Skip to main content

Broke-A** College Student


Even after college, being broke seems to be a long lasting side effect.  There seem to be two primary reasons for this.

1. "First Jobs" generally suck.  They pay minimum wages, screw you on hours, and are emotionally taxing.  I don't care if all you're doing is flipping burgers, the stigma of being unmotivated and stupid still hurts. And the longer you listen to those stigmas, the more likely you are to start believing them.  There are both studies and plenty of old wives tales to back this up. Then to top it all off, all of the "god jobs" generally require "prior experience".  Which means you are stuck at that "first job" until you get some "experience".

2. Trying to live (even with roommates) is too Goddamn expensive! Want to live close to work so you can ride a bike or take the bus to work to be more ecologically minded? Well, do you have 3 times the rent as your income? No? Well tough shit, go look elsewhere. The further out you move (so you can actually afford a place), the more gas you use. That is, if you own a car. Then you have car payments, insurance, and general maintenance on top of these ridiculous gas prices.

See the issue? Just trying to "get on your feet" is one hell of a challenge. And lets not even mention college debt due to the stigma of needing to be "better educated" to get a "good job".  Yes, education can help if that's the direction you want to go, but there is absolutely no issue with blue collar jobs. But calling some jobs better than others is purely subjective and horribly narrow minded.

With all this in mind, sometimes, not even a budget can stop you from zeroing out your bank account to make ends meet each month.  I know that I have done that on more than one occasion, and it is depressing. Whatever happened to simply accepting that not everybody is taking on life at the same pace you are?  When did we give up our basic respect and humanity for this crazy-fast, consumer-driven, "put yourself first" mess we have gotten ourselves into?

It's about time that we realize respect should be first.

You want to go out and work 14 to 16 hours per day and buy yourself a fancy car?  Go for it.  Just respect the guy bagging your groceries, whether he is doing things "the right way" or not.

You enjoy weighting on tables at your local 24-hour dinner?  Awesome.  But remember to respect the person who is trying to pay their bill with some crumpled bills and change.

You don't have to agree with the person, but realize they are a human being.  That is what you shouldn't forget.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proof of the Inner White Girl

I have been living in California for most of my life.  I know there are stereotypes about women from California (thanks a lot Katy Perry), but they all have a small shred of truth to them. That being said, here is my personal list of things I have caught myself or my friends doing. 1. When you budget for the influx of Pumpkin Spice goods. 2. You use Vanilla Spice creamer in your coffee and then dip your Limited Edition Dunkin Doughnuts Vanilla Spice Pop-tarts into it. (Sad to admit, this one is on me.) 3. You panic when you can't find your favorite eyeliner. (We've all had this one, right?) 4. You "can't even" when your Instagram account freezes. 5. You lose your mind over the newest color from your favorite makeup brand and you just have to get it. (Thank you Wet n' Wild.) 6. Fall starts when Starbucks releases Pumpkin Spice. 7. Your day is ruined when Starbucks isn't available. 8. You wish your GPS would just say "Turn right a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Concept of Minimalism and Roommates

Minimalism is a journey to find what truly makes you happy in life.  It isn't a fad about having the cleanest space with the least goods.  It isn't a switch you flip one day and spontaneously do.  You can't force yourself through getting rid of things.  You will never be able to "convert" people to minimalism.  And it certainly isn't a set number of things needed or not needed to "be a minimalist".  Everyone has their own version of what minimalism is. What minimalism is to me is finding what sparks a smile.  It's about adding meaning back into your life.  It's about remembering what really matters to you, building meaningful relationships, and not always wondering what this mad dash of society is.  It's about breaking the habit of compulsory purchasing and asking yourself "Why?"  "Why am I buying this?" "Does it mean that much to me?" This is a journey I found myself starting about a year or so ago, and...
1 comment
Read more

2018, New Year

New Years Resolution: Learn to never feel the need to have a resolution again.  Just be happy with your imperfect self. This is, in my humble opinion, the one thing people always mean to say, but can never bring themselves to do.  It's the main goal, isn't it? Be happy with who you are? Here I am, one month into the new year, and this is only my first blog entry when I thought I should be on my third or fourth.  But you know what? I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that because up until this point in my life, I have had nothing but schedules, and although those can really help you when you're busy, I am tired of them controlling me.  But I shouldn't say that they controlled me. That would be incorrect.  What I should say is that I am tired of letting myself be defined by the schedules I make and force myself to keep.  I should accept the point that I need some flexibility. 2017 marks my first New Years Resolution that I held onto all year long: n...
Post a Comment
Read more