occupy somewhere else

And that somewhere else is looking for a job, any job.

Yes, this is a rant, one that could be conceived as political but really isn’t to me.  To me, it’s about a generation that wants everything handed to them on a silver platter.  They would rather sit on Wall Street or in financial districts of their city and protest, rather than getting off their butts and looking for a job.

I don’t believe Wall Street Banks are the dictators of our country.  I agree they caused a lot of the financial issues people are now facing, but so did a lot of the people who are facing these hardships.

I had a full-time, minimum wage job while I was still in high school.  I was saving money for college.  I kept that job while I went to a community college part-time.  The work experience and 6 or so classes allowed me to get a little better full-time job.  I took on a part-time job also because I wanted to buy a house.  I worked full-time on weekdays during the day and three nights a week. I also went to school 3 nights a week.

By the time I finished community college, I had found an even better job, with better pay, at a company that was willing to pay for my college classes.  I  quit my one part-time job, but kept working at my old company part-time.  While at my new job, I continued to save money and was able to get a low-interest, first time home buyers loan.  I bought a house, while single, in my mid-twenties, working full-time, and going to school.

I took out one loan for school.  One.  It paid for about 6 classes with books.  I paid it off within 3 years after my last class.  After that, I had no other loans except for the mortgage.

I busted my butt to get through school without having to borrow a lot of  money.  I busted my butt to save money to buy a house.  I worked two jobs for several years, while going to school.   I lived in cheap efficiency apartments or rented a room from friends.  I didn’t borrow money from my parents or even expect them to pay for my education.

I never borrowed more money for school than I knew I couldn’t pay back within a few years. I didn’t buy a house that I knew deep down that I could not afford.  I bought much less of a house than I could afford so I could build up an emergency fund.   I didn’t expect anyone to hand me anything, especially banks.

I NEVER HAD TIME TO SIT ON MY BUTT AND PROTEST!

Do I think college tuition is outrageous?  Yes I do, but I thought that when I was in college also.  Do I think housing prices had gotten out of control? Yes I do, but those prices have plummeted.

Work hard, very hard.  Be frugal and save.  Go to school part-time so you don’t accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.  Get a degree in a field where there are actually jobs.  Don’t expect to be approved for a mortgage if you have a lot of other bills, no down payment, and want to buy a home that you know you can’t afford if you are out of work for a few months.

Depend on yourself, not mommy and daddy, not the wall street banks.  Don’t expect your education to be free or to be able to afford a house just because you want one.

That’s just my opinion.  I could be wrong.

~ There is no substitute for hard work. ~  Thomas Alva Edison