Need a job that doesn't require a college degree, but...

I know that in California, you could get a "Guard Card" and work as a security guard. I imagine there's something similar to that for Boston.

Barring that, thinking along a shady note, I'd suggest working in a pawn shop, or even working as a desk clerk for a bail bondsman.

Or you can try to strike a contrast, and have her work for a fancy restaurant, or as a librarian.

Have her work road crew.

Those orange-jacketed jerks are pure evil.

Sigh.
Most jobs don't require a college degree.
Do you want an office job? Clerk, receptionist, retail, etc.
Domestic service?
Waitress? Short order cook?
Do you want her to make a lot of money or be living hand to mouth?
Do you want the job to be interesting or boring?
The college degree is irrelevant.

Call center or customer support? It's easy to get up and leave a headset.

ZachJPayne said:

I know that in California, you could get a "Guard Card" and work as a security guard. I imagine there's something similar to that for Boston.

Barring that, thinking along a shady note, I'd suggest working in a pawn shop, or even working as a desk clerk for a bail bondsman.

Or you can try to strike a contrast, and have her work for a fancy restaurant, or as a librarian.

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Nix on the librarian, although you can shelve books without a degree. Shelving is a part-time exempt (no benefits) job. (My husband is a retired library associate.) To be a real librarian requires an MLS degree. To work in most other jobs in a library requires a bachelors.

You can become a cop if you're over 21 and pass the security investigation (but your character probably wouldn't).

Security guard would work if gun handling is important.

Housekeeping in hotels/motels. Fast food burger flipping. Restaurant reception and waiting on tables. ETC.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

She could be the night desk person at a seedy motel. There's a special name for it, but I forget it right now and am too lazy to look it up. ETA: I think they're called night auditor. Loads of potential for dealing with underworld types.

Siri Kirpal said:

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Nix on the librarian, although you can shelve books without a degree. Shelving is a part-time exempt (no benefits) job. (My husband is a retired library associate.) To be a real librarian requires an MLS degree. To work in most other jobs in a library requires a bachelors.
l

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Depends on the library system, in the one I worked in, and the other one that I know well, you need a BLS or an MLS to be a librarian, but to be a library clerk (what the kids would call a 'library-lady': shelving and checking books in and out) it's more a high-school-and-equivalent type job. And classed as a city employee, so benefits for all.

Although, for the OP, if your character is in the habit of dropping jobs on the spur of the moment, waitressing would be good. Lots of openings, and it tends to be more about performance and availability than references. My sister (no carry permit) has left those jobs lots of times.

Be aware that Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. With your brief description of your character, it is going to be problematic that she owns a gun legally.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

jclarkdawe said:

Be aware that Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. With your brief description of your character, it is going to be problematic that she owns a gun legally.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

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"In her late 20's."

As long as she could pass a criminal background check, she could own a gun. There is nothing specific about growing up on the foster care system, living on the streets for awhile, or not graduating from HS, that would prohibit her from owning a gun.

However, I do agree that that kind of background might have led her to be arrested at some point in the past and that might cause a problem. Simple solution: Just establish that she was never arrested, for anything, as a teen or adult. (And, even if she was, it wouldn't be an automatic disqualifier. It would depend on what she was arrested for, her age, and the ultimate disposition of the case. If she's a felon though, guns are a "NO GO."

Note that it would be virtually impossible for her to carry a gun in Boston or MA legally, unless she's licensed as a security guard or something, and then could only carry on the job.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Massachusetts

I read the OP and was going to post just was Jack did. If she lives in Boston and has a legal handgun, I as a reader would want to know the reason she got a permit for that, because it's a hard sell and carrying one is out of the question.

As for jobs - retail?

I don't know if you want to go in this direction, but there are lots of jobs in bars and nightclubs that don't require a college degree. She could have a bartending certificate:

NEBS Licensed Bartending Schools Boston-Maine-Vermont

Someone else mentioned waitressing.

Reasonably attractive young women often find modeling jobs--not necessarily high-fashion ones.

Pet store clerk?

Pole dancer? (Probably not)

Masseuse? (Also probably not)

In any case, that gun is going to be a problem. Does she absolutely have to have it?

Delivery driver. My old firm had a huge turnover rate, but always accepted returning drivers (assuming they quit, not canned). If the route handled money, carrying a gun could be required.

It's Massachusetts' license requirement that may cause problems. It's not unknown in Massachusetts for transient type residents of a town to be delayed in their license, hoping that they will move on before the license can be "processed." You also need a firearm safety course to own a gun.

She can be technically qualified to own a gun in Massachusetts, but never see a license. You need to be careful to make the character likely to get a license and meet the requirements.

Massachusetts used to have big, nasty signs warning of owning a handgun in Massachusetts. Mandatory one year in jail for illegal possession of a firearm.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

armored car guard or driver
Even here in Massachusetts they are allowed to carry weapons.

Gun range owner / employee. It's a necessity of the job that she not only knows guns, but also rather good using them.

-cb

Karen Junker said:

She could be the night desk person at a seedy motel. There's a special name for it, but I forget it right now and am too lazy to look it up. ETA: I think they're called night auditor. Loads of potential for dealing with underworld types.

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"Night porter" is also a term used for this job.

Delivery is probably your best bet, especially someone who works with/transports gemstones for a jeweler. They're allowed to carry a concealed weapon, with permit, so long as they don't cross state lines. Your MC could be a bonded messenger for a specific store who makes deliveries to clients.

One of my high school teachers had a miserable time closing his dad's estate because of the gun he used for that purpose. The state wouldn't allow the gun to be moved until he showed up in person and had it shipped in a proper container; he couldn't carry it out of the state on his person.

stardustx said:

She's independent and legally owns a gun.

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If she's supposed to have a concealed carry license, jclarkdawe's right, it'll be a problem.

Aside from the stringent other requirements and the very lengthy process, she also has to justify why she wants a gun. "For protection" often doesn't fly; even people where this would be reasonable regularly get denied. Class A licenses are may-issue and the issuing PD can deny you if they don't like the size of your nose. Unless your character is a blood relative of Ed Davis or has some other excellent reason, it's hard to believe she'd have a LTC A.

What she might get is a Class B license, although if you want the gun for fighting/defense it's essentially useless, because you it won't allow you to carry concealed and open carry is frowned upon in general in MA.

(If you're not set on a legal permit, it's not hard to get an illegal weapon in Boston if you know where to go.)

More on topic, during her wild years, one of my friends worked as a liquor store clerk in Somerville. She met plenty of shady people there. Another does night shifts sorting mail at the USPS facility.

Street smarts and can handle herself? Sounds like a private investigator to me.

It takes training and an apprenticeship in many states, but a good PI would recognize raw talent and train her.

The Stephanie Plum novels, along with the Sophie Metropolis mystery novels both use this as a plot device.

Lil said:

Sigh.
Most jobs don't require a college degree.

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Well, yes and no.

While many jobs don't 'require' a college degree, in this economy there are more graduates than there are graduate jobs. I've seen folks with good degrees working in crappy retail and service jobs.

Currently there are around 90 applicants for every graduate position.

In terms of non-graduate jobs I know that recently I've seen over 6000 people apply for 14 jobs in a local supermarket.

I've also seen 400 entry level (ie. no degree necessary) public sector jobs attract 15,000 applications - around 2/3 of which were from graduates.

So while you don't 'need' a degree, at the moment if you go for a job you are going to be competing with those who do have degrees, which puts employers in a difficult position too.

In all honesty, with that sort of background and no qualifications, she's likely to be doing a menial job such as shifts in a factory, retail, service etc.

The OP doesn't say the character needs to carry a gun on the job, so I'm going to assume the gun and the job are unconnected.

Other things she could do without a degree that might pay enough to live on:

school bus driver
housecleaning
telemarketing / any kind of call center work
construction
landscaping
any kind of warehouse work
bank teller (would require a background check and she could be competing against college graduates for those jobs)
airport baggage handling
paraprofessional/special education assistant in a public school
personal care attendant

frimble3 said:

Depends on the library system, in the one I worked in, and the other one that I know well, you need a BLS or an MLS to be a librarian, but to be a library clerk (what the kids would call a 'library-lady': shelving and checking books in and out) it's more a high-school-and-equivalent type job. And classed as a city employee, so benefits for all.

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Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

My husband corrected my post. You're right. You don't need a degree to work all but the librarian positions in a library. However, nearly all workers there have them, for reasons that should be obvious...like an attraction to books.

Oh, I worked as a shelver, part-time. No benefits.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

1. Postal worker: A frighting number own guns. Also a bit entertaining thought for the local mailwoman to pick up one day and stop delivering people's mail to their homes.

2. Department of Motor Vehicles worker. Every DMV has 4+ service windows. Yet the DMV is never staffed by more than 2 workers at a time. She could probably leave work, not come back till the end of the story, and still have a job waiting for her. No one would notice.