Author Topic: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?  (Read 12981 times)

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #50 on: February 08, 2017, 08:16:05 AM »
If transportation is an issue, you might consider being an Au Pair in a European city. As you have years of experience and a Bachelor's degree, you should be able to find a job relatively easily. Though travel costs are not necessarily included, you can find jobs that reimburse travel costs, and it will definitely be an expected part of negotiations.

You could also consider teaching English in a foreign country. With a Bachelor's in Communications and years of experience working with children, you should be able to find a decent paying job in an Asian country. When I was fresh out of school I made $35-45K/year teaching English and lived rent free. Just like being an Au Pair, travel costs are an expected part of the negotiations and usually reimbursed after a certain period of working.

I've considered both of these ideas. I studied abroad while in school and loved living overseas (and miss it). I wasn't sure if, at this point, I'd just be running away from or delaying dealing with my debt and life!  But, they are jobs, so perhaps I shouldn't think of it that way. I've fallen into the mindset that home is in Arkansas, and that's where I should be, but as long as I had the means to fly back for holidays...I wouldn't be missing much!  Thanks for your input.

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #51 on: February 08, 2017, 08:20:38 AM »
Just to make it clear, I have been applying for minimum wage jobs to supplement my income. I haven't been able to find one yet, which is why I may need to move sooner rather than later to get the ball rolling.

What kind of availability are you giving them? Is this trying to work around the babysitting, or are you available at all times, anytime? 

You keep saying you are thinking about the Mom you are helping; but by refusing to pay you a legal wage, and not correctly paying you benefits/withholding your taxes- she is doing the OPPOSITE of helping you. She is royally screwing you over.

Yeah, I've been putting my availibility as evenings and weekends so that I could do both. But no more! Just this morning she asked me to help with the baby's laundry. I don't get paid enough for that! :)

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #52 on: February 08, 2017, 08:25:37 AM »
OP, why don't you quit your job this instant and dedicate the extra time to getting a better job? The return is probably better.

Or you could literally take an online remote minimum wage job and make better wages instantly.

I am currently completing the application process to be an on-call substitute for the local school district. It's not guaranteed hours, but it would be $70/day when I do work. I saw an advertisement, so I know there is need. So I'm thinking I can do that as much as possible while I plan more permanent next steps.

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #53 on: February 08, 2017, 08:39:35 AM »
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You keep saying you are thinking about the Mom you are helping; but by refusing to pay you a legal wage, and not correctly paying you benefits/withholding your taxes- she is doing the OPPOSITE of helping you. She is royally screwing you over.

The more I read over this thread I start wondering if we've all been had.

I feel like that too sometimes :) but I promise this is my life! Someone said earlier that I have a lot of options. I believe this is true and I'm currently suffering from paralysis by analysis. I just need to make a plan of action, pray about it, and act on it. And not go back on it which I've done before, as well. I'm making big changes this year.

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #54 on: February 08, 2017, 08:44:55 AM »
Have you thought about joining the military?  Several of my cousins did to escape their small towns.  Once they had three to four years in the military they had achieved the needed independence and found many employers wanted them.  Just a possibility.  At 28, you need to be earning money and leaning skills either through work or online, not taking on more education related debt.

Yep, that's an option even at that age. I had a female co-worker who joined the Navy at about that age. She said that the other recruits in bootcamp jokingly called her mom (since obviously most were 18-19) but she didn't have any issues. She stayed in the Navy for 10 years, got a degree in that time that the military paid for, and then got a higher paying job that didn't force her to move around involuntarily when she got out.

I have a friend in Arizona who kept telling me this.
He always said I should join the Coast Guard. I don't know why the Coast Guard, I can't even swim! But, I will research different military careers. Thank you.

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #55 on: February 08, 2017, 08:47:06 AM »
Have you thought about joining the military?  Several of my cousins did to escape their small towns.  Once they had three to four years in the military they had achieved the needed independence and found many employers wanted them.  Just a possibility.  At 28, you need to be earning money and leaning skills either through work or online, not taking on more education related debt.

I agree that I should be making money and learning skills at my age, and not taking on more student loan debt. I think that's why I asked you guys in the first place, because I had my doubts.

Cwadda

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #56 on: February 08, 2017, 08:51:06 AM »
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I feel like that too sometimes :) but I promise this is my life! Someone said earlier that I have a lot of options. I believe this is true and I'm currently suffering from paralysis by analysis. I just need to make a plan of action, pray about it, and act on it. And not go back on it which I've done before, as well. I'm making big changes this year.
I'm simply pointing out that things are not adding up.

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I studied abroad while in school and loved living overseas (and miss it).
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I've fallen into the mindset that home is in Arkansas,
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I went to college at a private school in California. I wanted to live in a different part of the country.

These statements are at odds with one another. LCOL going to a private school in HCOL? Living in other parts of the country/world and returning to said LCOL without any job prospects? Are you tied down by your family? If yes, you really need to have a discussion with them, saying you can barely SURVIVE where you are now.

Quit the babysitter job asap and dedicate all that time to getting a minimum wage job.

Dulcinea

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #57 on: February 08, 2017, 09:13:05 AM »
Well, that's how I racked up the loans. I borrowed too much. I was born and raised in Arkansas, but have always had wonderlust, if you will. That's why I went to school in California and that's why I went abroad. And I've tried moving away since, but I've always wound back in Arkansas. Yes, with no job prospects (except in child care). While I know my mom misses me when I'm gone, she's also supported me wanting to live away. Maybe there's a part of me that knows I can always go back home, so when the money runs out that's what I do. The smarter thing would have been to never have gone back to Arkansas after finishing school. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with this trouble of getting out again (aming other things). I cannot turn back time. I'm just trying to learn from my past mistakes and failures and do better.

I understand that people don't understand or believe this predicament that I'm in. I know when I try to explain it all, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense! I need to do life better. I truly came here to get advice and I thank everyone that has offered it.

notactiveanymore

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #58 on: February 08, 2017, 10:03:59 AM »
Well, that's how I racked up the loans. I borrowed too much. I was born and raised in Arkansas, but have always had wonderlust, if you will. That's why I went to school in California and that's why I went abroad. And I've tried moving away since, but I've always wound back in Arkansas. Yes, with no job prospects (except in child care). While I know my mom misses me when I'm gone, she's also supported me wanting to live away. Maybe there's a part of me that knows I can always go back home, so when the money runs out that's what I do. The smarter thing would have been to never have gone back to Arkansas after finishing school. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with this trouble of getting out again (aming other things). I cannot turn back time. I'm just trying to learn from my past mistakes and failures and do better.

I understand that people don't understand or believe this predicament that I'm in. I know when I try to explain it all, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense! I need to do life better. I truly came here to get advice and I thank everyone that has offered it.

Life is not a straight line for most of us and usually includes many stops and starts. You are better off today than you were yesterday because you have recognized that you need to make a change and you're opening yourself up to a wider range of options. Sometimes you need to focus on just taking one step forward at a time while you figure out where you are headed. I don't think you sound like a troll, I think you just sound a little stuck and nervous about taking a step away from your safety net. I encourage you to set some goals for where you want to be in your career/geographically in 6 months or a year and then just work towards increasing your income and security and reaching those goals. You can do it!

mm1970

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #59 on: February 08, 2017, 10:51:09 AM »
Well, that's how I racked up the loans. I borrowed too much. I was born and raised in Arkansas, but have always had wonderlust, if you will. That's why I went to school in California and that's why I went abroad. And I've tried moving away since, but I've always wound back in Arkansas. Yes, with no job prospects (except in child care). While I know my mom misses me when I'm gone, she's also supported me wanting to live away. Maybe there's a part of me that knows I can always go back home, so when the money runs out that's what I do. The smarter thing would have been to never have gone back to Arkansas after finishing school. Then, I wouldn't have to deal with this trouble of getting out again (aming other things). I cannot turn back time. I'm just trying to learn from my past mistakes and failures and do better.

I understand that people don't understand or believe this predicament that I'm in. I know when I try to explain it all, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense! I need to do life better. I truly came here to get advice and I thank everyone that has offered it.
Oh, I think it's pretty easy to understand, for me.  I grew up in a rural area in western PA.  A lot of people never leave, and a lot of people "fail to launch", meaning the try to leave and come back. 

It's all for various reasons.  Some people love the area and never want to leave. Some people aren't adventurous.  Some people REALLY like their family.  Some people "fall back" on family when things fail.

My personality is more of the *never* fall back on family.

For some perspective, I went to a very expensive private college.  However, one year in I joined ROTC, so I ended up in the military.  I have to say, one of the best things was the ability to "grow up".  I've always been pretty frugal and adult.  However, the military sort of forces it.  There's no running home to PA, I am stationed elsewhere.  And I was stationed elsewhere for 5 years.  By the time all that is said and done, you are an adult with money, savings, experience, etc.

That won't work for everyone.  My brother was in the AF for 4 years (6 years?) and ended up moving back home to live in my mom's basement.  That is his personality.  If you *want* to travel but your personality is to "run home" when things don't work out, then you will HAVE to force yourself into a situation where that can't happen.

yachi

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #60 on: February 08, 2017, 11:06:12 AM »
Quote
You keep saying you are thinking about the Mom you are helping; but by refusing to pay you a legal wage, and not correctly paying you benefits/withholding your taxes- she is doing the OPPOSITE of helping you. She is royally screwing you over.

The more I read over this thread I start wondering if we've all been had.

I'm with Cwadda.  Hopefully everyone's responses to this thread are useful to others in situations similar to the OP's story.  But I'm not buying it.

MrsPete

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #61 on: February 08, 2017, 12:46:51 PM »
You have a degree, 100K in debt, and you're willing to work for $130/week?  Really?  That means you earned $6,760 last year.  My college daughter is going to work as a summer camp counselor this summer, and that pays between $200-250/week plus room and board.  You could literally work two days a week as a substitute teacher and make as much money as you are now earning.  You could earn more by working part-time at McDonalds, and I find it hard to believe that you're not able to find minimum wage work.  I'm also in the deep South, where wages are low. 

I'll second an idea that was thrown out by another poster:  Join the military.  This'll allow you to travel (admittedly, not to places of your choice), it'll pay your basic bills and certainly will pay you more than you're earning now.  You may also get some job training.  If you do a 4-year stint and live as frugally as possible, you can come out with enough money saved to get yourself a start somewhere, and it'll look better on a resume than "babysitter".  This'll also take care of the issues about cars and housing, and it'll give you medical benefits for the rest of your life. 

You should go now -- while keeping the piss-poor job you have -- go talk to at least two recruiters from different branches and see what they can offer you.  Since you feel an obligation to the mom in this situation, aim for staying until the end of the school year.  That's only four months, and it'll probably take you that long to make a decision about a military branch, to go through the selection process, and be accepted into a basic training class.  But start investigating now. 

While you're doing a military stint, you should work on making contacts in the field of communications, marketing or whatever.  It's quite possible that you could work in this field while in the military -- they have all sorts of communication and coordination needs.  That type of degree can be profitable, but only if you have some experience and contacts; people who have a "soft degree" like this and ONLY classes ... don't get jobs.  You need to form a long-term plan to get into a professional job and every single week do something to further yourself, even if it's only volunteering with a non-profit to handle their communications needs. 

Bottom line:  If you keep doing what you're doing now, you're suddenly going to be 30, 40 years old ... still in debt, still under-employed.  This is not a time to look for a fulfilling job that makes you happy.  It's time to figure out how you can get out of this very deep hole you've dug.  If I were in your shoes, I'd be calling a recruiter right now. 

arebelspy

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Re: 100k in student loans, living in poverty. Should I double down to get out?
« Reply #62 on: February 09, 2017, 02:31:27 PM »
MOD NOTE: Thread locked at request of OP.
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