How are people with youthful criminal convictions supposed to get a good job?
Question by : How are people with youthful criminal convictions supposed to get a good job? I have a DUI (misdemeanor) from age 19. I graduated from college but can’t get a good job because of the sting of a DUI on my application. I work a combo of two low-paying jobs. In my state Madd successfully lobbied for a law that puts a DUI on your record for life. One online app actually xed me out of the application after one of the first questions asked “Have you ever been convicted of DUI?” So basically, if you make a mistake when your young you have the mark of a leper forever? A lawyer explained that it would be better if I had a felony armed robbery conviction because I could have that expunged and no one would know, but a DUI is on your record for life. Best answer:
Answer by Patrick4024
Where I work, several people have had DUIs. So, unless you are applying for a position that involves driving, just keep on trying.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
You live it down over a long period of time and work hard at convincing anyone you deal with that you’re worth paying a lot to have around. By being worth a lot to have around.
Hi, Emily! Yes, you did something criminal and stupid. This is one of the ways we distinguish between smart honest people and stupid criminals.
The way to avoid it is to not drive drunk.
I think just about all of us, given the choice between hiring smart honest people and criminal drunk drivers, would choose smart honest people. Wouldn’t you?
I guess if you want to change the law, you can lobby legislature to do so. If you just want to whine, well, you came to the right place. In truth, you have not even asked a question. You are just whining.
You made your own bed. Lay in it.
You got me man, its the system. Im a conservative and dont consider myself an activist, but if there was an organization in my area that promoted the non discrimination of emancipated prior felons, I would be active. I think its a fundamental mistake that the government allows employers to even allow prior convictions on job applications. I can understand for classified authorization or sensitive jobs like “books keeper at charles schwab”, but for the 95% of jobs that normal people fill, its discrimination plain and simple and its wrong. These people have served their time, repayed their debt to society, yet society wont cut them a break and allow them to integrate. They always want to be like, well you were convicted of battery on a police officer and released 7 years ago and we just cant hire you. Well you dont know the case, you dont know what happened. Plus he served his time, so what buisiness is it of yours. Then you have a case of somebody that did something stupid when they were 18, like steal a tv or a car, and they wont ever let it go 20 years later. I really think that it should go to the supreme court because it is discrimination, and they wont ever let you be free of your crime that you served time for. I saw a documentary on ben and jerrys ice cream, and their brownies come from a bakery that is a non profit and gives prior convicted felons a job in a bakery to keep them off the streets because nobody will give them a chance. I happily support this program by buying ben and jerrys. It is the un talked about, legitimate discrimination case in america.
You could have killed someone that night. That would have been forever, too. Actions have consequences. If the economy was better, you wouldn’t be having such a hard time. But with so many people out of work who haven’t broken the law, you’re last on the list. And if you had a felony armed robbery conviction, you would probably still be in jail. That’s a pretty serious charge.
There’s no rule in life that guarantees you a good job for ANY reason, especially when you were so stupid when you were 19. Join the club..