This might be a really bad idea but I'm making this post as a desperate attempt for help, I feel like this may be the only social media community that seems to understand what American workers are going through.
Basically, I've been out of a job since January of this year. I've been working since July of 2018, a month after a graduated high school. My first job was at the now-closed Sears in Victorville. I had that job for around 18 months and I was laid off a month before the stores closure in February of 2020, which just so happened to coincide with the “start” of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Sears was the longest lasting Job I had, since my lay-off at Sears. I've only been able to find seasonal work that doesn't last any longer than 5 months and even seasonal positions are difficult to acquire. Just to give you an idea on how much trouble I'm having finding work, over the past 21 days of this month, I have applied to 47 jobs. 23 of them rejected me and the other 24 have just ghosted me.
I'm trying to get out of retail, it's a hellish work environment that I can't put up with any longer. Unfortunately, retail is widely seen as a “low-skill work environment” and it seems pretty much impossible for someone who started with retail to escape it. Furthermore, most companies aren't willing to offer training anymore no matter how small their job requirements are. One of the 47 jobs I tried applying for was my local florist and bowling alley because those are some jobs I think I can do but alas, I was rejected by both.
I recently applied with a staffing agency known as ICR. ICR is only willing to give me temporary work due to the “low skill” nature of retail. The fact that I've been working in retail for 4?ish years doesn't matter to them.
My folks are becoming increasingly frustrated that I haven't moved out on my own yet. They don't seem to be aware of the dire state of the economy, job market and rent and I've become convinced that Gen X and Boomers are simply incapable of understanding what things are like right now.
I want and need to find long-term employment and I was wondering if this subreddit has any people in San Bernardino county who might be able to provide any assistance, whether it be job recommendations, connections etc.