I bet you're wondering what Labor Statistic did to end up in the clutches of the sinking black hole. The answer: Lots of things. Like most people my age, I was told that I could be whatever I wanted when I grew up and that going college was the most direct route to success and financial security. So, I labored under these delusions throughout my childhood and well into my twenties believing that the only logical progression of events included getting my degree and receiving numerous job offers (handsome salary & benefit package included!) from which I wouldn't be able to choose and so, naturally, a bidding war would ensue. As most of you have probably guessed, this is not what happened. Here's what happened:
I pissed away ten years on my loser (now ex) high school boyfriend, who we'll call the Biggest L. Pissing activities included wasting three years to follow him, on my parent's dime, to a different town to attend community college for something I'll never, ever use. Then, moving back to my hometown (the land of no opportunity) to subsequently purchase a house in 2008 (we all know why that was a bad move) that I couldn't maintain or afford on my own. The Biggest L (who was so terrible he deserves his own blog) never contributed and owed me several thousand dollars when he moved out shortly after. In the meantime, I'd gotten my bachelor's degree and had begun graduate school. I had my first real, entry level job and it made me absolutely miserable, but thought I could buy whatever I wanted, (and did) relying on credit cards to fund my lifestyle thinking that after graduate school I'd surely land a job that would allow me to pay it all back. I failed to understand that I was stuck with a house I couldn't afford to begin with that was quickly losing market value and, because of that, was stuck in the land of no opportunity indefinitely. I quit my miserable job in search of greener pastures which, incidentally, were uninhabitable and cemented my dependence on credit cards. I had no choice but to quit and have since gone through a string of jobs including (once again) waiting tables, serving drinks, low wage, 100% commission sales for products that are unsellable, etc... Now that I have my master's degree I've managed to wedge myself into the category of the over-educated and under-experienced. Not a good place to be, especially in the land of no opportunity. And the house you'd suggest I sell? Every single thing that could possibly break, broke. Everything that could flood, flooded. Unfortunately, I needed the insurance money to live because of stretches of unemployment or working low wage jobs. My house sits in a million pieces. Torn out floors. Half painted, every door needs to be replaced, cracked foundation, overgrown enormous yard, unpaved driveway, the list goes on and on and on. I have lost control of my life and I don't even know how and there's no end in sight. No fix for my continually falling credit score. No fix for my substantial credit card debt. No promise of a job in the future and, therefore, no hope of refinancing. That's the thing about mistakes. You don't just pay for them. You pay and you pay, and pay, and pay, and pay...
So, I've enrolled in school once again to obtain a second major in Human Resources. After searching for a decent job for the last three years I decided my name should appear on the bottom of the rejection letters and emails instead of at the top. Also, it's interesting! I'm excited for the mass retirement (and hopefully the opportunities it will provide to those of us who have to make up a ton of ground) that's expected over the next decade or so and plan focus on it from time to time in this blog. And I need the student loan money to live on. Low/no interest money and income based repayment plan? Yes, please! Because I'll probably never find a job.
Sorry for the length. I could go on and on. Really, I could write a book about the last decade and call it "Stranglehold". Anyway, just wanted to establish a foundation for future posts (which I promise will be shorter and funnier in the future!). Labor Statistic is signing off for the day. Peace out!
No comments:
Post a Comment