Am I going to have to work until I die?

[jimthzz]

Can you split expenses with an other person(s)?

 

Also, if you are on call, are you saying that at no time during that 24-hour period you can take 20 minutes to work on getting a different job?

 

No if I get a 2nd JOB do you know of any positions that will allow me to work on their clock while I'm working for my fulltime job staffing nurses after hours? And who would I split these expenses with? A roomate? I have a one bedroom apartment and I really do not feel safe or comfortable moving in with a strange person. Its one thing I just do not feel comfortable with.

 

I think you misunderstood me.

 

I think you should take 20 minutes a day, every day, and actively prepare for and look for another job entirely. I'm not suggesting you have two jobs during the same hours.

 

BTW, i too live in California and i think it breaks labor laws to have an hourly employee not get breaks in a 24-hour period. work five hours straight and you get a dinner break, etc.

[quirky]

I was 27-31. I did it for 4 years. My full time job gave me 2 weeks vacation a year. And my weekend job was bartending so if I needed to give up a shift, I could. But I wanted to pay off my school loans and my car loan, and start saving for a down payment on a house. And my salary only left me with a few hundred after all my bills were paid. I bought my first condo by age 31.

 

That is admirable! Did you have a relationship at the time? Did you not feel like you needed more time off in the week? I really wish I could be more like that myself. I work hard but I need time to myself otherwise I get irritated or emotional for tiny things, I have noticed it when I work non stop I get moody and unhappy.

[ImNotYourBabe]

I think you misunderstood me.

 

I think you should take 20 minutes a day, every day, and actively prepare for and look for another job entirely. I'm not suggesting you have two jobs during the same hours.

 

BTW, i too live in California and i think it breaks labor laws to have an hourly employee not get breaks in a 24-hour period. work five hours straight and you get a dinner break, etc.

 

Oops I'm sorry! Yes I do look for jobs. The issue isn't that I am actually WORKING 24-7 but I'm on call so I can't be at another job. But yes I do look for work all the time. The calls come in and I could be working on staffing a case for 3 hours straight. I can take breaks but was I was saying is that a part time job probably wouldn't like that very much unless it was like bulletproof said housesitting or something like that.

[quirky]

Would you consider living with your family to save on rent?

I know cleaning or waitressing or customer service are not good jobs but at least you won't be bound 24/7..you sound rather resentful and I can imagine it's a very difficult feeling to cope with.

 

Do you do anything in your life at the moment that satisfies you? You have a boyfriend..do you have any interests, little joyful things you do, like reading or playing guitar perhaps? You need to let go of that anger, it doesn't help you..

[mhowe]

That is admirable! Did you have a relationship at the time? Did you not feel like you needed more time off in the week? I really wish I could be more like that myself. I work hard but I need time to myself otherwise I get irritated or emotional for tiny things, I have noticed it when I work non stop I get moody and unhappy.

 

I didn't have time for a relationship! I didn't want to stay in debt and I wanted my own home.

[jimthzz]

Can you split expenses with an other person(s)?

 

Also, if you are on call, are you saying that at no time during that 24-hour period you can take 20 minutes to work on getting a different job?

 

No if I get a 2nd JOB do you know of any positions that will allow me to work on their clock while I'm working for my fulltime job staffing nurses after hours? And who would I split these expenses with? A roomate? I have a one bedroom apartment and I really do not feel safe or comfortable moving in with a strange person. Its one thing I just do not feel comfortable with.

 

I think you misunderstood me.

 

I think you should take 20 minutes a day, every day, and actively prepare for and look for another job entirely. I'm not suggesting you have two jobs during the same hours.

 

BTW, i too live in California and i think it breaks labor laws to have an hourly employee not get breaks in a 24-hour period. work five hours straight and you get a dinner break, etc.

 

Oops I'm sorry! Yes I do look for jobs. The issue isn't that I am actually WORKING 24-7 but I'm on call so I can't be at another job. But yes I do look for work all the time. The calls come in and I could be working on staffing a case for 3 hours straight. I can take breaks but was I was saying is that a part time job probably wouldn't like that very much unless it was like bulletproof said housesitting or something like that.

 

OK, then you do as the entire civilized world does:

 

Look for work and then accept a new position doing something with normal hours. And then when you have done that?

 

Look for the next one that pays better.

 

Climb the ladder.

[Traveler27]

I understand everyone is trying to help the OP here, but this post struck me as a tad out of line. From the description of the OP's job, it sounds like a skilled job. Why would she/he want to start working on the side as a cleaner when they are working all week 9-5 and are ON-CALL 24/7 throughout the weekend? I don't think people understand that being on-call for a job is highly demanding and stressful, and essentially means that your weekends are not your own. I know because I've worked in roles that are on-call, and vowed I would never do it again.

 

Further, I don't think it's helpful telling the OP to "suck it up" in terms of their living situation. They've clearly described not being comfortable with house/apartment/flat sharing.

 

It's been an extremely bad economy for at LEAST the last 10 years, and jobs don't pay nearly enough to keep your head above water. I have a Master's degree and experience in various industries, and am still encountering jobs advertised at such low wages, it's heartbreaking.

[Fudgie]

^ I agree. It sounds like she has a skilled job...but yeah, 24 hour on-call is not okay. Even my parents, they are professionals and have been on call, but not FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK.

 

OP, you need a different job. And no, I don't think being a house cleaner or a waitress would work for you. You're clearly more qualified. I would look for another job entirely.

 

I don't know where you are, but many of the hospitals in my area offer pensions. At my current hospital, you work for 5+ years, and you're guaranteed a pension, and it goes up every year that you remain employed. Everyone from the doctors to the housecleaners get one. I would get one myself but I am going to leave in a while to go back to school to get another degree and I hope to be back here. Yes, pensions are more scarce but they aren't non-existent.

 

I would not necessarily be doom-and-gloom about working until you die, either. You may not. You need to get in a better place though and climb the ladder a bit.

[Capricorn3]

OP: You're only 33 years old and have at least another 30-35 years of working life ahead of you. So much can change in the next 30 years so really no point in freaking out about anything at this point in time. None of us know what the future holds for us in the next 30 years.

 

I know literally dozens of people who are working long past the "normal" retirement age. The oldest one I know is now 84 and still working full time, Mon-Friday. My sister's boss is 78, as is my neighbour - all still working full time. These days it's more the norm to work way past the age of 60 or 65.

 

I think you can start panicking about all of this in 30 years time.

[Fudgie]

My parents are well off, BOTH make a lot of money, and both are still working full time. They don't have to, they want to. My dad loves to work and I think he'll work a long time because he loves it and it gives him purpose and drive. People are living longer and can do more in their lives. It's not like how it used to be, you'd work til 55/60, take your social security check, and then die within the next 5-10 years of heart disease. Go to your doctor, keep yourself healthy, and you have a good chance of having a long, healthy life full of many healthy years to both work AND do things that you enjoy.

 

I really do implore you to find a new job because it doesn't sound like they are paying you enough and you should not be on call 24/7 like that and be making peanuts like you are now. That is ridiculous.

[Hell_On_Heels]

Are you working for a hospital? If so, is it a single hospital, or a corporate hospital chain? How long have you been there? What was your last job, and what skills do you have?

 

I'm afraid that it might be a bit of a wait, but if you're with a hospital you should be able to apply for another position within. If you're with a hospital chain, the wait could be shorter since there would be more opportunities.

 

With your admin skills, have you looked into shared services companies?

 

After I was laid off earlier this year, I had great luck using link removed combined with a highly polished resume. I recommend both.

 

You mentioned that you don't have a degree. This might be something to work on - student loans can pay for your tuition and books. Research careers and need in your area, and then choose an education that will get you where you want to be. If you have any interest in some kind of medical lab job, those are in demand and pay well. They say that whatever you pay for your college, you will earn back annually in less than 5 years. That's a pretty good investment! I worked my way through college, and found that my investment was paying back in a year or less. My education cost me nearly 50k before I was finally done. I make 50k more per year than I did before my college. So that's a possibility.

 

I don't think there is a quick solution, but there are definitely things you can do.

 

The age-old retirement formula is to invest 2k a year for 10 years starting in your 20s. This means if you create a career for yourself, and start investing in your 30s, you could easily put away 4k a year. That's only $333 a month. If you use a 401k, you can put in less money because the company will match your dollars - however, that investment depends on the market. You can also buy savings bonds. You pay half of the face value, and they mature in 5 years. You also get interest for every year that you've owned them. So if you bought $100 bond today, you'd pay $50 for it. It'll sit for 5 years and be worth $100 PLUS interest for 5 years. If you let it sit for 30 or 40 years, that's a whole lotta interest. Best way I know of to double your money, and then some.

 

The point is that there are ways you can retire comfortably, and still live fairly well. It's the job/career that matters right now, and I keep saying this, but there is no quick fix. However, it can be done. If you decide to go to school, you can still be on call during classes. A talk upfront with your professors will usually earn their cooperation if you need to step out of class for work. With recording video and camera phones, you probably wouldn't miss much if/when you do step out...

 

...at least until you find another job.

 

I'm trying to provide practical information, and hope that it helps.

[superfan]

OP, I am with you 100%. You have every right to feel the way you feel. I am 32 and almost in exactly the same boat, only I DID go to University for two degrees so now not only am I working a job that is not secure and in which I am VASTLY underpaid, I am also over $50 000 in debt because of student loans. My husband and I had a meeting with our bank to try to discuss ways we could someday own a house and they all but laughed at us when they saw how much I was making.

 

The fact is that the world has changed and there is a HUGE difference between people like us in their 20s-early 30s and people in their 40s and up. The world has changed in ways they don't see a lot of the time. Many feel that because they were able to "start at the bottom and work their way up" that we can do so as well if we "just try hard enough".

 

My mother told me that over and over and over again saying things like "I started with nothing. You just have to keep trying and work hard and you'll make it." Then the company she had worked for for over 2 decades went out of business, and she was out of a job. She thought it would be easy to find another one with her qualifications (she was in management by that point making pretty good money), so she took the severance pay she received and went on a months-long vacation, figuring she would "look for work" when she got back.

 

When she got back however, she had a pretty rude wake-up call. She discovered that most companies require you to post resumes and apply online (something she never had to do before). She had to get us to help her because she has a very rudimentary knowledge of computers. Then she discovered that almost ALL job postings now were for either part time or contract work - almost nothing full time and no benefits. She couldn't believe it. Where had all the full time jobs gone???

 

Eventually she DID come accross a job she would be good at that was offering full time (a call centre for a large hotel chain). I had worked there myself, but quit 5 months in because of the horrendous abuse I received as an employee and the way the company ran things. She was WAY overqualified for the job, but still wasn't hired as they had over 300 people apply for it. She was crushed.

 

She thought it would be easy with her qualifications (she has a travel and tourism degree) not to mention her MANY years in management, etc. At the moment she is working part time at a shoe store and they are barely making ends meet.

 

The fact is though that trying hard is NOT enough anymore. There are SO many more obstacles now than there ever were before. Full time jobs, jobs with benefits, permanent jobs, those are all things of the past.

 

I have long since accepted that I will likely work until I die. I am working a job where I SHOULD be making over $50 000/year but because of various different aspects I am only pulling in about $17 000. I am poor and will likely be poor the rest of my life.

 

We will never own a house.

 

Don't let anybody tell you that you don't have the right to be angry. If we don't get angry, things will never change. If we don't fight back against a system that is designed to see us fail, we will spend our lives miserable.

 

Absolutely do whatever else you can to try to escape the cycle, but don't ever let anybody convince you that you aren't trying hard enough, or that any of it is YOUR fault.

[Silverbirch]

OP, I got my degree when I was in my early 40s and did that as a single mother and working. It was scarey - not just me to worry about. After a couple of years, I was at the stage where I wondered if my degree had been a waste of time and money. I was still in low paid work and felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. One of the things Zi did have going for me was that I was passionate about my field of employment.

 

This year, things have seemed to really be falling into place for me touch wood. I got a better job within the same organisation. Am working six days a week, and often very tired. I am however still passionate about work, in my dream job now with much better money, and plan to fulfil my dream of buying/building my own home. My degree might also be opening doors for me in other areas of my life. However, I think a degree alone is unlikely to get a person anywhere without a passion for what you do and for life in general.

 

Definitely time to come up with another plan.

[Nuby]

I am poor and will likely be poor the rest of my life.

 

We will never own a house.

 

Don't let anybody tell you that you don't have the right to be angry. If we don't get angry, things will never change. If we don't fight back against a system that is designed to see us fail, we will spend our lives miserable.

 

Absolutely do whatever else you can to try to escape the cycle, but don't ever let anybody convince you that you aren't trying hard enough, or that any of it is YOUR fault.

 

Dear tvnerdgirl,

 

I'm sorry but this right here is all in your head. This is why people are telling the OP to make a change herself. Listen to what you're saying! You are what you say you are and this is exactly the difference between someone who successfully does something about a situation they don't like and somebody who accepts it and complains.

 

You guys think life is tough in the western world? Go spend a few months in a 3rd world country and try and bring the bread in.

 

We are all capable of doing something for our situation to better it and we all own that responsibility.

 

You talked about the world changing...well yeah! This is not a secret. Learn a new skill... do your research, find out what is relevant for today's world.

 

If a lion neglects the need to acknowledge and adapt to his new surroundings, he dies.

[journeynow]

Nuby is right. Be careful what you repeatedly tell yourself about yourself.

 

There is some truth to these quotes:

 

"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours." —Richard Bach

 

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." —Mark Twain

 

Basically they are saying to get out of your own way. It drains your energy to use your mind and imagination to focus on obstacles, limitations, and imagined futures. It's fine to note them, but then use your imagination and energy to problem solve and put things into action.

 

Just a few hours ago a short blog post by Danny Gregory arrived in my inbox that talks about this too: link removed A snippet from it:

... Bad things happen.

But worse things could .

What does happen can be cleaned up or treated or paid for or even buried.

But what could happen must only be dealt with one way.

By refusing to fear what could be.

...

[Blue Spiral]

Don't let anybody tell you that you don't have the right to be angry. If we don't get angry, things will never change. If we don't fight back against a system that is designed to see us fail, we will spend our lives miserable.

 

Amen to that.

[superfan]

Dear tvnerdgirl,

 

I'm sorry but this right here is all in your head. This is why people are telling the OP to make a change herself. Listen to what you're saying! You are what you say you are and this is exactly the difference between someone who successfully does something about a situation they don't like and somebody who accepts it and complains.

 

Here are things that are not all in my head:

 

My two degrees which are useless. The regulations put in place by my provinces government that ensure I will NEVER see a permanent job in my field. The way the system is designed to keep poor people poor and rich people rich. Sorry but that is not in my head. I am not telling the OP to NOT do anything, nor did I advise her to sit back and complain. I am saying she has a right to be angry and that if we don't try to change things we will be stuck in the cycle of poverty forever. In no way did I tell her to accept it. Rather, I told her that people giving advice such as "just try harder" obviously do not fully understand the complexities of the world we currently live in.

 

You guys think life is tough in the western world? Go spend a few months in a 3rd world country and try and bring the bread in.

 

That is EXACTLY my point. Do you really think someone living in 3rd world poverty can just go out and learn a new skill and boom suddenly that poverty is gone? Nope - there are systemic issues at play. The western world might not be third world poor, but the current institutions we live in have designed a system in which those with good jobs keep them, and those living on poverty wages are not able to do anything else to try to better themselves. This has only gotten worse as the years have gone on. This is something economists and others have written on. It's not made up. It is very very real and pretending it isn't will not help.

 

We are all capable of doing something for our situation to better it and we all own that responsibility.

 

You talked about the world changing...well yeah! This is not a secret. Learn a new skill... do your research, find out what is relevant for today's world.

 

If a lion neglects the need to acknowledge and adapt to his new surroundings, he dies.

 

And nowhere in my post did I NOT tell the OP to stop trying. Sometimes though "learning a new skill" is not as simple as it sounds. Again, systemic poverty is designed to keep people poor. I am working 2 jobs and still living well below the poverty line. I also have over $50 000 in student debt. Oh sure, I could do some research and find out what kind of degree would earn me more money, but I can't ever afford to obtain it. Even if I wasn't working several jobs, the amount of money my loans require me to pay back from my first two degrees mean getting any more loans from the government would be impossible. To just tell someone to try harder is to sell them a fairy tale.

 

We need to inspire people to work against the system, or things will never change.

 

So yeah, she should do whatever she can do to try to get out of the cycle. But she should also be allowed to be angry. She should also be aware that a lifetime of poverty is a definite possibility and that unless we work towards change on a larger level, it will never happen.

 

Some reading:

link removed

link removed

link removed

link removed

link removed

[Hell_On_Heels]

Trying harder often means trying smarter.

 

I think you're spinning what people are saying. I don't think encouraging the OP to be angry and join a revolution (peaceful or not, I don't care) is going to help. Neither your story, your mom's story, or articles from left-wing newspapers provide empirical evidence of some plot to keep poor people poor. If the powerful truly want to control people, keeping them poor has been proven to be ineffective in the long term. But if you can keep people stupid and/or at each other's throats....well, that keeps them too busy running in false directions to see what you're really up to.

 

So again, smarter. Not harder.

[Traveler27]

Actually, it has been confirmed by hard, statistical data from the Pew Research Center that the Millenial generation (I believe those aged 33 and under) have been hit the hardest than any previous generation. Pew Research Center is not affiliated with any political party; they simply gather the data, analyze it and present the evidence. And in this case it's very clear that this generation is facing a harsher future. I'm a Gen X'er, but young enough to still be facing many of the same harsh realities as the Millenial generation. Again, I know people are trying to help, but these are hard facts, and it's important to keep these realities in mind.

 

From Pew Research Center and detailed in the below link: "Millennials are the first in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than their two immediate predecessor generations had at the same age."

 

link removed

[faraday]

I understand everyone is trying to help the OP here, but this post struck me as a tad out of line. From the description of the OP's job, it sounds like a skilled job. Why would she/he want to start working on the side as a cleaner when they are working all week 9-5 and are ON-CALL 24/7 throughout the weekend?

 

I thought DF's post was probably the best one in this thread. It's about taking personal responsibility and thinking outside the box.

 

If you decide that the world/the government/"big pharma"/"big food"/"the man" is out to get you....you're done. I guess keep working crappy jobs that pay nothing and then you can fulfill the destiny you believe you will.

 

 

 

Do you know what my house cleaner charges me? $35 an hour. She does quite well for herself.

 

Being self employed is a different ball game...you can charge what you'd like, and as long as you're really good at what you do, you'll have clients.

 

I price my art so that I'm making roughly $100 an hour. I didn't go to school. I don't have a degree. Before this I ran a dayhome for 5 years. I made $60,000 a year tax free (so we lived like I was making closer to 80-90). Mind you, I worked 14 hour days, got 2 weeks off a year...no benefits...but it was a great life for my daughter and I. My friend is a dog walker, and she charges $25 per dog per walk. She drives around and picks up and drops off 6 dogs in the morning and 6 in the afternoon. My friend was trained to do taxes (only taxes, she's not an accountant) and she charges around $65 an hour. That was a week long training course...if that. Good extra income during tax season.

 

Or if self employment isn't something someone feels capable of doing, they could get a flyer/paper route.

 

You create your own destiny. Own it. Don't complain about "the man"...become the man. That's my plan anyway.

 

"Whether you think you can, or that you can't- you're right." -Henry Ford

[Hell_On_Heels]

Your link is a restatement of a survey's results. I didn't see anything in there about some plot to keep people destitute. I will tell you something about my generation, and my parents, too. My parents generation paid cash for nearly everything. They bought what they could afford, made their possessions last longer, and did without when they had to. Nobody thought it was monstrous or evil. They just figured out what they needed to do and they did it.

 

My generation couldn't get credit until we had credit. Most of us found the hilarity in this. We also paid cash until we were able to get local store credit, and if we proved ourselves there, we were able to get a Visa. You knew you were ok when you earned a major credit card. You knew when you moved out on your own, you'd be living with a friend or two, sleeping on the floor, and eating peanut butter sandwiches. You simply did without until you worked yourself into a better position. As our lives went on, people who used credit a lot lived paycheck to paycheck. The rift started there, somewhere

 

Today, this generation seems to have an incredible sense of entitlement. I hear young people talk, and it ... I don't even know what it does besides boggle my mind. No one is entitled to a great salary just because you have an education. No one is entitled to a nice new car, or eating out a lot, or lots of new clothes. There seems to be so much anger when those things are denied or out of reach. Yet no one before this generation got those things right off the bat. And no one thought it was a plot of any kind.

 

To me, that's the biggest part of the generation gap - we don't blame anyone or anything if we have to work hard, do research to make good choices, wait for what we want. That's just life. We were raised on the ideal of seizing or creating opportunity. It's as natural to us as breathing, so it will be our advice to others. Since many of us found success doing exactly that, it will be our very best advice.

 

-end of semi-rant

[Batya33]

thank you. I just keep kicking myself for not going to college. I keep thinking that if I did I probably wouldn't be in this situation. I made lots of posts about it. All of this is affecting me physically and mentally' date=' I have bad anxiety, I grind my teeth have breathing issues. I know stress is wearing me out.[/quote']

 

As part of your plan then see if you can figure out a way to start going part time.

[chickadeedee]

there are all kinds of ways to get yourself into a decent standard of living, BUT they all take effort and most take sacrifice. I am a big proponent of doing your research and getting education BUT you have to be extremely practical in your choices. There are some careers where there is a big demand and salaries are good, and others where you will always be impoverished. So you have to choose to get the education/credentials you need to get the job that offers you a standard of living.

 

When I was young I had no skills or qualifications whatsoever. So I took a low paying job and worked all day and spent all of my hours when i was not working going to school. I spent days at work, evenings until 10 pm in classes, after 10 pm and all weekend studying and going to the library to write papers and study. It was hard, an exhausting grind, BUT when i got out of school, i was extremely employable and have had no trouble for the rest of my life getting a good job. But I also made a point of doing my research and choosing a career that i knew was up and coming and would make me instantly employable and at a good salary.

 

There are people complaining that getting an education is meaningless, and it certainly will be if you major in something 'fun' like philosophy or literature or something else where the career only translates to a job in teaching where there are tons of other people trying to get the same job (or no job at all). But for those who major in something that is marketable and in an up and coming field, they can and do get jobs that are well paid.

 

And today it is much easier to get a degree than it used to be because there are many universities that offer degrees totally online where you don't even have to attend class and can do your work online, take tests online, and do it any time of the day or night rather than having to attend class or go to libraries. And there are student loans, but you again have to choose a career wisely where you know you can pay off those loans and hence taking the loan is justified.

 

You should start your research here:

 

link removed

 

That link has very valuable information on every kind of career there is, the outlook (whether it is a growing career or a declining one), what education or training you need to get it, how much it will pay etc. So choose something PRACTICAL that you know will pay off, and look for a school that offers the training/degree.

 

btw, when i was going thru my years of working full time during the day and evenings to get my degree, i had MANY people (in fact most people) spout all kinds of negative discouragement trying to say it didn't seem worth it and it seemed like no fun and blah blah blah, but I just didn't listen because i KNEW that you just had to do what it took to pull yourself up and earn a good income, and sitting around whining and partying with people wasn't going to change anything, whereas effort and SMART choices would. And now I look back and laugh, because my choices paid off exactly as I knew they would.

 

The difference between a success and failure is that successful people get up and keep trying no matter how many times they are knocked down. There are so many cases of people to illustrate times in their lives when bad things happened or they were really knocked down, but what ultimately pulled them out was their own effort and willingness to get up and keep going towards a goal. So now you have your goal: get out of poverty and get a decent standard of living. So you have to now work on a plan to get yourself from where you are now to where you want to be, with SMART research into marketable careers, and a willingness to put in the effort to get the credentials to be marketable and get that job. and even if you are on call 24x7, if you choose an accredited online school that offers marketable degrees, you can be online 24x7 any time you are not working.

 

You can choose a 4 year degree such as here:

 

link removed

 

Or some kind of shorter certificate program in some semi-professional area like medical technician of some kind (radiology/xray technician, physician's assistant, nurse etc.)

[Nuby]

Here are things that are not all in my head:

 

My two degrees which are useless. The regulations put in place by my provinces government that ensure I will NEVER see a permanent job in my field. The way the system is designed to keep poor people poor and rich people rich. Sorry but that is not in my head. I am not telling the OP to NOT do anything, nor did I advise her to sit back and complain. I am saying she has a right to be angry and that if we don't try to change things we will be stuck in the cycle of poverty forever. In no way did I tell her to accept it. Rather, I told her that people giving advice such as "just try harder" obviously do not fully understand the complexities of the world we currently live in.

 

tvnergirl

 

Around 2008, I taught myself to build websites on youtube over the course of 2 weeks. I wanted to pay for a web developer for a project I was doing but couldn't afford one. The result was me becoming a self employed, work from home, web developer.

 

It. is. in. your. head.

[superfan]

tvnergirl

 

Around 2008, I taught myself to build websites on youtube over the course of 2 weeks. I wanted to pay for a web developer for a project I was doing but couldn't afford one. The result was me becoming a self employed, work from home, web developer.

 

It. is. in. your. head.

 

Ahh anecdotal evidence. It's so much easier than hard facts.

 

I never once said it was a conspiracy, but it IS a system. And it is a system that benefits wealthy corporations and keeps individuals poor. Never once did I say that it was impossible to escape the system (though most don't), nor did I say that the OP should stop trying. But telling the OP that she isn't trying hard enough or that her problems are all in her head are completely counter productive. You are telling her she has no right to feel angry and used by the system she works so hard for because if she "really wanted to" she could just get a better job?

 

Is everybody living below the poverty line simply "not working hard enough"? If they suddenly decided to "try harder" would their lives magically change? If that was the case, we would have no poverty. Those stuck in welfare cycles, geared to income housing, spiraling debt, etc. are trying...believe me they are trying. Nobody works two or three low paying jobs because they want to - they do so to keep themselves afloat. I am working two jobs that are vastly underpaying me right now because there is no other choice.

 

I am not in any way "entitled" (and I LOVE it when people throw around that word). I have been working since I was a teenager. I have never been unemployed. I worked while going to University. I worked during my summers. I worked ridiculous hours. I still had to take on student loans because the part time department store wages were only enough to feed me. University is more costly than it was in previous generations and wages have not kept up. Fact. I finished school only to find my field (which previously had a shortage of positions) had changed in the last 4 years I had been at school and now had a surplus of grads, but no jobs. I am not qualified to do anything else, and of course, my loans need to be paid off. So I work. I work sometimes two or three jobs to try to keep a roof over my head. I am not alone. This is not entitlement.

 

A living wage, for work done, is NOT entitlement. Previous generations had to work hard, yes, but they were eventually able to receive something from that hard work. There is a reason that my generation (and those after me) do not own property at nearly the same levels as Gen Xers and above. WE CAN'T.

 

I have great credit. My credit rating is fantastic, but our bank still told us we would never own a house because of my student debt. That's fine, I don't mind renting my entire life, but to say that it is entitlement to want to receive an accurate wage for the work I do is ridiculous. I work 90+ hours a week sometimes, and receive less than minimum wage for doing it. It is not entitled to say the system is screwed up.

 

Nobody is advocating a "revolution", but change NEEDS to happen. And it will because pretty soon the middle class will disappear and the system will not be able to sustain itself.

 

OP, keep plugging at it. Look for better opportunities where you can. Apply for jobs you think might pay better or offer more permanence. If you can look into moving, sharing a place, whatever, then do so.

 

But stay angry.

 

The worst thing that can happen is for you to get complacent...because then your fate really is sealed.