I lost my job on Monday, under some really shady circumstances. I’d been there almost a year, and had some pretty big stuff in the works for myself and it’s all gone now.
I’ve been applying for jobs almost since I got home, but the problem is that the only thing I’m really qualified for are CDL-A jobs, which is an industry I am desperately trying to get away from. It’s not right for me, and it’s incredibly destructive to my mental and physical health. I got off the road to pay greater attention to and better meet my needs, and actually have a life instead of working 7 days a week for weeks on end. Maybe that’s for some people but it certainly isn’t for me. Now I feel like I’m being forced back in, and I really REALLY don’t want to do it. Therapy is an absolute necessity for me (I have a very extensive trauma history) and going back on the road obliterates that as an option, because of how licensing rules work from state to state and the nature of the job itself. It’s very, very important that I remain in a job that keeps it accessible. In addition, I take medications now that would make it hard for me to be re-hired as a driver anyway.
I’ve wanted to gain footing in a different field for a long time, but the problem there is I don’t have any experience or education in the things I think I could be good at or thrive in, and I can’t go back to school because of how badly I messed that up the first time I tried (major death in our family and having to choose between continuing my education or addressing more immediate needs), and now I feel like I’m at the end of my rope. I’m at a total loss on what to do next.
I’ve thought about IT, sales, groundskeeping, funeral directing, creative jobs, everything under the sun and have applied across all of them. I am out of ideas on what I can do to make my situation better not just in the short term but in the long term as well. What I can do to build something sustainable. I’m SWMO and the job market is kind of trash for someone in my situation so if anyone has any ideas, I’m more than open to hearing them.