DREAM Act Portal Forum

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-   -   hey everybody (http://dreamact.info/forum/showthread.php?t=3777)

brenda04 11-19-2006 10:47 PM

hey everybody
 
Im so happy that I found this site.Now I can talk to young people who are just like me and not feel so alone.All my life I felt like I lived a secret life,and if anyone finds out im illegal my life will be over.Im 18 years old and I live in brooklyn.My parents bought me here from Dominican republic when I was three.Now Im a freshaman at The city college of new york.I was lucky enough to be able to pay in-state tution,but Im scared of what will happen when I graduate.My degree will be worthless.I've been dating this guy that I love so much for over four years now and he does'nt even know im illegal.I feel like Im lying to him by not telling him but Im scared about what he will think about me.I also dont want him to think Im using him so that I can get a green card.As a matter of fact Im trying to avoid marrying him so that he wont think that.He's always asking me when im going to get a job,or my state ID and driving permit.He only wants the best for me and wants me to move forward with my life but I have to continue to make excuses because I cant tell him that Im illegal and cant get any of these things.Being in college is really expensive and I need a job.Does anybody know where a 18 year old immigrant like me can get a job?Any job.Being an immigrant is horrible!

qingshu 11-20-2006 12:56 AM

Yea, Im just like you (except Im a guy haha). Right now Im really starting to give up, and with college graduation only a year away for me, I dont know what to do. But luckily, right now Im studying in a rather good university and Im planning to attend grad school in another country and hope to earn citizenship there instead.

Okay I digress. Theres PLENTY of things you can do without a work permit. Personally, I've taught myself web design and I was able to make some websites online for money. Other nice jobs include tutoring and babysitting. I actually make more money tutoring than other ppl with official jobs in firms, even though I dont get the resume bonus if ya catch what I mean. :lol:

But yea, basically any job thats off the books you can do. Theres also jobs for personal assistants and such and since you live in NY you can find a lot of these things on

http://newyork.craigslist.org/jjj/

cheers :D

rock steady 11-20-2006 02:41 AM

I do web design work also because it offers an opportunity for freelance work. And you can make your own hours! We gotta do what we gotta do I guess.

*Jr2* 11-20-2006 11:32 AM

Hey
 
Hi all, just like to say i like this forum. Just like all of you i came to this country at the age of 7, and in the same situation as all of you. Brenda, "DR in the house"!, keep your boyfriend close, i am not sure how long you have been with him, but once you reach a high point of trust you should tell him, if he really cares for you he will offer his help. Just keep getting to know each other, but keep him close. I also go to college and work full-time, don't ask me how i work you already know (hahaha), half of my salary has been going to help maintain my family of course we are all in the same situation and each of us help out to maintain the house, my tuition is very high, and each semester i have to pay over 1 thousand dollar for a class. Here in Miami the tuition is about $250 per credit a course is usually 3 credits, you do the math and plus they add up $100 for the registration fee and $50 and average of $80 for books, for the whatever fee and etc, etc... arrrghhh gets me mad, i have to pay some of the fees which i can not even benefit from. Well, recently i have been mad of the payments and i have decided to get a private loan. I have hope sometimes things will change, alot of times i lose the hope, and the hope becomes a wish. Anyways, it would be good if we motivate each other, this country is all know, and i want to stay here just like you guys. They tell us we cant do it, although sometimes we have to work twice as hard to obtain something, we should still go for it. Most of us are smarter then the average americans, i graduated high school with a 3.6GPA, which i couldnt use for any scholarships or anything :( :( Anyways lets keep at it.

Abaddon 11-20-2006 11:49 AM

Welcome everyone to this forum.

I came to the States when I was nine. I still remember most parts of it. Unpleasant memories of which at the time I couldn't really think about. But now that I am fully aware of what I am, I look back at those years and try to figure out what happened.

It all started with "El Error de Diciembre" (December's Mistake), a time in 1994 when Mexico had a serious economic crisis. My dad was hit. He worked in a metal industry called Autometales. I am not sure on the details but one way or another he was laid off.

He did not give up. He tried selling fruit for a while and even invested in his own taco stand. I remember accompanying him on the weekends.

So a point came when he decided that to provide for his wife and four kids, he had to go look for a job in the states. He left for a year and came back for us in the Fall of 1995.


For him, it was all about survival. I don't blame him. I would have done the same. I'd like to, however, begin anew. I am in my third year of college right now... and lately I have been losing motivation... knowing that if things don't change, I will not be able to do what I love and do best... teaching.

That's the summary of my life so far hehe.

juang 11-20-2006 01:27 PM

Welcome to the forum.

VJB2 11-20-2006 01:41 PM

Hello and welcome. :)

Nick 11-20-2006 07:55 PM

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your stories!

I know how it feels not being able to tell anyone, Brenda, I'm in the same boat. Although I dont have a significant other that I have to keeps this "little fact" from, I can only imagine how that feels.

qingshu and rock steady mentioned that they did web design, I did some freelance programing and web design work as well.
The best way to find work is still probably word of mouth in our situation, ask around (family, family friends, those who know I guess).

If you have any IT talents, you could try looking for freelance work online, but it is an extremely competitive environment since it no longer matters where you are geographically. Some people in Eastern Europe, Asia, etc will do the jobs for ridiculous prices. But we still have an edge, since we can communicate effectively, India is catching up though.

This is more of a globalization issue than an immigration one though. I think the government should worry more about high paying IT jobs going overseas vs immigrants doing the dirty work. Funny isnt it? Thousands of $30k upwards jobs are moving out of the country each year, yet poeple are still mad at immigrants for picking strawberies for several dollars an hour. :lol: If not funny, then ironic...

brenda04 11-20-2006 10:08 PM

Hi everyone,Thanks for your replies.I dont know what to do about my situation.Im planning on only going to school 2 days out of the week(but still fulltime) so that I could start working,but I dont know where to find an off the books job.Almost everyone I know is legal so I dont know anyone who knows of a job or anything.unfortunetly,Im not really that talented though I am very creative.I wouldnt even know how to get into the web design field.If anybody knows anything that will help me find a job please let me know.Oh and about my boyfriend Iv been with him for over four years now and he doesnt know a thing.Its really hard not being able to talk to him about my feelings.Oh and my dad mentioned something about working with a tax id or something like that.Is it possible for me to get a working pin or id # or somthing that will allow me to work?

VJB2 11-20-2006 11:25 PM

No. Your TAX ID is just for that, tax purposes. Don't try filling a job application with your tax ID number.


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