Well here is a little history. At 18 I started working in a factory building cabinets for 4 misserable years from early 99 to late 03. Now I hated working in this factory, not because of physical work, that was actually one of the only good things was all the fast paced hard work. No it was the factory like 6000 of the same part a day monotany that killed me mentaly and emotionaly 8 hours a day 5 days a week for 4 years straight. Im telling you this so that you may not be too harsh on me when I tell you how I left. I finally decided it was time to break into construction which I've wanted to work in for some time. So being the stupid dumb kid I was I started slacking in my work, missed a lot of time and finally left and didnt come back. Now I felt great I was free, free to find any job I liked. One BIG PROBLEM!! that factory job was basicly the only job I ever had, and I in my infinite stupidity burned every bridge I had. My work was bad at the end, when the head of HR pulled me aside to ask if I needed any kind of help with anything in my personal life I blew him off breezily, and worst of all I never gave notice. I went home one day and never went back, I even ignored 3 attempts on there part to get me back. I was free and feeling better then Id ever felt in years. and soon broke. FYI yes I was going through some personal problems at the time, and after I left. I can now confidently say that its all sorted out and I wiill probably never have a Jerry Mcguire moment again wether my own fault or not. MY FREAK OUT IS DONE lol. And hindsight being 20/20 (10/10 in my case) I relize I didnt even have to leave to fix me. Anyway on to the problem. I quite in oct 03, since then I have worked for many various companies in construction, but not for long. The problem is this, as my resume now stands I have the factory work from 99-03 and then I have one company I worked for in early 04 which was the first construction job Ive worked. The rest have either been less then a weeks work here and there that I dont want to put on or they have (twice) wanted me off the books and wont give me a referance or like some that i worked for for only a few days wanted to give me a referance but ( as i recently found out) are unreliable because when called dont remember me. (by the way that first one I worked for in early 04 for 4 months, the owner does not remember me either and I cannot track down the crew foreman I worked for onsite.) I now have an almost 2 year gap in my work history. This gap has come up at several interviews and while ive comented on how construction is tough to get into without family or friends in the trade (which is how most of the people I've worked with have gotten started) and that I have had a few on and off employers who dont want me on the books or to referance them, I still have the feeling that this gap is my biggest problem in getting a job. I know its not a skill thing, I know my trade and am absolutly in love with carpentry. Ive been told time and again how good I am despite only being in it for less then 2 years. I's it possible they all lied? I dont know, I do know that when I hated my job I couldnt get out of it and now that I have a burning need to build every day I cant get enough work. This winter was particularly bad with less then 30 days actual work between nov and Jan with 2 companies. but its having a week off here and a week off there in the summer when I shouldnt have any time at all that is getting me. I dont know if anyone can help with this work history problem. but I thanks anyone who stops to mull over my dilema for there time.

I'm working on my resume. I did not graduate from college, although I have 140 credits, but not enough in a major to graduate--- unless I get a "general studies" degree, which sounds stupid to me. So how do I list college at the bottom? Do I just put attended these years or what? Thank you.