Post: #26

Become a stripper

Seriously, some of the most successful people started out stripping.

or

Join the military

Post: #27

Be a wedding DJ.

1. Make a website
2. SEO your ass off for "XXX city wedding DJ and 50 miles around"
3. Turn into DJ press play.
4. Profit and get drunk and play music for a living.

Post: #28

Contact local union offices to learn of trade schools. I'm in the sheet metal industry and more than half the guys I work with have aggressive felony charges on their record. Even with their college education, some guys couldn't get another job because of criminal charges. Trust me, of they could do something else, they would... The kick is that no one really WANTS to do this type of work so they don't discriminate against those willing. Good luck

Post: #29

(02-25-2015 06:43 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  You might be able to join the French Foreign Legion.

A strong emphasis on the word might; they conduct background checks through Interpol. The FFL is no longer the place for the world's 'undesirables' to prove they have been reformed.

/thread-44750-...47387.html

Oh yes, I'm so privileged you literally can't even.
Interested in joining the FFL? I tried (and failed).

Post: #30

If you're honestly at the point of going to Labor Ready, I'd recommend trying to get taken on as a laborer/apprentice by a tradesman. Electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, carpentry, welding, automotive, anything like that. It should pay better (if only slightly) than going through the temp agency, you'll learn valuable, hands-on skills and if you make a good impression on your boss there's a good chance he'll help you advance in the trade.

Post: #31

I work in the trades and employers don't give a shit about your criminal record. The majority of my coworkers are convicted felons.

Post: #32

(02-26-2015 04:18 PM)scorpion Wrote:  If you're honestly at the point of going to Labor Ready, I'd recommend trying to get taken on as a laborer/apprentice by a tradesman. Electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, carpentry, welding, automotive, anything like that. It should pay better (if only slightly) than going through the temp agency, you'll learn valuable, hands-on skills and if you make a good impression on your boss there's a good chance he'll help you advance in the trade.

Learn HVAC then learn BACNET programming to control all that shit. It's an unknown and lucrative language. It's big money in NYC. I don't do it personally but I hear good things from other programmers. Again nobody cares about your record in the trades.

Post: #33

I was nearly not going to post this, but whatever. You’re in need.

My start was very similar to yours. Except I used a shitload of cocaine, to make matters worse. I’d go to bed with lines cut on my bedside cabinet for when I woke up. I was a teenager in retail at the time and had to do something for money. I had family ties, one thing led to another.

I didn’t do any serious time, but I finished up with absolutely nothing and a nasty coke habit. Completely down and out.

The reason I’m telling you this is to give it some credibility when I say do not fucking go back to that life, no matter how much it seems like the only route. I turned my shit around. Many people around me did not. They started moving smack or larger deals. It’s painfully cliche, but aside from one exception, now they’re either dead or lifers.

It’s designed so that you fail from here. Realise that working for other people probably isn’t going to work for you. Who the fuck wants to do that anyway.

Also realise you have a whole host of knowledge, experience and stories that no-one else can take from you. That is your leverage.

I started a few offline businesses then stumbled in to online stuff. If you’re even remotely technically minded you can get something going with some consistent effort online. It’s easier than ever to self-publish and people love to live vicariously through others. Stories from your time inside could be put together as an e-book. Turn those wasted years in to a benefit.

No marketable skills? What does that even mean? Sounds like some feel-good buzzwords that average people use to justify why they haven’t done anything with their lives.

Alan Sugar - no marketable skills.
Richard Branson - no marketable skills.
Steve Jobs - no marketable skills.

You get the picture. It doesn’t matter if you shift your mentality away from working for someone else. Don’t let that become a limiting belief.

I have no idea what labor ready is but I’m guessing it’s the same as the dole in the UK. So it seems your backs against the wall right now and you need some quick cash. Aside from the book, just get your hustle on.

- Go and rent a lawnmower and knock on every house offering to mow their lawn.
- Go door-to-door and offer to wash cars.
- Rent a van and put an ad in the paper for a removal service.
- Sign-up to Fiverr and offer a service. Before you say you don’t have anything to offer, you can do voiceovers, video testimonials, transcription, article writing. Get a few clients then scale.
- If you can write even basic content, read the freelancing thread. I’ve worked with a few of them from there and they know what they’re talking about.

Are these long-term careers? No.

Will they get your dignity back, get you on the right path and allow you to work on a long-term project on the side? Yes.

Stop looking for jobs and start looking for opportunities. People do stuff every single day that they’d rather pay someone else to do. It just comes down to how much you actually want it.

If you want it, just go and fucking get it. Or you can just be another ex-con that moans about how the systems trapped you and how unfair it is.

Just know that if you fail, it isn’t because it wasn’t possible.

Best of luck pal.

Post: #34

Excellent post there from Tyler Belfort.

I can't really add much to that.

You gotta be tough, you gotta be resilient and your gonna have to hustle hard.

Be creative, give it everything you have and you can find a solution. There's always a way.

Best of luck player.

Post: #35

Hope this gives you some inspiration and ideas.

This guy spent 9 months in prison and then became one of Britain's richest businessmen. He's currently one of the Dragons on Dragon's Den