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[TheyTookOurJobs]

They say you're supposed to spend 8 hours a day searching for work if you're looking for a full time job.

I just can't do that. The tedium of filling out applications and sending resumes wears on me. I can see if you're driving to interviews and going to interviews, but just sitting there at the computer applying for 8 hours a day is insane. The most I can pull is 45min-1 hour a day.

 

[Zoe]

^ You're supposed to count other activities with that like studying to gain new skills.

 

[PseudoKirby]

Definitely.

It also doesn't help I have doubts about the career choice I've spent 3 years training for.

My goals in life are a mess at the moment.

did you do any internships in this field while in school?

 

[GrizzNKev]

I'm 19 with zero employment experience. I'd love to have some but I tend to be really picky about what I'm willing to do. I like to keep it tech related. I've had an MCSE for 5 years but never made use of it. I probably never will.

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

I'm 19 with zero employment experience. I'd love to have some but I tend to be really picky about what I'm willing to do. I like to keep it tech related. I've had an MCSE for 5 years but never made use of it. I probably never will.

A tech related cert that's 5 years old? Isn't that out of date by now? Well good luck with being picky. It makes it easier for those around you to get jerbs.

 

[GrizzNKev]

A tech related cert that's 5 years old? Isn't that out of date by now? Well good luck with being picky. It makes it easier for those around you to get jerbs.

Oh, of course it's outdated. I mean, I got it and never stuck with it because it didn't hold my interest. And yeah, I know I can't be picky. I suck with this kind of stuff.

 

[Xun]

did you do any internships in this field while in school?

Nope.

I aim to get a new portfolio together, I just need to try and get motivated.

My biggest fear I have is not having time outside of work to do the other things I want to do, and maybe even pursue.

I occasionally enjoy doing what I studied (animation), but I really don't think it's the career for me anymore. I also want to have time to devote into other things, such as being in a band and socialising more (I sadly barely socialised during college, but that's in relation to the lack of events and my friends).

Animation doesn't really inspire me anymore, but I feel I should at least get a job in the field for the time being so that my studying doesn't go to waste.

 

[MrHicks]

what exactly makes retail so horrible?
never done retail

is the whole dealing with customers thing really such a nightmare?

if you work in a supermarket and customers ask you stupid questions all day
"wheres the soap"
"what isle is pizza?"
"do you sell ........"

it can get annoying i imagine but many jobs are
having not experienced it i may underestimate this shit though

 

[1stStrike]

what exactly makes retail so horrible?
never done retail

is the whole dealing with customers thing really such a nightmare?

if you work in a supermarket and customers ask you stupid questions all day
"wheres the soap"
"what isle is pizza?"
"do you sell ........"

it can get annoying i imagine but many jobs are
having not experienced it i may underestimate this shit though

Retail sucks because you generally get shitty pay, do repetitive work, have to deal with stupid/annoying/angry customers (nothing like getting shouted at because your register crashed and you're waiting for someone to come fix it), and so on.

Also, since you're right there in the frontlines you need to pretend to be happy all the time and regardless of how you're treated you're supposed to be polite and courteous.

Not my thing. I worked in a grocery store when I was a teenager and swore to myself that I'd never do something that terrible again. I also swore that I'd never work in a fast food place. Been successful ever since.

 

[nateeasy]

Retail is full of hot chicks if you work at the right stores. Target is usually a gold mine.

 

[ismaboof]

what exactly makes retail so horrible?
never done retail

is the whole dealing with customers thing really such a nightmare?

if you work in a supermarket and customers ask you stupid questions all day
"wheres the soap"
"what isle is pizza?"
"do you sell ........"

it can get annoying i imagine but many jobs are
having not experienced it i may underestimate this shit though

Your boss wants you to get stuff done. Customers suck up that time. Customers yell at you because they're assholes. Your boss yells at you because your work isn't getting done because you're wasting time getting yelled at by other assholes.

But customers are the #1 priority...just don't spend time with them apparently.

 

[CygnusXS]

I'm not unemployed anymore! Hurray for people getting fired so I can take their place!

 

[mbmonk]

How are you ladies and gentlemen find the programming field in terms of job openings, non web development? I think I am going to leave my current programming position at the end of the year, been here for 7 years... man time flies.

 

[Zoe]

How are you ladies and gentlemen find the programming field in terms of job openings, non web development. I think I am going to leave my current programming position at the end of the year, been here for 7 years... man time flies.

You might have a tough time getting past the expectations of having 10 years of experience in technologies that have only been around for 5.

The bf just landed a senior position through a recruiter. You'll probably have better luck going through one because they have access to unlisted jobs.

 

[mbmonk]

You might have a tough time getting past the expectations of having 10 years of experience in technologies that have only been around for 5.

LMAO! Nice. I read some of the job listings about 4 years ago and thought almost the exact same thing.

The bf just landed a senior position through a recruiter. You'll probably have better luck going through one because they have access to unlisted jobs.

Thanks for the tip. I appreciate it.

 

[ccbfan]

How are you ladies and gentlemen find the programming field in terms of job openings, non web development? I think I am going to leave my current programming position at the end of the year, been here for 7 years... man time flies.

No clue where you are but if you're in the northeast (especially NYC) just throwing your resume out will get you tons of recruiters hounding you and interviews.

With that level of experience and that fact you have a job. You should have no trouble at all.

 

[Exclamation-One]

I interviewed last Friday and (presumably) did horrible. I normally interview very well, but for some reason, softball questions were major hurdles. I have high standards for my performance in cases like these so I may simply think it's worse than it really was.

The position is essentially entry-level contract, but the company is famous for being creative and forward-thinking, so I'm working on a video follow-up in which I thank the interviewer and expand on / slyly change my answers to three questions asked during the interview. The video is intended to showcase not only my confidence and enthusiasm but some impressive visuals that clearly communicate my ideas.

To recruiters / HR-peeps: if a candidate performed middling in an interview, but sent a follow-up video that blew your socks off, how would that make you feel?

 

[PseudoKirby]

Nope.

I aim to get a new portfolio together, I just need to try and get motivated.

My biggest fear I have is not having time outside of work to do the other things I want to do, and maybe even pursue.

I occasionally enjoy doing what I studied (animation), but I really don't think it's the career for me anymore. I also want to have time to devote into other things, such as being in a band and socialising more (I sadly barely socialised during college, but that's in relation to the lack of events and my friends).

Animation doesn't really inspire me anymore, but I feel I should at least get a job in the field for the time being so that my studying doesn't go to waste.

oh ok your an art student, internships don't apply to that.

Yea I started out doing that, media arts and animation at the art institute of CA SF, but I realized within a year that really wasn't for me, and the stuff I was learning was stuff that I could really teach to myself/develop on my own..

 

[Pachimari]

I wonder what the chances are getting back to a retail workplace where I quit last year.
I should have never quit but I just did what my adviser told me to do, and that was a huge mistake. I loved my colleagues and I loved my job. I'll try give the boss a job application personally and see what happens.

 

[Al-ibn Kermit]

I interviewed last Friday and (presumably) did horrible. I normally interview very well, but for some reason, softball questions were major hurdles. I have high standards for my performance in cases like these so I may simply think it's worse than it really was.

The position is essentially entry-level contract, but the company is famous for being creative and forward-thinking, so I'm working on a video follow-up in which I thank the interviewer and expand on / slyly change my answers to three questions asked during the interview. The video is intended to showcase not only my confidence and enthusiasm but some impressive visuals that clearly communicate my ideas.

To recruiters / HR-peeps: if a candidate performed middling in an interview, but sent a follow-up video that blew your socks off, how would that make you feel?

The point of showing your creativity is that you don't hesitate to ask how well an idea worked before you try it. If they never saw somebody do that before, that's better.

 

[MrHicks]

Retail sucks because you generally get shitty pay, do repetitive work, have to deal with stupid/annoying/angry customers (nothing like getting shouted at because your register crashed and you're waiting for someone to come fix it), and so on.

Also, since you're right there in the frontlines you need to pretend to be happy all the time and regardless of how you're treated you're supposed to be polite and courteous.

Not my thing. I worked in a grocery store when I was a teenager and swore to myself that I'd never do something that terrible again. I also swore that I'd never work in a fast food place. Been successful ever since.

customers yelling/insulting you while having to stay friendly would be crazy
i would lose my shit for sure

 

[TheyTookOurJobs]

Retail isn't that bad. I've had other jobs I've disliked more. Like someone said, lots of hot chics and you get to people watch for a living.

 

[Gouty]

Retail sucks.

All of my coworkers are either idiots or senior citizens.

With work this dull and not having any friends in the trenches, its starting to drain on me to the point I either need to be medicated or quit.

Customers are fucking cunts.

My schedule is totally erratic for absolutely no reason. My shift can begin with as much as a 13 hour variance from any given day. Plus I never know what days off I'll have which makes short term plans impossible.

The pay is insulting. I'm ashamed of what I do and how much I make.

I have got to get out of this hell hole.

 

[Pachimari]

Thankfully I were allowed to get hot tempered at stupid customers where I worked at retail.

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

I interviewed last Friday and (presumably) did horrible. I normally interview very well, but for some reason, softball questions were major hurdles. I have high standards for my performance in cases like these so I may simply think it's worse than it really was.

The position is essentially entry-level contract, but the company is famous for being creative and forward-thinking, so I'm working on a video follow-up in which I thank the interviewer and expand on / slyly change my answers to three questions asked during the interview. The video is intended to showcase not only my confidence and enthusiasm but some impressive visuals that clearly communicate my ideas.

To recruiters / HR-peeps: if a candidate performed middling in an interview, but sent a follow-up video that blew your socks off, how would that make you feel?

Two things. One, A video that you shoot on your own terms doesn't do much to prove confidence or enthusiasm when it's scripted. The interview is your shot to make that first impression. Two, I believe that interviewers want off the cuff answers. If they wanted an answer you had time to think about, then it would have been given to you in writing.

That being said, I did use written thank you notes to touch on any points I felt I didn't communicate clearly in my interviews recently, and even went as far as to try to apologize for asking about salary by couching it as a chance to explain that it was my first time interviewing for a jerb so high up and that I didn't know the normal protocol. I thought I had really blown it on that interview because it was the last question he answered and he wrapped things up afterward. A week later I was offered the jerb so the note might have helped explain things, but the pay wasn't enough so I turned it down. C'est la vie.

 

[TheyTookOurJobs]

Retail sucks.

All of my coworkers are either idiots or senior citizens.

With work this dull and not having any friends in the trenches, its starting to drain on me to the point I either need to be medicated or quit.

Customers are fucking cunts.

My schedule is totally erratic for absolutely no reason. My shift can begin with as much as a 13 hour variance from any given day. Plus I never know what days off I'll have which makes short term plans impossible.

The pay is insulting. I'm ashamed of what I do and how much I make.

I have got to get out of this hell hole.

At least tell us you work with hot chics or see them at your store.

 

[Sqrt_minus_one]

Retail can run you down but ..................................

Only if you let it, worked it for a few months after graduation first few weeks were awful, the thing to remember is your body is not used to that sort of exertion over such a long period of time - in both positions I worked no sitting down - except during half hour breaks for food - for 8 hours, rude customers, flaky co-workers, the thieves who come in to scam you / the shop and the mind numbing repetitiveness of the job.

I found talking to and joking with every customer who I had an opportunity to do so with helped a lot - basically if you feel miserable and allow it to get to you the retail environment just wears you right down. Quite frankly I think the pay on the positions is horrible for goodness sake we were working on the front line of the organisation catching flak from both managers and customers for minimum wage.

Always try and find a good retailer who pays above minimum wage - some do. Really is a case of just be happy or else the job will sap you of the will to live.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

what exactly makes retail so horrible?
never done retail

is the whole dealing with customers thing really such a nightmare?

if you work in a supermarket and customers ask you stupid questions all day
"wheres the soap"
"what isle is pizza?"
"do you sell ........"

it can get annoying i imagine but many jobs are
having not experienced it i may underestimate this shit though

In my experience it's not the customers that are the problem, it's the staff. Not my peers, but anyone in a position of power turns into a complete arsehole. They're all on power trips.

 

[Surface of Me]

In my experience it's not the customers that are the problem, it's the staff. Not my peers, but anyone in a position of power turns into a complete arsehole. They're all on power trips.

Holy shit yes, hated my old head manager.

Anyways, I have an interview at Buckle Wednesday, its a trendy fashion store. I know nothing about fashion, but said I did on the application cause I need a job. Any advice. I plan on going to a different Buckle store and buying the clothes for my interview, then hide the tags, and return them after the interview.

 

[Maffis]

working retail right now. im just a part-timer so it hasn't weared me down, but it isn't the funniest job i say. but as soon as i can i will send away my application for the police academy. only doing retail to improve my CV before i apply.

 

[Pachimari]

The thing with retail is that it is BOTH shit and fun. It really depends what mood you are in, what mood your co-workers are in, what you have to do that particular day and which customers and how many of them you get. So many factors are in play, deciding how your day will be. Generally, it helped me a lot making fun with the customers.

Im looking for retail job again, even though I really don't like it, but it's just for some months.

 

[Neo Child]

no job
no friends
no girlfriend
no money
living at parents
21

suicidal thoughts are basically hourly. and have been for about 5 months.

anyway, job interview for a bank on tuesday, that might sort one thing out from that list at top.

 

[darthbob]

Probably not the right thread for this...

But I've been working essentially the same job for around a year now and have been enjoying it immensely in the long run. Made quite a few new friends and eventually moved in with one of them.

22, living on my own, have a nice car, decent job, and life just feels full of oppurtunities. No girl, but oh well. :'(

Still, given persistence and a drive for success, anything is possible! Or maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know.

 

[Pachimari]

.

 

[1stStrike]

I'm employed still, but sending out resumes to other places. I like my job, like the company I work for, but my CEO has decided that he has the ability to tell us what we can and can't do on our time off. We were trying to get a meet up going for those of us in NY, with him invited, and he spazzed out and said that I needed to get approval from management to do that.

Well, the meetup was going to be during our days off and in 3 months time - we were just going to be spinning some ideas on what we wanted to do. He flew out to meet up with us last year without a problem, so didn't see any problems inviting him again.

So, that was kind of the last straw for me. My CEO is a control freak, so if I can find a job at some place else, I'm out. I know the CEO of another company that is 3 hours away and they offer 50k a year at a minimum for people in my position, so we chatted a bit today and I sent in my resume.

I just can't deal with management that wants to run their employees lives.

 

[Aesius]

The thing with retail is that it is BOTH shit and fun. It really depends what mood you are in, what mood your co-workers are in, what you have to do that particular day and which customers and how many of them you get. So many factors are in play, deciding how your day will be. Generally, it helped me a lot making fun with the customers.

Im looking for retail job again, even though I really don't like it, but it's just for some months.

Yep. When I worked at Best Buy, my shifts could oscillate between leisurely, entertaining, and even fun to extremely stressful, rage-inducing, and soul-crushing.

There was a stretch of about six months where nearly every closing shift was a blast. All of my coworkers were just as apathetic about their jobs as I was, and our department supervisor left at 5 p.m., so we basically goofed off and shot the breeze amongst ourselves and with customers until it was time to close up.

Then a bunch of people quit, and some really, REALLY weird fuckers from other stores transferred in, all of whom were super fanatical about their jobs and would whine to management if they saw us original crew displaying anything other than 100% devotion to sales and "customer service."

For retail, it really does depend on your co-workers and your managers. If they're even moderately cool, it can be tolerable job. But if they suck, it's hell on earth.

 

[Pachimari]

I'm thinking of calling my former boss from last year and ask her for a job meeting, I guess it's worth a shot.

 

[ayeorkean]

I'm currently in school, second year computer science, and I'm taking some time off from my part time job at a public library and relocating to a larger city for the summer. I'm hoping this allows me to at least find a crumb of a programming related job/internship/shadow. My GPA is low so I don't think that I would be able to compete against others for internship positions. While down there I'm planning to look for a full time job, hoping I can find one quickly.

Any ideas on how to get an internship unconventionally?

 

[PantherLotus]

I got a 2nd interview with an absolutely gigantic firm, and it went fantastic, better than the first even.

I should have heard from them last week, I think. :|

 

[Jimothy]

Probably not the right thread for this...

But I've been working essentially the same job for around a year now and have been enjoying it immensely in the long run. Made quite a few new friends and eventually moved in with one of them.

22, living on my own, have a nice car, decent job, and life just feels full of oppurtunities. No girl, but oh well. :'(

Still, given persistence and a drive for success, anything is possible! Or maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know.

I don't get the point of these posts. Bragging about having a job and your own place in a thread full of people looking for work? Pretty lame.

 

[TheTowel]

I don't get the point of these posts. Bragging about having a job and your own place in a thread full of people looking for work? Pretty lame.

Hope?

 

[Pachimari]

Hope?

The way that post is laid out and presented won't make anyone optimistic.

 

[darkiguana]

I was laid of in November and I was able to get a job last week. I start next week and the good news is that it is really close to my previous job. So my commute is almost the same.

 

[ajim]

no job
no friends
no girlfriend
no money
living at parents
21

suicidal thoughts are basically hourly. and have been for about 5 months.

anyway, job interview for a bank on tuesday, that might sort one thing out from that list at top.

Hey mate, chin up.

I'm 26, struggled with depression the majority of my life and have been unemployed for a year. Suicidal thoughts have been rampant the past year.

I do have an amazing girlfriend (tho, I always questioned how I managed to keep her), go to gym (the only place I feel 'safe' and has been my only routine) and have a degree.

After feeling pretty much paralysed for the past year, the past few weeks have been a great learning experience for me.

I've finally started applying for work again after getting over the initial fear of 'Can I even do anything? Am I capable? What if I just fail again?". Initially, it was extremely difficult trying to even answer the phone calls from prospective employers. However it has become easier.

I've been to a few interviews and have done well in them (one is currently doing reference checks - even tho I've had to lie about my most recent one), which after they check out I 'should' get the job, which seems like a great opportunity.

All of the interviews have been insanely difficult for myself, they often involve multiple candidates who do seem overly confident and very sure of themselves (which is difficult for me who is not confident in myself at all) which sends the nerves firing. However, I have received good feedback - often being told that I come across as confident, intelligent and have an excellent interviewing method (which all left me thinking "wtf? is my self image REALLY that distorted compared to how people really view me?!).

So, chin up. Don't let the negative thoughts eat at you too much - it'll only make things worse.

 

[half a moon]

no job
no friends
no girlfriend
no money
living at parents
21

suicidal thoughts are basically hourly. and have been for about 5 months.

anyway, job interview for a bank on tuesday, that might sort one thing out from that list at top.

Similar, but 24, social anxiety. General anxiety is what plagues me hourly. I have noticed some monthly or bi-weekly suicidal thoughts when I had none last year.

I might can get a 40-60 hour a week job at this shitty warehouse I worked at before (where I'm actually gone like 12 hours a day or longer 4 days a week), and my dad is expecting me to try. I want to blow it off because it was horrid. Social anxiety has prevented me from looking for other jobs. I actually have to do something about it today.

 

[ajim]

Similar, but 24, social anxiety. General anxiety is what plagues me hourly. I have noticed some monthly or bi-weekly suicidal thoughts when I had none last year.

I might can get a 40-60 hour a week job at this shitty warehouse I worked at before (where I'm actually gone like 12 hours a day or longer 4 days a week), and my dad is expecting me to try. I want to blow it off because it was horrid. Social anxiety has prevented me from looking for other jobs. I actually have to do something about it today.

Have you ever spoken to someone (psychologist, psychiatrist etc) about your anxiety? When your anxiety (and most likely depression) is crippling to your everyday life, and you feel like you have an inability to live 'normally' and are having suicidal thoughts (especially as frequent as you have) it is a serious problem that probably needs to be treated professionally.

Take it from someone who has dealt with depression/anxiety for the majority of my life (even child hood).

 

[Pachimari]

Similar, but 24, social anxiety. General anxiety is what plagues me hourly. I have noticed some monthly or bi-weekly suicidal thoughts when I had none last year.

I might can get a 40-60 hour a week job at this shitty warehouse I worked at before (where I'm actually gone like 12 hours a day or longer 4 days a week), and my dad is expecting me to try. I want to blow it off because it was horrid. Social anxiety has prevented me from looking for other jobs. I actually have to do something about it today.

One advice: Jump into it.

It might seem like something stupid to tell someone with social anxiety but believe me, I had a really high degree of social anxiety before, until I stopped thinking and just jumped into the most challenging job for me, which was a full-time job as a salesman in the most busy and largest mall of Scandinavia. I were NERVOUS, AFRAID and wanted to hide, but when you get your success stories and support from your co-workers and boss, then it'll all start to change. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

It have to be said that I had support from professionals, so you might seek help from those in the first place. But e true change happens when you jump into the most challenging things. So only jump into the challenges if you have been through professional care for some time, if not, then seek professional help first.

 

[Patryn]

I'm currently in school, second year computer science, and I'm taking some time off from my part time job at a public library and relocating to a larger city for the summer. I'm hoping this allows me to at least find a crumb of a programming related job/internship/shadow. My GPA is low so I don't think that I would be able to compete against others for internship positions. While down there I'm planning to look for a full time job, hoping I can find one quickly.

Any ideas on how to get an internship unconventionally?

Get involved with open source projects. If your grades aren't great, then you need to have projects that you can use to show off your skills.

Also, don't write off all internships. Look for ones that don't ask for transcripts or GPA, then craft your resume to emphasis the projects you've worked on.

I will say that it's pretty damn late to be looking for summer internships at this point, but I'd just blast out your resume to everything. You never know when you'll get an interview.

 

[half a moon]

Have you ever spoken to someone (psychologist, psychiatrist etc) about your anxiety? When your anxiety (and most likely depression) is crippling to your everyday life, and you feel like you have an inability to live 'normally' and are having suicidal thoughts (especially as frequent as you have) it is a serious problem that probably needs to be treated professionally.

Take it from someone who has dealt with depression/anxiety for the majority of my life (even child hood).

Yeah I was making progress with both about 5 years ago, and stopped too soon. I realized it was helping but working toward it by myself is doable when you don't focus on the negative thoughts. Except... I didn't have a good plan to fix my procrastination problem with school work and failed out of college. About a year or two ago I sought out medication again and tried Prozac, but it actually made my anxiety worse. My doctor didn't want to put me on a benzo at my age, but maybe I need like a weeks worth to be anxiety free and jump start me with a million in-person applications or something. I made a doctors appointment.

One advice: Jump into it.

It might seem like something stupid to tell someone with social anxiety but believe me, I had a really high degree of social anxiety before, until I stopped thinking and just jumped into the most challenging job for me, which was a full-time job as a salesman in the most busy and largest mall of Scandinavia. I were NERVOUS, AFRAID and wanted to hide, but when you get your success stories and support from your co-workers and boss, then it'll all start to change. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

It have to be said that I had support from professionals, so you might seek help from those in the first place. But e true change happens when you jump into the most challenging things. So only jump into the challenges if you have been through professional care for some time, if not, then seek professional help first.

This job my dad wants me to get today is pretty much working in seclusion. The moments where you do talk to people you're too worn out to enjoy it. The jobs where I had to be social with customers like retail I always found ways to avoid them or let a co-workers handle their complaints. :| My sister did it right. Was on Prozac and worked in retail then went into phone customer service for about 8 years total now and has essentially destroyed her social issues.

 

[wondermega]

Unemployed for awhile (mostly by choice - trying to make money/ get enough steady work as an independent agent) but it's tough. Been a long enough time now that I am tired of scraping by month-to-month and it's taking a toll on my relationship/stamina/etc. I know my work/ethic/etc is good so only a matter of time, though I will keep pursuing independent as well.

To those of you who are young and unemployed, and therefore not confident/broke/can't get a chick/etc - yeah, it is tough, and it kinda breaks my heart to hear people saying "suicidal thoughts" and such but come on. Yes, jumping into "the real world" cam be dramatic, frustrating, frightening, and overall very unsatisfying as it is and especially these days when competition is fierce and good jobs/benefits etc are particularly difficult to get or hold onto. But honestly if you are young, you really have got to pay your dues. Work for shitty pay, be single for awhile, maybe be a bit directionless for a few years. Going from the relatively rock-solid structure if a steady curriculum into the unstable "anything goes" real world is mind-blowing (in both good and bad ways), and in some ways the current gen of new folks just entering the workforce maybe a bit ill-prepared to enter it (the coddled generation). Screw that, you guys are also the most tech-savvy generation and you should therefore be more adaptive/resourceful than the previous ones.

Anyway, save the bellyaching. No one said it would be easy (well they dud, but they lied) growing up is a bitch but it's a universal truth anyway. If you're young and inexperienced, you have everything ahead of you and all you can do is just eat it for a couple of years. Seek out done work which might not be what you wanna do for the long term, and maybe not in the place you'd most ideally like to live, but it will give you job experience, life experience, social experience, and absolutely expose you to people and things that you may never otherwise cross paths with. Remember, it may suck and you may hate it after a short time - and for awhile - but it will occupy you and perhaps give you that solid direction and stability which might otherwise be missing from your life. Most importantly, you do not have to stay there and you will be able to move on to bigger and better things for certain. It's totally up to you, as it should be.
More money, more satisfying career choices, girlfriend/etc, better apartment will all follow in due time Spend your time wisely and don't get so hung up on how things "just suck so bad and aren't fair." After all, you owe it to yourself to put in the tine and energy, after all it is your life, right?