Wow! What a topic?! This was my first and largest obstacle I faced after I was released. I can also say, without quoting verified statistics, that it is any convicted felons toughest battle. Unfortunately, for most, it will continue to be for the rest of their lives. I could write on this subject for days and days and so in order not to bore you, I will just hit some of the hot spots from time to time.
The truth is unless you know the right people and have a lot of contacts, being convicted of a felony is career suicide for the majority of individuals. I know when I got into trouble, the people I knew didn't want anything to do with me. So, that took care of knowing the right people. It is a sad but true fact, athat most people are quick to judge and degrade people just to make themselves feel better about being them. The only difference from me and most of the people I know is that I got caught! Simple as that.
I have personaly seen countless articles, how-to's, and so-called "great opportunities". The bottom line is that most companies will not hire convicted felons. Regardless, if they say it is not an automatic bar from employment. Let's keep it simple and look at it this way. Take Chattanooga, TN for example. Population as of July 2007 was almost 170,000. In May of 2009 the uneployment rate was 9.3% and according to a survey performed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 80% of employers said they would not hire a convicted felon. You balance the numbers. Not good. Remember this is not that large of a city. I can find depressing statistics all day if I wanted. The bottom line there just not that many people or places that are willing to give you a chance. They only go by what they can see in black and white.
Do not get me wrong. There are some very good companies that will give felons a chance. I have heard of UPS hiring some. Apply at https://ups.managehr.com/JobSearch.aspx You can also look at furthering your education. The one piece of advice I can give you about that, is research the field(s) your interested in. Check to see if it is an area that would be open to hiring felons. I know alot of convicted felons that have pursued careers in counseling. You can also look to vocational schools. Many trades like welding and being an electrician are great opportunities for felons to earn above average pay. Try the following websites for more info: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/where-to-start/38.html and http://www.classesandcareers.com/online-degrees_vocational.
Now, I am not trying to discourage you. Only be up front. If you want to change your life, you have to make your own opportunities. I struggled until I come to this conclusion. The opportunity for me was being self-employed. Now, I didn't have alot of money. The only job I could secure was as a fast-food worker. So, I took the approach of trying to supplement my income. First, I started small with surveys and Ebay. Then I moved up to having my own website. So on and so on. Long story short, as of now I am completely self employed, work from home, and make my income solely from the internet. By the way, let me make one thing clear. I am not wealthy by any means. I don't have million dollar houses and cars. I don't live on the beach. What I do have is a decent place to live (a million times better than a jail cell), a dependable car, the ability to pay my bills every month, and most importantly: HOPE. If you would like to get more information on how I do this or how I got started without spending a lot of money, check out my website at http://www.feloncareerassistance.com/. You can also join the FAC Newsletter on my blog for free tips and information on doing the same.
Good Luck and Hang In There!
I have listed sources for some of the information I have used in this post. All are great sources for additional information and statistics.
www.pbs.org/now/shows/322/americas-prisons.html
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
www.ups.com/
http://www.feloncareerassistance.com/
The truth is unless you know the right people and have a lot of contacts, being convicted of a felony is career suicide for the majority of individuals. I know when I got into trouble, the people I knew didn't want anything to do with me. So, that took care of knowing the right people. It is a sad but true fact, athat most people are quick to judge and degrade people just to make themselves feel better about being them. The only difference from me and most of the people I know is that I got caught! Simple as that.
I have personaly seen countless articles, how-to's, and so-called "great opportunities". The bottom line is that most companies will not hire convicted felons. Regardless, if they say it is not an automatic bar from employment. Let's keep it simple and look at it this way. Take Chattanooga, TN for example. Population as of July 2007 was almost 170,000. In May of 2009 the uneployment rate was 9.3% and according to a survey performed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 80% of employers said they would not hire a convicted felon. You balance the numbers. Not good. Remember this is not that large of a city. I can find depressing statistics all day if I wanted. The bottom line there just not that many people or places that are willing to give you a chance. They only go by what they can see in black and white.
Do not get me wrong. There are some very good companies that will give felons a chance. I have heard of UPS hiring some. Apply at https://ups.managehr.com/JobSearch.aspx You can also look at furthering your education. The one piece of advice I can give you about that, is research the field(s) your interested in. Check to see if it is an area that would be open to hiring felons. I know alot of convicted felons that have pursued careers in counseling. You can also look to vocational schools. Many trades like welding and being an electrician are great opportunities for felons to earn above average pay. Try the following websites for more info: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/where-to-start/38.html and http://www.classesandcareers.com/online-degrees_vocational.
Now, I am not trying to discourage you. Only be up front. If you want to change your life, you have to make your own opportunities. I struggled until I come to this conclusion. The opportunity for me was being self-employed. Now, I didn't have alot of money. The only job I could secure was as a fast-food worker. So, I took the approach of trying to supplement my income. First, I started small with surveys and Ebay. Then I moved up to having my own website. So on and so on. Long story short, as of now I am completely self employed, work from home, and make my income solely from the internet. By the way, let me make one thing clear. I am not wealthy by any means. I don't have million dollar houses and cars. I don't live on the beach. What I do have is a decent place to live (a million times better than a jail cell), a dependable car, the ability to pay my bills every month, and most importantly: HOPE. If you would like to get more information on how I do this or how I got started without spending a lot of money, check out my website at http://www.feloncareerassistance.com/. You can also join the FAC Newsletter on my blog for free tips and information on doing the same.
Good Luck and Hang In There!
I have listed sources for some of the information I have used in this post. All are great sources for additional information and statistics.
www.pbs.org/now/shows/322/americas-prisons.html
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
www.ups.com/
http://www.feloncareerassistance.com/
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