Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Student Loans

How are students able to make a living after graduation? With $160K worth of student loans, I find it impossible to generate what I spent in college alone. Considering that my dream is to become a film writer, the odds are against me.

Being held hostage to student loans
Right now, my student loans are holding me hostage to a lifelong debt. What do you do when you are unable to find employment opportunities?

I never expected to be in this current situation. Simply put; if I don't become successful, my life is over. There is no way I could ever afford to purchase a home. I can be positive and nice to people, but that will not change my current situation.

Is experience better than education?
My college degrees were not worth the time and effort. I learned more serving in the Air Force and freelance writing than I did throughout my academic career. I basically paid a fortune for an education that is doing nothing to make my life better. It's really hard not to be depressed about what life I should have and what it has now amounted to.

College, lack of employment, and student loans; the universal theme

Millions of students are currently in the same position. They owe a ton in student loans; they don't have any way to fit in future payments. I have 3 college degrees, strong writing and communication skills, and have accumulated a dozen years of customer service experience. I am a dependable, reliable, teamwork oriented, and an effective leadership.Instead of just stating that I'm a leader, I know what is expected of a leader.

Civilian versus Military Experience

My Air Force experience, working as a medical technician, has been outdated for the past decade. I was unable to utilize my medical skills because I failed the nursing test three times in a row because the computer examination was tricky and it never asked for any questions regarding what I studied, learned, and avoided covering hands-on content, with which I gained over a span of 4 years.


Civilian jobs tend to ignore what experience I gained in the service. I have been out of the service since January, 1998. I am no closer to making it in the film industry than I was when I decided to pursue the dream in 1994. Besides the military, college, and customer work experience, I haven't attracted any employment opportunities.

Student loans compromise dreams

Will I be able to accomplish the goals I set back in 1994? As hard as I try, luck is definitely not on my side. I know that film writing is a competitive field. I am also willing to take up on other writing gigs. I considered writing a book, maybe that will help to recoup the cost of my education. As I type as this very moment, 75% of my loans are generating more than 11% APR per year. Currently, I'm looking at $40,000 in interest alone.

The sad truth is that if I don't become successful, with being a writer, then it looks like I will never be able to make a home purchase and may die with a ton of debt and a lifetime of unhappiness. Imagine trying to pay $200K worth of loans. There will be no way I could purchase a home. I have written over 2 million words in the past two years alone. That still doesn't entice any employers to accept me as a writer anywhere.

While I tend to be a positive person, I'm also a realist. I know what is at stake and what it takes to make a living. The first step is to pay off the student loans. The only way I can do that is to be successful. I set myself up to fail. That seems to be the case.

Student loans and college translate into nightmares

Maybe my student loans are responsible for causing me to dream about never-ending examinations that I refuse to give up on. Dreaming about examination symbolizes unfulfilled dreams in the waking life. The instructor that times the test is suggesting that I have a time limit to accomplish my dreams. In addition to the examination dreams, overflowing toilets are also a recurring theme. Those two symbols are signs that I am struggling to the point where I am lost for answers, but want to continue on course.

Anyways, I know that I'm alone. There are millions of students that are unhappy about their current situation. Because of student loans, I have a ton of pressure in accomplishing my dreams sooner than later. I pray for each and every student and worker that is struggling to make a living. This is the worst time to be having financial struggles and unresolved goals.
Instead of preparing me for the future, college has set me back - student loans.
I served in the Air Force, used my GI Bill for college - when it wasn't worth nothing - and now have to figure out how to survive. I sometimes feel that I wasted my time going to college. A majority of my old friends have good jobs, homes, a savings, and experience. All I have is outdated Air Force medical experience, a decade worth of customer service experience, and three worthless college degrees sitting on the shelf.

City employment bust
The last real opportunity that I had was when the City of San Francisco considered hiring me as an eligibility worker. Before I scored a high examination score - earned a rank 1 - I was originally denied to take the test. I had to wait a year from the moment they denied me to the time I took the test. The city sent job postings; they told me to apply for a few dozen positions. Every time that I applied, they denied me. Because of the economy, the city blocked all hiring. Even though I scored a high score on the test, had college degrees, and experience, the city never invited me for an interview. I made it past the screening and testing process, but was rejected from taking part in the interview phase. Essentially, I don't have what anyone wants.

Equity told me that I wasn't the right fit - so it didn't benefit me one bit

When I applied to be an sales associate for Equity, they questioned why I wanted to work there because I didn't fit the description for the position. The interviewer told me that I was overqualified for position. How is that possible? I was eager to take the position. Since I have lived in their units for the past 3 years, I know a lot about their company. The interviewer suggested that I look for management positions, but none were available to apply for there or anywhere else. Besides, you need management experience to obtain such positions.

Don't judge - be supportive

The next time around - if you're one of those people that judge another for refusing to attend college - know that independent students have it really tough with paying for their education. Allow a person to make their own decisions. The only thing I can do is to remain positive, be patient, and keep trying, otherwise I will lose my mind.

No comments:

Post a Comment