Proactive

Really, when you think about it, "proactive" is kind of a stupid word. I mean, you're not really FOR active or AGAINST active, you either are or aren't active. Oh well, I'm no Noah Webster, so I guess I don't get to make the rules. But either way, I was pretty proactive this week, being on every job site imaginable searching for jobs every day. Problem is, I struck out pretty majorly again. Doctors' and dentists' offices for receptionist gigs, retail outlets for minimum wage crap, AZ State Government opportunities, analyst positions, library staffers, and other posted jobs. My biggest problem is one of location. See, on most sites, CareerBuilder.com, for example, I usually just do a daily search for jobs within a 30-mile radius of my zip code. Today, that search came up with over 3,500 results. The thing is, 30 miles one-way is 1 1/2 times the distance between my house and Queen Creek, AZ (for those that know where I live, you should know this is a pretty substantial drive). So, I tone down the search. Within 20 miles, there are only 1,400 postings. Within 10 miles, only 600 postings, and within 5 miles, a scant 9 postings. I seem to live a bit too far away to find a job; the only jobs I actually want are in the 25-mile-plus range from my house, and without a reliable car, that pretty much puts that out of the question. Within the 20-mile range, about 50% are healthcare jobs (phlebotomists, RNs, etc.) which I am not qualified for. Another 20% of jobs are sales/marketing jobs or "pyramid schemes" which I have no interest in applying for. Of the remaining 30%, 9/10 or more are jobs that require special certifications, multiple years of experience, or very precise qualifications. That leaves me with (assuming the math is correct) roughly 40 jobs which I *might* be qualified for if I sold my skills perfectly. These are jobs like "Wal-Mart associate," "Receptionist," "Mail Clerk," "Filing Clerk," and that sort of thing. Where is the website for jobs which people WANT, and not just the ones they're willing to settle for when they've struck out 500 times?!