Thank you for the replies, everyone. Even you, evilmatt.
What I meant by a "real" job is one that is at least part-time, something that isn't just a temporary position for some odd months. The part-time job may not be pleasant, it might be a janitorial position or the trash collector guy, I don't care at this point. I've been looking for a job since Feb. 2009 and have had several interviews, but they all fell through. I'm beginning to think that something is wrong in either my resume/cover letter, or perhaps my interview skills aren't up to par. Like snowy said, with the increased competition due to the recession, it's been very difficult to try to find a job. I suspect that corporations can now just cherry-pick the best candidates for any position, so unless my skills are top notch, I won't stand a chance.
I've already started to rework my cover letter. It was good, but I don't think I sold myself enough in the previous version. The bigger problem is the job interview itself though. I tend to stutter and stumble on these kinds of things and have been trying to better myself at it. Practicing is one thing, but when it comes down to it, I'm passive and not handling the ropes like I should be. Definitely some kind of psychological thing going on.
Answering some questions, no, I don't have a college degree. I went to college for a time, but after seeing my friend who went to the same college being unable to find a job with his dual degrees and forced to join the military, I decided to drop out. People here will probably hate me for that reason alone, but with the economy now, I believe it one of the best decisions I ever made. By the time I graduated, I wouldn't have been able to find a job in my field (Comp. Engineering) at all.
Yes, I've thought about the military. However, since I have asthma I automatically disqualify. But if push comes to shove, it might be possible to get a medical waiver. In any case, I'm not very enthusiastic about joining the forces.
I have a pay as you go phone and my car insurance is payed off for the next several months. Dropping it entirely is a good idea though.
Working overseas sounds like an excellent idea actually, considering the fact that all of the jobs are getting shipped overseas as it is.
That's something I'll definitely look into.
FAFSA is something I have looked into and am still thinking about if going into a trade would be better than finishing my degree. But I'm leaning on the trade option. I hear jobs are scarce on certain trades, so I'll have to do more research on that.
And thanks for the perspective, Idyllic. I usually forget how good things are because I'm staring at the crappy things in the face all too often. Despite all of the difficulty, I need to see the brighter side of things.
Well, Dish Network called on my birthday looking to set up an interview, so I'll be calling them back tomorrow. For the uncountable time, I hope I get the job. I'm going to have to put some extra effort in from now on. Again, thank you all for the excellent advice!