Simus
Job hunting SUCKS. Especially in this economy. There's nothing worse than spending all that time in school and not being able to do anything with it - especially when people in our generation were told "go to college, you'll get an excellent job!!" HA! Biggest lie ever. I give you props for continuing your education and finding a practical application in you field of study (ish) to make yourself adaptable to the job market.
I must say though, I don't quite blame your parents for getting upset - if it were my parents, I would have heard the same thing. They have been quite generous in helping you out, and I'm sure they feel like you're being more of a mooch than anything else. If I were them, I would be frustrated too. But the good news is, you recognize that there is an issue here, which is the first step in fixing things.
I know that job hunting sucks - I spent 4 years half-assed trying to get out of my crappy job before I got the job that I have now. The funny thing is, I didn't even get a call for an interview until I went full steam ahead into the job search. Which you're going to have to do. Funny thing about job hunting though, is that with the availability of the internet, it makes it way easier - although admittedly, quite tedious.
In an effort to prove to your parents that you're making an effort, I would recommend taking these few steps:
1) Get on
LinkedIn. It is a seriously powerful marketing tool. Create a profile, and be as detailed as possible. You'll see what I mean when I get there, you'll be able to list all your academic stuff as well as any certifications, babble a little bit about yourself and what you're looking for in a job, blah blah blah. You'll also be able to search for networking groups (I just went in and started typing in "pharmacy" and there are several groups to join) and you'll be able to put a post saying "hey, I'm Simus, I am a certified Pharm Tech and you wanna hire me because I'm freaking awesome." As I'm telling you to do this, I'm updating my own profile, as a matter of fact. But anyways, it's an incredible tool, use it to your advantage. The more involved you are and the more vocal you are, the more likely you will be to get noticed. Added bonus: you can do it all behind a computer screen.
2) Update your resume. Your first best bet is to Google resume writing tips for your particular area of expertise - cause things go out of date really fast in today's world. For example, in some industries, it's considered tacky to include an "Objectives" section. The biggest advice I can give you is keep in mind your audience. My father used to immediately throw away resumes longer than a page, as well as those from people who felt the need to list irrelevant accomplishments. He was only interested in what they could contribute as physicists, he really didn't give a plops that they spent a year feeding hungry camels in the Sahara.
3) Once you've gotten your resume updated, get some nice paper (but not tacky nice, you're not sending wedding invitations...a nice off-white is recommended, not overly-textured, but not your normal copy type...a nice bond will be good. Why, you may ask? It makes your resume stand out in a stack of white paper) and have someone take you around to pharmacies. Talk to the pharmacists themselves, as most pharmacies allow them to do their own hiring. Make yourself seen, start discussing your knowledge, drop some drug names or something ("I heard Glaxo-Smith-Kline is talking about dropping a drug to make feet stink less, what do you think about that?" or something along those lines...you know way more about the subject than I do, you know what I'm getting at). This way, you're more than just a resume and an application: you have a face, and with the face you have some knowledge associated behind it. This is a more intimidating method, but it will get you the best results. Added bonus: your parents will see your effort.
One thing I would like you to keep in mind though is to keep any disabilities on the DL during your job hunt. The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it very clear that it is illegal to discriminate on employment because of a disability, but the fact of the matter is that it happens all the time. Trust me from experience as someone who was job hunting while pregnant, it may feel dishonest, but it's in your best interest. Because you're gonna get discriminated against, whether consciously or subconsciously, as much as it pains me to say it, it's the sad truth. I know that pregnancy websites suggest waiting until the job offer has come in before you let them know, as if they rescind the offer, you will be have a stronger footing to sue them for violations, as it will be easier to prove the denial of job due to nothing more than the disability. Most employers however won't take an offer back for this very reason.
This is going to be the most difficult, tedious, time-consuming, ego-busting, bash your head on the desk thing that you've ever done. Trust me, there is gonna be a list a mile long of things you would rather be doing, starting with cleaning out your nails with needles covered in microscopic fire ants contaminated with HIV, but it's gonna hafta be done. What I want you to do is, when you wake up every morning and inevitably go to pee (cause everyone hasta do that when they first wake up), when you go to wash your hands, I want you to look at yourself straight in the mirror and say "I am going to find a job today." And believe it. I could be tacky and say that nothing worth having ever comes free, but I don't feel like being tacky, so in typical Lady Imp fashion imma say "suck it up, STFU and get your ass on Monster." Which was probably what you were waiting for me to say all along.
Good luck.