Side Projects vs. Crap Jobs

So I am now in a place where I have to decide whether to look for side project jobs or have consistent paycheck from crappy jobs, like retail.

I am broke beyond belief. With my last paycheck, I only got about $50 back after bills. How do I eat with that? I don't.

Mike told me about this book his friend was reading the other day, called Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before. This book talks about how "Generation Me," which is supposedly my generation, believes we deserve more than we do, and have higher self esteem then we do achievements. This idea has been bothering me a lot. I believe I do deserve a lot, not just because of my self esteem, but because my achievments. I believe a deserve more not only because I have a college degree, but because I have worked my ass off and have a lot of experience in my career objectives. I have work experience and an education. I have done everything I was told to do to do well in this society. I was told to get good grades (got them), get work experience through internships and work related jobs (did a TON of that), and network (did it). But still, I am broke and having to decide whether I want to work a side project job or a crap job. Do I deserve better or am I a whining undeserving result of the me generation? I believe my frusterations are true, but how would I know, because I obviously cannot look at this in retrospect yet.

There is no question about it, but I need to make more money. My current job is the type of job that is so controlled by the corporate masters that a raise is in no way possible. They wave bonus' at you all the time, but the way to get them is impossible (which I am sure is on purpose). So I can't just ask for a raise there. Especially since I hear they fire people all the time. I just need this job to get enough experience so I can make a LOT more elsewhere, which is supposedly possible in my industry.

I have accepted that I need to find money elsewhere. I have looked at free lancing sites and they all seem to make you whore yourself out for a TON of work. These people want EVERYTHING for nothing. I then have looked at crap jobs that would be okay with letting me only work evening or weekends. They all pay what they are; crap.

I need ideas, I need help finding out how to make extra money. I will not whore my skills out (both figuratively and literally) so I am not sure what to do. Do I suck it up and stop being the supposedly epitome of the "me generation" and do MORE shit work before I make anything, or should I take out of life what I DO deserve.

Its not like my brother make double my salary his first year out of college or anything. Its not like everyone expects me to make the same as him.

I feel like an absolute failure, because society says that if you are not making enough to afford designer clothing and cool gadgets, then you are shit. I did everything society said I should do to make it, I have the skills, the knowledge and motivation, but I am still the failure. Maybe the "me generation" is now expected to be more, and told they can be more with simple instructions, when in reality its not possible for most. Maybe that's why we are miserable. We are miserable because society says we should be something amazing by a young age by doing what actually doesn't work in the so-called "real world". We fail their expectations because their expectations are impossible and then we whine because THEIR plans to be amazing and their amazing expectations of us were never really possible. We fail because they failed us.

I am sure I am the epitome of the "me generation" even though I don't see it now. I'm sure you are just laughing at me, and not cringing because you feel the same way as me.

I never really answered my question about whether to work a side job or a crap job, but I did get out my rant for the day.