I am in need of a decent job. I cannot find a decent one with the limited experience that I already have, so I am thinking of trying to get a job either as a Office Assistant or an Admin. Assistant. I cannot afford to attend school right now, because I so desperately need a job. So, the only way I know how to go about it is to stock up on books pertaining to those subjects and teach myself. Would that at least get my foot into the door even with zero experience?

HELP!!!!

When I first graduated from college I had ZERO job experience outside of folding t-shirts at Gap and checking out videos at Blockbuster. I had been interested in politics, so I telephoned my local congressman's office and asked if he needed a volunteer. He said sure. I was still working retail in the evening, but three days a week I would go to his office and do things like photocopy, cover breaks for the other administrative assistants, make the coffee, order supplies etc... etc... after about 3 months someone in the office was leaving and he was so impressed with my help that he offered me her job.

That's how I got my start - by volunteering. A lot of places prefer to hire people who they know over opening up a competition and inviting untested strangers into their workplace environment.

I say (if you can afford it) figure out what it is you'd like to do and where you'd like to work. You could volunteer at a charity or non-profit group in their office and after a few months you can genuinely list on your resume all the office skills you now have.

I know it's not the most "money right now" answer, but three to six months spent volunteering a few days a week will make all the difference.