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Panicking about my life...
mid_alt
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
Disclaimer: This is an alt.
If I had to sum myself up in three words, they would be: smart, lazy, and irresponsible.
I'm getting old. I don't want to give too much personal info away but let's say that I'm much much closer to 30 than either 20 or 40.
I currently have no college degree. I have a number of credits from a community college, but not enough even for an associates. Due to a variety of reasons, but mostly laziness, I was academically dismissed from community college. It is embarrassing to even contemplate.
I am also terrible with money. Terrible. So terrible that my credit rating is undoubtedly in the shitter and I'm actually terrified what my credit score might be, so I won't even look.
I am in debt, but that isn't totally out of reach. All told, the number is less than 4k but I'd have to confirm that.
Anyway, after college I took a number of different jobs and eventually found my way in finance, at first doing basic data entry. I started as a temp, managed to go permanent once, lost that job, and after a long period of unemployment (nearly a year) I got picked up at another corporation (again as a temp) and have been working here for over three years, but it looks like my contract is finally expiring in a month. They spoke multiple times about permanent hiring but the markets collapsed and remained in disrepair long enough to make that a pipe dream.
My worry is that without a college degree, I am going to be really, really screwed. My resume is nice, with 7+ years of experience in finance, but having to put on it that I have no degree is a killer. I'd like to go back to college but i have many things working against me.
First, the academic dismissal. Will that prevent me from going back to school? The dismissal was a long time ago...but i don't know how that works.
Second, money. As I said I am terrible with money. I have nothing saved and if I do not remain employed, I will have nothing - certainly not enough to attend school. Getting a loan is out of the question as I have nothing of value and a terrible credit rating on top of it.
I'm way too old to have let myself get into this situation, but here I am. Any advice? I really need to unfuck my life. I'm thinking of the future. I'd like to have a family some day. My credit will disable me from getting a car and a house, no? My lack of college degree is something that shames me greatly. I really need to fix my life.
Is there any hope at this point? I feel...lost. I'm resolved to fight my own bad nature and habits tooth and nail - my laziness, my irresponsibility I will work very hard to overcome. But what about the rest?
If I had to sum myself up in three words, they would be: smart, lazy, and irresponsible.
I'm getting old. I don't want to give too much personal info away but let's say that I'm much much closer to 30 than either 20 or 40.
I currently have no college degree. I have a number of credits from a community college, but not enough even for an associates. Due to a variety of reasons, but mostly laziness, I was academically dismissed from community college. It is embarrassing to even contemplate.
I am also terrible with money. Terrible. So terrible that my credit rating is undoubtedly in the shitter and I'm actually terrified what my credit score might be, so I won't even look.
I am in debt, but that isn't totally out of reach. All told, the number is less than 4k but I'd have to confirm that.
Anyway, after college I took a number of different jobs and eventually found my way in finance, at first doing basic data entry. I started as a temp, managed to go permanent once, lost that job, and after a long period of unemployment (nearly a year) I got picked up at another corporation (again as a temp) and have been working here for over three years, but it looks like my contract is finally expiring in a month. They spoke multiple times about permanent hiring but the markets collapsed and remained in disrepair long enough to make that a pipe dream.
My worry is that without a college degree, I am going to be really, really screwed. My resume is nice, with 7+ years of experience in finance, but having to put on it that I have no degree is a killer. I'd like to go back to college but i have many things working against me.
First, the academic dismissal. Will that prevent me from going back to school? The dismissal was a long time ago...but i don't know how that works.
Second, money. As I said I am terrible with money. I have nothing saved and if I do not remain employed, I will have nothing - certainly not enough to attend school. Getting a loan is out of the question as I have nothing of value and a terrible credit rating on top of it.
I'm way too old to have let myself get into this situation, but here I am. Any advice? I really need to unfuck my life. I'm thinking of the future. I'd like to have a family some day. My credit will disable me from getting a car and a house, no? My lack of college degree is something that shames me greatly. I really need to fix my life.
Is there any hope at this point? I feel...lost. I'm resolved to fight my own bad nature and habits tooth and nail - my laziness, my irresponsibility I will work very hard to overcome. But what about the rest?
mid_alt on
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Posts
You're pretty screwed if you wanna be corporate/white collar and you don't have a degree, yes.
Academic dismissal from community college does not look good on your transcript, no. You will probably have to go back to CC and finish your associates before you repair your GPA enough to transfer to a four year. Call Academic advising at your old school and see what you can do about giving it another go.
Set some priorities. Community College isn't that expensive. You can get a Stafford loan to help you out. Start Saving.
My latin professor beat this into my skull and it served me well when I was in a similar spot in life: "Success is never ending. Failure is never final."
Admitting to your self that you've been fucking up and you want to change is a good step one. Following through is a bit harder, but very rewarding. Good luck.
The experience you've had since then is very valuable. Make sure you use it when you apply to school.
Most importantly: This doesn't have to be some big complex thing. Focus on the steps in front of you first, worry about EVERYTHING never. Paraphrasing Henry Ford - "Nothing is so complex that it can't be broken down into it's simplest pieces".
Getting a degree in your early 30's is complex.
You know what isn't?
-Calling/emailing the local community college to inquire about classes and registration
-Setting up a savings account or automated debt payment
That will start you on the path. Most importantly: You CAN do this. The only person who can stop you is YOU.
note: Velociraptors can also stop you, but I wouldn't worry about that. Yet.
This. Academic dismissal is something like a layoff, where the school is basically telling you "Go home, get your shit together, and then come back when you're ready to get serious." After all, there's no point in them taking your money if you're not getting anything out of it.
Unless it's a private school, in which case I'm sure they'll gladly take your $15k/year tuition for you to not show up.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
Most jobs - especially ones in finance - are going to require good credit AND check.
Doubly true is that it's way easier to find a job while you already have a job. So, start getting your credit in order and start looking for a new job right now. Use Mint.com or a simple Excel spreadsheet to start making yourself a budget, and get an idea of where your money is actually going.
Try to limit your spending as much as you can, but leave some money for hobbies/entertainment. You need some joy in your life. Try to find a hobby that doesn't require much investment.
Start usng your credit card to buy things as much as possible, and then immediately pay the money back onto the card. And do everything you can to make sure any monthly payments you have to make are on time.
Use your credit to purchase somewhere around $50 each month (I usually buy a tank of gas or two, these days one fill-up pretty much does it). Do not approach limit or even close to half your limit. Immediately pay it off.