Jobs

[Madam, I'm Adam]

I just got a part-time job as a bellboy, which is completely different from my full-time career. Laugh if you want - I certainly am - but if anyone has any advice about working in hotel/as a bellboy, I'd be very appreciative.

[PuffinMuffin]

I just got a part-time job as a bellboy, which is completely different from my full-time career. Laugh if you want - I certainly am - but if anyone has any advice about working in hotel/as a bellboy, I'd be very appreciative.

Not laughing, but requesting a fit pic.

[nevrwasben]

Expand Quote

I just got a part-time job as a bellboy, which is completely different from my full-time career. Laugh if you want - I certainly am - but if anyone has any advice about working in hotel/as a bellboy, I'd be very appreciative.

[close]

Not laughing, but requesting a fit pic.

+1 to Muffin’s request
Also (Capn Obvs here) just be super polite/eager to please and don’t expect shit in return, but hope for the best

**also also, never been a bellboy

[Madam, I'm Adam]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I just got a part-time job as a bellboy, which is completely different from my full-time career. Laugh if you want - I certainly am - but if anyone has any advice about working in hotel/as a bellboy, I'd be very appreciative.

[close]

Not laughing, but requesting a fit pic.

[close]

+1 to Muffin’s request
Also (Capn Obvs here) just be super polite/eager to please and don’t expect shit in return, but hope for the best

**also also, never been a bellboy

I start next Saturday so I’ll definitely take a pic once they give me my uniform haha. I doubt it’ll be the old timey red button up jacket and pill hat…I mean I hope not. It’s a swanky joint so maybe

[Coastal Fever]

Where’s that bellboy fit homie?

Any Insurance heads in here?  I’ve never done anything like it, and I have zero interest in cold call sales, but it’s been on my mind as a career option.  Basically I’m over getting paid shit wages at my dead-end construction job, but going back to school isn’t viable for me as I have a house and car and stuff to pay for. 

I’ve heard some companies will train from the ground up and there’s lots of opportunity for advancement.  Is it as soul-sucking as people say, or is it something you can switch off at the end of the day?  I know there’s lots of different jobs in it.. CSR, claims adjuster, underwriter, etc.  Any recommendations or input would be much appreeshed.

[TheLurper]

Similar to Leticia, I've sold out.

Hoping this shit is only temporary, so I can return to my old job, but in a better location and with better pay.

Work is bullshit. Who gets paid well and who gets paid shit is nonsense. The corporate hierarchy is class warfare against those who actually work. The people below me work their asses off and get fucked and the people above me don't do much and are rewarded with 6 figure salaries.

When someone below me gets sick no one fucking cares, but when someone above me has a dog who is afraid to get a haircut the whole office makes sympathy cards for the dog. (A bit of an exaggeration but not by much.)

Complete fucking nonsense.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

Similar to Leticia, I've sold out.

Hoping this shit is only temporary, so I can return to my old job, but in a better location and with better pay.

Work is bullshit. Who gets paid well and who gets paid shit is nonsense. The corporate hierarchy is class warfare against those who actually work. The people below me work their asses off and get fucked and the people above me don't do much and are rewarded with 6 figure salaries.

When someone below me gets sick no one fucking cares, but when someone above me has a dog who is afraid to get a haircut the whole office makes sympathy cards for the dog. (A bit of an exaggeration but not by much.)

Complete fucking nonsense.

^ Kinda true. Unless you work for yourself that is.

Working is kinda sick because without it, we'd probably still be cavemen. If people lived off the grid  there wouldn't be any time to skate since survival would be the main priority. But the power dynamics/social rules around work stink.

On another note, it's annoying as fuck to see people slinging houses/crypto trying to make a quick buck without doing anything essential.

[Kneesles]

Just put my notice in last week at the restaurant I've been at for 8.5 years. Worked my way up from line cook to being the Restaurant Services Director/Executive Chef. I am tiered of working 50+ hrs a week on salary and not being able to use any of my PTO due to staffing shortages and the company not wanting to place job postings to actually hire people. This has been going on for 1.5 years and it just isn't enjoyable anymore. A opportunity came up from an old manager of mine to be the Sous Chef at a zoo and I accepted it (was offered the Executive Chef position there a year ago but turned it down as it was more responsibility than I was willing to take on at the time). The pay is the same and I have a little more of a commute now but there is a lot of opportunity to advance and it will be nice being around people who are having a good time every day.

[El Nugjar]

I finish concrete for a company, in about a month I will be breaking away and starting my own business doing it.

[sometimeperhaps]

Expand Quote

Anybody have tips on getting a graphic design job? Like I’m currently working as one in-house and have years of experience but I’m trying to get into a proper studio or agency and have been struggling.

Basically my current position is super corporate and isn’t really doing design work, just an Adobe jockey and I’d like to not do that anymore.

[close]

In the design/creative world, as cliché as it is, it's about who you know.

Second, it's about your portfolio. I've hired rad dudes based on the things I've seen them post on their IG. They're constantly making things and posting it. There are tons of creatives out there and standing out is a chore in itself.

Keep sending cold emails and connecting with people on LinkedIn. If the AIGA is hosting an event in your area - go! It's one of those things where you just need to keep putting yourself out there in order to be seen.

What they said.

Networking is pretty huge at the start, so try as you can in that area.

Make sure your portfolio reflects the work you like and want to do, rather than the boring stuff you do on the daily. If that’s missing, get ready to dedicate some time to making a body of work. Be sure to include rationals or process as well. Let’s potential employers know you can think your way through a project. I personally had a mix of real world and personal projects in mine, as I felt like the personal stuff shows what I’m into and that I “live design” as lame as that sounds, but it shows that I’m somewhat passionate about what I do. It also lets you show some personality, which honestly is a pretty big deal. I think most people would rather hire someone who’s average skill wise, but gets along well with others than some egotistical superstar designer.

Also make sure your website/portfolio is well designed and by that I don’t mean super flashy, but make sure images are hi-res, basic design stuff like alignment and consistency, etc. I was involved in hiring at the last place I worked and I was amazed at the amount of basic inconsistencies I saw.

I’m not sure where you live and what the deal with remote work is in your spot, but right now seems like a pretty good time to be looking for jobs. I know my agency has been basically hiring various roles for the last few months.

[cky enthusiast]

i work at trader joe’s dog

[baroque_0bama]

I just recently left the Kitchen trade after 12 years. Living on unemployment now and thinking about other fields/ trades to go into so I can spend more time skating and having a life. Painting houses in SF sounds pretty sick, and it pays decently.

[IUTSM]

I just recently left the Kitchen trade after 12 years. Living on unemployment now and thinking about other fields/ trades to go into so I can spend more time skating and having a life. Painting houses in SF sounds pretty sick, and it pays decently.

I know a dude down that way who got an arborist certification or something similar through a community college and is cleaning up rich people's trees on the residential scale, nothing crazy, making like $75/hr if I'm not mistaken.


but ya, jobs... I don't know what I'm going to do in the near future. Not too stressed, but the job I'm working now is grant funded and that is wrapping up mid-June. I'll have this master's finished in less than a month as well, so that's a boost. I'm just not really sure where to go from here. I've got options at a couple local agencies and there are people already trying to contract me to go do what I do in their communities, so that's an ego boost if nothing else. I do think, however, that I want to take some time to chill and chill some more before diving into the field and doing clinical practice.

[Tommy G]

I'm currently working audiovisual for the city's tourism/convention department. It's a pretty chill job and I've been doing audiovisual for my church for years so I fit right in. Hopefully soon I can learn some IT stuff to have an edge on that whenever my boss is out.

[fredgallSOTY]

i tell people where to park at the state fair grounds

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Can someone teach me how to code? I know nothing. I need a real person. Give me all your time and attention!

[close]

A lot of my friends went through those immersive bootcamps and got a great job out of it within 3-6 months. Not a bad second career chance if you're looking for a change

I've have two former coworkers go into boot camps and graduate into $100k/y jobs, one coding the app at Starbucks and the other working for Microsoft.

These places functionally exist to drive down labor for skilled labor, but what that means for someone working for minimum wage is dramatically different than what it means for someone who was making $180,000 in their previous job.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

I need an $80k/yr job that doesn’t involve talking to people who need shit from me. I have a useless social science degree. Any suggestions?

[close]

In tech you can find a job that hits your salary range with just a few years of experience but human interaction is inevitable. Maybe something that’s more of an internal role such as operations or finance versus client facing like sales or client management

Honestly anyone with a basic IT education and a few certifications can easily earn this. If I were advising anyone about this right now, I'd say take some "Information Technology" courses at the local CC and get an AWS certification.

Obviously it's not realistic that no one will ask anything of you, but I used to work manual labor. I punched in at 9:30, I took a few 15 minutes breaks and a lunch, but otherwise I *worked* all day. I did ~35-40 hours of work a week. When I left for tech, I started timing it and there were weeks where I did literally 2 or 3 hours of work all week, but even on "busy" weeks I was performing labor ~10 hours a week.

[IUTSM]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I need an $80k/yr job that doesn’t involve talking to people who need shit from me. I have a useless social science degree. Any suggestions?

[close]

In tech you can find a job that hits your salary range with just a few years of experience but human interaction is inevitable. Maybe something that’s more of an internal role such as operations or finance versus client facing like sales or client management

[close]

Honestly anyone with a basic IT education and a few certifications can easily earn this. If I were advising anyone about this right now, I'd say take some "Information Technology" courses at the local CC and get an AWS certification.

Obviously it's not realistic that no one will ask anything of you, but I used to work manual labor. I punched in at 9:30, I took a few 15 minutes breaks and a lunch, but otherwise I *worked* all day. I did ~35-40 hours of work a week. When I left for tech, I started timing it and there were weeks where I did literally 2 or 3 hours of work all week, but even on "busy" weeks I was performing labor ~10 hours a week.

what does a tech or IT job look like? I have no frickin idea, but am curious to hear more. I started in with some linux stuff during the start of the pandemic but the kid who was teaching me was a wastoid and it never took off. Everyone I know who works with computers (I bet I sound hella ignorant right there) makes a nice salary and doesn't really work all that much. Little bit here, little bit there, sometimes a whole lot at once but not often

[TheLurper]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I need an $80k/yr job that doesn’t involve talking to people who need shit from me. I have a useless social science degree. Any suggestions?

[close]

In tech you can find a job that hits your salary range with just a few years of experience but human interaction is inevitable. Maybe something that’s more of an internal role such as operations or finance versus client facing like sales or client management

[close]

Honestly anyone with a basic IT education and a few certifications can easily earn this. If I were advising anyone about this right now, I'd say take some "Information Technology" courses at the local CC and get an AWS certification.

Obviously it's not realistic that no one will ask anything of you, but I used to work manual labor. I punched in at 9:30, I took a few 15 minutes breaks and a lunch, but otherwise I *worked* all day. I did ~35-40 hours of work a week. When I left for tech, I started timing it and there were weeks where I did literally 2 or 3 hours of work all week, but even on "busy" weeks I was performing labor ~10 hours a week.

[close]

what does a tech or IT job look like? I have no frickin idea, but am curious to hear more. I started in with some linux stuff during the start of the pandemic but the kid who was teaching me was a wastoid and it never took off. Everyone I know who works with computers (I bet I sound hella ignorant right there) makes a nice salary and doesn't really work all that much. Little bit here, little bit there, sometimes a whole lot at once but not often

A degree in computer science goes a long way.

Also, front end developers, full stack, and backend developers are in demand to say the least.

Once you get a couple years experience at a real company, you are worth your weight in gold.

[offkilter]

Where’s that bellboy fit homie?

Any Insurance heads in here?  I’ve never done anything like it, and I have zero interest in cold call sales, but it’s been on my mind as a career option.  Basically I’m over getting paid shit wages at my dead-end construction job, but going back to school isn’t viable for me as I have a house and car and stuff to pay for. 

I’ve heard some companies will train from the ground up and there’s lots of opportunity for advancement.  Is it as soul-sucking as people say, or is it something you can switch off at the end of the day?  I know there’s lots of different jobs in it.. CSR, claims adjuster, underwriter, etc.  Any recommendations or input would be much appreeshed.

I've been working as a claims adjuster for a few months now, I got the job without any prior insurance experience but I did have sales and call center experience. A few of my coworkers had jobs completely unrelated before though.
It's pretty trash honestly, I do prefer it to sales but at least at my company they push you so much to have a high call volume, but claims can require a ton of work and time and the math doesn't add up. The pay and benefits are good especially for my area (Tucson AZ.) I wouldn't really recommend it, being an auto damage adjuster is even worse as far as workload, and most companies are phasing out underwriting and service and slowly combining them into the claims job.

[burm]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I need an $80k/yr job that doesn’t involve talking to people who need shit from me. I have a useless social science degree. Any suggestions?

[close]

In tech you can find a job that hits your salary range with just a few years of experience but human interaction is inevitable. Maybe something that’s more of an internal role such as operations or finance versus client facing like sales or client management

[close]

Honestly anyone with a basic IT education and a few certifications can easily earn this. If I were advising anyone about this right now, I'd say take some "Information Technology" courses at the local CC and get an AWS certification.

Obviously it's not realistic that no one will ask anything of you, but I used to work manual labor. I punched in at 9:30, I took a few 15 minutes breaks and a lunch, but otherwise I *worked* all day. I did ~35-40 hours of work a week. When I left for tech, I started timing it and there were weeks where I did literally 2 or 3 hours of work all week, but even on "busy" weeks I was performing labor ~10 hours a week.

[close]

what does a tech or IT job look like? I have no frickin idea, but am curious to hear more. I started in with some linux stuff during the start of the pandemic but the kid who was teaching me was a wastoid and it never took off. Everyone I know who works with computers (I bet I sound hella ignorant right there) makes a nice salary and doesn't really work all that much. Little bit here, little bit there, sometimes a whole lot at once but not often

It's an exaggeration, but I would still say that in my experience most jobs in IT are mainly reading, and sometimes answering, emails and then going to meetings about the emails you didn't answer. The whole organisation is just a big hivemind where people have different specialities that they supposedly are more knowledgeable than others about and then they ask someone else about everything else, or try to collectively figure out a large topic, and then the actual work (programming) happens "somewhere else", where work is cheaper.

I looked around the office one time when I was working at a bank and thought to myself "I could do anyone's job in here. All anyone does is read emails, and then when you've read enough of them you become an 'expert'". Now working in a startup/scaleup where I can barely even do my own job

[Coastal Fever]

Thanks @offkilter I also talked to an old buddy who did a bit of everything insurance-related, and he more or less told me the same thing as you.  The money is tempting but I’m not sure I have what it takes to stick it out through the customer service side of things.  Hope you’re at least living comfortably from it though!

IT was another one I started researching.  The thought of being a self-taught dev wiz sounded pretty cool.  Until I realized how unrealistic that was as someone who isn’t really that into computers.  Talked to another old friend who took an IT course then left the industry altogether after his support desk job broke him.  He did enjoy HTML design, but said the majority of work was in Java/Python/etc, which was the most frustrating thing he’d ever done.  Again, just takes a certain type of person.

Looks like I’ll just keep being a broke ass labourer until I come up with some miraculous money making plan.  Or until my body breaks and I go back to working in a hardware store.  Someone did give me really good advice though, which was not to chase money, but to find problems in the world that you can profit from solving.

[baroque_0bama]

Expand Quote

I just recently left the Kitchen trade after 12 years. Living on unemployment now and thinking about other fields/ trades to go into so I can spend more time skating and having a life. Painting houses in SF sounds pretty sick, and it pays decently.

[close]

I know a dude down that way who got an arborist certification or something similar through a community college and is cleaning up rich people's trees on the residential scale, nothing crazy, making like $75/hr if I'm not mistaken.

Thats a solid idea! I'll definitely look into that. Thanks!

[TastyBurrito]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

[close]

[close]

Make sure your portfolio reflects the work you like and want to do, rather than the boring stuff you do on the daily. If that’s missing, get ready to dedicate some time to making a body of work. Be sure to include rationals or process as well. Let’s potential employers know you can think your way through a project.

This. If I'm hiring a designer for branding work, I'm hiring someone proficient in branding. I need illustration work? I'm hiring an illustrator. If I need a photo retoucher, I'm hiring a hardcore retoucher.

Being a jack-of-all-trades is cool. But most of the time, anyone hiring a designer is hiring them for their one specific skill that they do better than anyone else.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

[close]

[close]

I think most people would rather hire someone who’s average skill wise, but gets along well with others than some egotistical superstar designer.

An ego is the first thing to get you fired or blacklisted. I've met plenty of bungholes who were great designers, but couldn't take feedback and wouldn't do what was asked because they think they're right. Thick skin is needed in this industry, but remember, it's about the work, not your ego.

To add - there's a fine line between defending your work and the integrity of the work and being an arrogant asshole. I respect someone with a POV for their work (and can defend it by showing it) rather than someone who will just say flat out say "no." Like, I hired you. If you don't want to take my feedback and do the work, I'll find someone just as qualified that will collaborate and find a way to make the work work.

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

[close]

[close]

Also make sure your website/portfolio is well designed and by that I don’t mean super flashy, but make sure images are hi-res, basic design stuff like alignment and consistency, etc. I was involved in hiring at the last place I worked and I was amazed at the amount of basic inconsistencies I saw.

I tell designers this all the time. Never underestimate the power of Squarespace and or CargoCollective. If you can't code/design your own site, that's fine. So long as the work is presented well. I know tons of designers/illustrators that use stock sites. But just make sure the work is presented best foot forward.

[manysnakes]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

I need an $80k/yr job that doesn’t involve talking to people who need shit from me. I have a useless social science degree. Any suggestions?

[close]

In tech you can find a job that hits your salary range with just a few years of experience but human interaction is inevitable. Maybe something that’s more of an internal role such as operations or finance versus client facing like sales or client management

[close]

Honestly anyone with a basic IT education and a few certifications can easily earn this. If I were advising anyone about this right now, I'd say take some "Information Technology" courses at the local CC and get an AWS certification.

Obviously it's not realistic that no one will ask anything of you, but I used to work manual labor. I punched in at 9:30, I took a few 15 minutes breaks and a lunch, but otherwise I *worked* all day. I did ~35-40 hours of work a week. When I left for tech, I started timing it and there were weeks where I did literally 2 or 3 hours of work all week, but even on "busy" weeks I was performing labor ~10 hours a week.

[close]

what does a tech or IT job look like? I have no frickin idea, but am curious to hear more. I started in with some linux stuff during the start of the pandemic but the kid who was teaching me was a wastoid and it never took off. Everyone I know who works with computers (I bet I sound hella ignorant right there) makes a nice salary and doesn't really work all that much. Little bit here, little bit there, sometimes a whole lot at once but not often

It's a huge field what a lot of facets, but when you are talking to tech people and you say you're in "IT", it very generally means you're the person who makes the software and hardware work for an organization (as opposed to being a developer, who writes the software).

This guy is incredibly annoying, but this video is accurate about a path into IT.

[Magnolia]

Anyone have tips for negotiating a salary? I've never had an office job before so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. The initial offer was for 36.5k, I'm hoping to bump it up to at least 40k.

[burm]

Anyone have tips for negotiating a salary? I've never had an office job before so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. The initial offer was for 36.5k, I'm hoping to bump it up to at least 40k.

I don’t know how it’s in your area, but my experience is that any company that’s in any way big or established has salary tiers/grades they follow, so if your task belongs to the B grade, the B grade salary is all you are going to get. They might as well put it in the job ad upfront.

That being said there is usually some scale to allow for personal raises or experience bonuses, so if they are offering the minimum for the grade you might be able to bump it up. You miss 100% of the raises you don’t ask for, as Gretzky used to say.

[Magnolia]

Expand Quote

Anyone have tips for negotiating a salary? I've never had an office job before so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. The initial offer was for 36.5k, I'm hoping to bump it up to at least 40k.

[close]

I don’t know how it’s in your area, but my experience is that any company that’s in any way big or established has salary tiers/grades they follow, so if your task belongs to the B grade, the B grade salary is all you are going to get. They might as well put it in the job ad upfront.

That being said there is usually some scale to allow for personal raises or experience bonuses, so if they are offering the minimum for the grade you might be able to bump it up. You miss 100% of the raises you don’t ask for, as Gretzky used to say.

Technically my position got bumped up because of some prior experience (research assistant ➡️ research specialist)  so I'm hoping that will work in my favor. The initial offer is at the very top of the lowest pay tier so I was hoping I could break into that one. Thanks for the insight!

[exlurker]

Expand Quote

Anyone have tips for negotiating a salary? I've never had an office job before so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. The initial offer was for 36.5k, I'm hoping to bump it up to at least 40k.

[close]

I don’t know how it’s in your area, but my experience is that any company that’s in any way big or established has salary tiers/grades they follow, so if your task belongs to the B grade, the B grade salary is all you are going to get. They might as well put it in the job ad upfront.

That being said there is usually some scale to allow for personal raises or experience bonuses, so if they are offering the minimum for the grade you might be able to bump it up. You miss 100% of the raises you don’t ask for, as Gretzky used to say.

Definitely try, though. Companies rely on that kind of awkward feeling you're feeling to lowball folks. Even if you have no other job options readily available, even if you'd happily take "no" for an answer - make a point of asking for more. It's not impolite or ungrateful.

[fredgallSOTY]

just got another job working at the cafe in the local co-op pretty hype