "overqualified" for such a position on a full-time basis, but for a seasonal temp their risk in hiring someone who's "likely to leave as soon as they find a better job" is minimal so long as they figure you'll stay until April 15th.

I'm assuming that, in order to get the casino job, you had to pass a criminal background check and prove that you're able to pee in a bottle. Have you considered trucking? Some of the larger companies pay for training (so you wouldn't be out of pocket) - but stay away from any "instant owner-operator" (buy or lease your own truck as your first trucking job) programs. You WILL be away from home for a few weeks at a time, and the pay scale is fairly flat (drivers with years of experience don't get significantly more than people with the ink barely dry on their CDL). For someone at the entry level (especially if it's a "tide you over until you can get a good job in your field" job), that's a plus.

There are a few companies out there that specialize in doing bookkeeping for truck drivers, especially owner-operators. What do you think their reaction would be if a resume crossed their desk, where the applicant had an accounting degree, experience as a part-time seasonal tax preparer, and a few years in the trucking industry? I'm using trucking as an example because it's the field I'm most familiar with, but there are probably other industries where you could lay down a few "stepping stones" (including a job that would solve problem #1) that would make yourself attractive to a "niche" accounting firm.

[smileyeagle1021]

There are casinos that actually will do entry level... if you are already working for them and they know what type of worker you are. So, I'm kind of hoping that when I'm eligible for transfer there will be something upstairs in the accounting office open up where I am. And right now I'm not going to jump ship just for a job that does a better job of making ends meet... having one short term job is understandable to an employer, times are tough, and you take what you can get... two in a row though, and no one will want to hire.
As far as the part time tax preparers, it is too late to get in on that... besides, those positions really don't do anything to build your resume... those commercials with the plumber recognizing his tax client aren't an exageration, you really can be a plumber with no experience and work there. It wouldn't hurt my resume, but having it on there would be a matter of "so what, any idiot can do that".

[Sapphire Silk]

As far as the part time tax preparers, it is too late to get in on that... besides, those positions really don't do anything to build your resume... those commercials with the plumber recognizing his tax client aren't an exageration, you really can be a plumber with no experience and work there. It wouldn't hurt my resume, but having it on there would be a matter of "so what, any idiot can do that".

Yeah, my tax preparer at one of those places was an LPN who took on the seasonal job for the extra bucks. That was the last year I used a tax preparer; I realized I could do just as good a job myself with TurboTax at home.

I tell my nursing students that if they have a hard time finding an entry level job, to work in a flu clinic. But the difference between that an many fields is you have to have a license to practice nursing, so you don't get the "any idiot can do that," that you'd get with tax preparation. But even then, flu clinics don't give students a helpful edge when looking for a entry level job. The job market for nursing tightened up after 2007 because a lot of hospitals cut back.

It sucks your Mom doesn't get this, but there's no helping it, either. I think it's great that you're at least working some. You're caught in the same trap a lot of people are right now: not enough jobs, too many applicants with more pouring out because programs are not telling students its a dead end job wise. Odds are you'll be able to find something in your field when the economy recovers and heats up. The key will be keeping up with continuing education, which I hope you're doing.

[Blue Ginger]

Different country, same shit from my parents.

I spent for April 2009 to May 2012 living & working in Dublin and London. Came home to Oz, wanted a month off and then started job hunting.

Yep, job hunting went so bloody well when my parents started renovations on the rental property that is nearly 100km away. Guess who had to travel back and forth all the time to deal with tradies and all the other crap that comes with renovating? With 2 parents who took 3 months to decide on tiles, let alone everything else. It took from June until December to gut and replace 2 bathrooms.

And now they are bitching that I am still not working. How do you even begin to explain that massive gap in your CV?

Head meet desk.

[EricKei]

I think that maybe the issue with many of these businesses is terminology -- When they say "entry-level", I'm guessing they don't mean new people fresh out of school....They mean that they want experienced workers who are willing to ACCEPT training-level/bottom-basement wages x.x