I probably have other problems first but I this is my biggest fear right now.
I have actually been in school for a long long time, I got my degree in Economics a few years ago (took me 7 years almost to finish due to failing in first year) but I've grown due to this I think and have realized I'm not as dumb as I thought.
I've always been very shy and didn't have a lot of friends until high school. I also didn't really work till near the end of my University years. I worked retail part-time, and met some people. I was there for almost 3 years but after they changed management I got pretty fed-up and just quit. I even worked there for half a year after I finished Uni, and when I couldn't find a job my friend from elementary referred me to a job in his office area. I was good, made decent money and the job was decent. I felt really intimidated because most people were older than me or just plain old, and the workplace 'felt' really strict for me. Sadly I got let go due to downsizing. In the end, I didn't really meet anyone I could keep in touch with. I quit my retail job near the end of 2012 (around Christmas) when I just couldn't stand management anymore, and January 2013 (last year) was when I got let go from the office.
I lived on employment insurance for most of last year, because I could get more than if I found a shittier job. However, when I got let go was when I decided due to the influence of my gf and one of my good friends that I should try for an accounting diploma. I want to be an accountant, and my grades so far have been mostly good (I started with 4 A's in a row for the entry courses) and I was surprised I've done so well even in the harder courses. I've also attended some workshops at school regarding how to get hired by the 'main' companies (big 4 if you're familiar). I realize that I basically need to network and need to be social.
I feel really really nervous when I think that I have to pretend to be a really social person, I mean I can talk to people and stuff with no problem but I don't really KNOW what to talk about. I don't really share similar interests to people generally, and I'm not socially smart. I feel like this is now kicking me in the ass, I'm not sure how I can develop these skills so late in my life and at such great urgency. From what I gather, being able to network and maintain connections/contacts is life or death for this process.
There's a career coach for my program, and I've tried contacting him because he seemed nice and was a helpful person. But when I tried to reach out for help, I felt that like other people he did try to help but in the end doesn't really care all that much. I think he realized I'm a pretty weak person or something. When I tried to contact him was late April and after we had a meeting to go over my resume, I haven't kept in touch because I'm not sure what I should even say.
I just feel a little lost right now, hah. I've already tried a couple books on networking but while they were good at introducing me to the concept, the actual process scares me.