IT Certification Could Be a Short-Term Solution to a Long-Term Goal

Dear Papabear, 

So I'm having trouble with getting out of my toxic household and commissions haven't been of much help. My job has cut my hours and I feel very lost on how to escape. Been trying to apply to other jobs but so far I've been getting silence and a mountain of rejections. How can I get out of this mess as quickly as possible?

Blitz

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Hi, Blitz,

I'd like to have more information before I offer advice on this one, please. Here are some questions:

1. What education do you currently have?
2. What is your current job?
3. What are your career goals?
4. What types of jobs are you applying for?
5. Are you living in a small community with few opportunities, or a large one?
6. What job skills do you currently have?

Answering these will help.

Hugs,
Papabear

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1. Nearly done with my A.A. for Art/Art Education
2. Currently working as a biller/authorization specialist at a psychology office. The pay is abysmal now that my hours are cut, making it harder for me to move out.
3. My career goals are to get to combine what I love and live for (which is art) with trying my best to help people out, whether it's to entertain (video game industry) or to comfort with the help of creativity (art therapy).
4. Been applying to are multitude of store clerk/cashier jobs and a few fast food places. Still nothing from any of them.
5. I live in a fairly medium sized community but nobody really interacts with each other so... it's a little lonely here. And as far as I'm concerned, opportunity doesn't really present itself much over here given how expensive everything is. Florida is notorious for being expensive.
6. I'm currently certified with using Microsoft Office (even have a certificate for it. Completed the testing during High School). I now have plenty of experience with customer service over the phone and I have developed decent communication skills. I'm fluent in both English and Spanish whilst having a vague understanding of written French (I can roughly translate some of it).

Blitz

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Hi, Blitz,

Art therapy can be an immensely satisfying job. I have a friend who is an art therapist in Fresno and he enjoys it greatly. But to get a job in that field you really need at least a master's degree, so after you get your AA, you will need a minimum of three more years of college education. As for working in the video game industry, if you mean as a programmer or designer, you would also need considerably more training. This is an incredibly competitive industry, and only the most avid people who eat, breathe, and live video games have any chance of getting a job. From your email, it doesn't sound to me as if you have the obsession and passion required to succeed here (could be wrong; could be a lot you haven't told me yet).

On the short term, if you are simply looking to get some kind of full-time job as a clerk or other similar position, then it would seem to me that being bilingual in Miami would be an enormous benefit; if you don't already do so, you should play that up when you apply to jobs in your area.

Since you are interested in finding something that will help you get out of the house sooner, and because it sounds like you're good with computers, I would like to recommend that you start studying to get an IT certification of some sort. There are a wide variety of certifications available, and many of them can be accomplished in a matter of weeks or months. You can also make good money in areas such as network engineer, systems administrator, or (an area that is hugely short of people right now), some type of security analyst.

If I were you, this is the course I would steer toward for the short-term, at least. Continue to look for the jobs you are seeking now, but apply to a good IT school and get yourself certified. Then find a better-paying job, move out of the house, and, as time allows, seek your preferred degree in the arts.

I hope that is helpful!

Hugs,

Papabear