Should I try applying for a real job?

[Gocchin Sama]

With a degree in hand, I feel like I am wasting my life away being unable to start building my career by getting a real job. Would I be able to get through the HR of a company by simply putting my status as perm resident and put my A# from a denied I-485 application, while presenting my social (with the text "Allowed to work with INS permission") and my unexpired driver's license (with that nasty red line stating "TEMP VISITOR STATUS EXP. XX-XX-XX" <-- this date already expired) to satisfy the document requirements under lists B and C on the I-9 form? Will that raise any suspicions? :twisted:

[juang]

Its a personal decision, but I would apply for a job that didnt require me to show all that documentation, like a job in a restaurant or a market place, something like that.

[GOW125]

Good luck, I have applied in my places that have human resources, and they check everything, criminal, credit, immigration status. they always tell me that my SS# does not match, end of job interview. Right now my degree is just a expensive piece of paper on my wall. The only work I can get is off the books manual labor, which I been working on the last couple of yeras. However maybe you can get lucky and your paper work goes through.

[Gocchin Sama]

How can SS# not match? And how can they determine my immigration status based on the social?

[GOW125]

Well they might ask you to show them a valid work permit, it's your expire? because if it is expire, they wouldn't hire you. The HR with your ss# can find anything about you, even if you are a PR or Citizen. Besides my personal experiences, I had plenty of friends who worked in HR and I have ask them the same questions you did. I also had one friend who worked in Sears, and had a work permit and his SS# said "valid with work permit only", and every year that his permit was about to expire the HR would call him up and asked him if he had renewed it, if not he could not work. When I said before about a SS# not matching, I was talking about myself. When I had put my ITIN# where the SS# should go. The HR departments that I have applied told my that my SS# does not match. Once again good luck and give it a shot if you want maybe you have more luck than me.

[Nick]

Another option is to look for an off the books job that would get you more money with the degree, in other words in your general profession. But hey if it was that easy right?

[Gocchin Sama]

For the most of the duration of first half of 2006, I have been working on the books on job that required my degree for barely above min wage as the employer had the nerve to pay me W2. Frankly, I was sick of it.

[Swim19]

Gocchin Sama wrote
With a degree in hand, I feel like I am wasting my life away being unable to start building my career by getting a real job.

I completely understand how you feel. I just graduated with BS in Biochemistry and I cannot start looking for a job. It sucks! All my friends are talking about interviewing, graduate school, and for those who don't know about my situation i just tell them "I'm taking the summer off."
While i was still in college it was a lot easier to wait for DREAM to pass...I wish you luck in finding a job.

[GrumpyDreamer]

Man swim 19. I know exactly how you feel. I don't know what to do! I'm gonna be graduating in a year and damn...this shit...What do you do to pass the time?

[GOW125]

Get yourself a full time job that will keep you busy and make some cash at the same time.

[Swim19]

yea GrumpyDreamer, its really hard. I do have a part-time job working at a Bed and Breakfast, but its only a few hours a day. Its hard to be positive, but I'm trying. I've been going to the gym a lot - helps with the frustration. I like to write - so I do that too. Its tough and I don't know what to do. If nothing happens soon in a year or so, I may try leaving to my home country, I don't know. As hard as that change would be, I don't know how long I can stay positive doing nothing with my degree, lying to my friends, etc. Its frustrating, we all have to try to stay as positive as possible. But if you can get a job like GOW125 said that is the best - at least it keeps you busy and you are making money!