I've been ridding the posts here, and thought it's time for me to pursue my own dream. but (and there is always a but),
I am 28 years old. I have been very miserable in the last few years because I have studied something that wasn't what I really wanted. at the school I was studying at, there were others studying cinema. some actually made a few good films and are working today in our small industry. that was my dream all along, and I wasn't really going for it. when it was time to change my mind and join them, I didn't and thought it was a dream worth burring for some reason..
today, I don't work in what I have learned to do and feel miserable and frustrated of the outcome of my life. I am dead broke, living at my parents house, and studying something so completely not my niche, that I don't even want to wake up in the morning to do it.
needless to say that pursuing my dream in cinema is very hard, and it takes years to make it as a director in Israel. I feel so depressed that I can't even go sleep anymore (literally..)
I don't really know what to do. everything I want will take me years now, and I that life is such a waste. even when I think about going back to film school I feel bad with a whole in my heart that is so hard to fill.
I went to career counseling and to therapy, but all they said is that I mustn't go with art anymore, as I will always be poor, which would lead me to more depression and more anxiety attacks.
what I don't say is that the situation of today was also caused by a recant relationship I had with someone who didn't want to be with me because I am not educated/ working in my profession.
I miss life. the smell of a fresh flower, the warmth of the trees, the wind in my face, the cool water of the sea. I became numb to all of those.
I picked up smoking and it's really doing me bad.
is following my dream the cure? is it? I will do it if I only new I would be cured and normal again.
so.......teachers, firefighters, police are overvalued? Most will argue they are chronically underpaid/overworked and do their jobs because they love what they do, and gasp, care about others. These groups are being hard hit by rising costs and many are losing their jobs. Supply and demand has nothing to do with it.
Supply and demand has everything to do with it!
Funny you should mention these guys/gals. I am actually a Certified Firefighter and an NREMT Certified First Responder. I'm also an active volunteer firefighter/first responder in my community. I do this for free. I went through all the training and certification just to be able to serve my community. Last year I responded to over 200 emergency calls out of my own free time for no compensation other than the knowledge that I get to help people in distress. This year I'm up to 100 calls so far.....
I love how you bundle the two statements of "chronically underpaid" and "because they love what they do" in one sentence. You're almost implying that these professions should be paid more because they love what they do. That is not how economics works.
I'm not sure how it is in your part of the country but over here there is a huge surplus of firefighters or people who'd like to be firefighters. At the closest large city fire department over 10,000 people will test for 100 spots. 10,000 people are willing to get "chronically underpaid" yet only 100 will get in. Seems to me they're not underpaid enough when supply and demand are so out of propotion. Who knows, with such a specialized field as firefighting you do want a 1:100 hiring ratio and the compensation is just right although I might venture to think otherwise.
But I do know that my department's paid guys just got a huge raise this year due to going 24/7 from part time (I'm talking 80% raise) and I think the raise was unjust. And I, as a taxpayer, am paying for it in increased taxes (our local city tax just doubled from the year before). They were all complaining about low pay before the raise, yet I did not see one of them quit because of it. However I did see fresh cadets out of the academy lining up outside the door waiting for a spot to open so they could get in and get "chronically underpaid".
So please, don't lecture me about how severely underpaid these people are when there are 100 people are waiting outside for a spot to open and they'd be more than happy to fill it.
I think you have just proved my point about people having this sense of entitlement in our country. Remember what the constitution says: a right to pursue happines, not a right to hapiness. There is a HUGE difference between the two.
Phillip-don't know you, but always enjoy your posts- sorry this has gotten rather skewed, but sheesh!
This post is not skewed now, the original one was. It basically said that inflation is bad and everyone gets screwed on it. Which is simply not true. I have tried to point out that there are people and government municipalities who will make out like bandits during a high inflation period and people who have decent, not overpaid jobs should not have much to worry about. Too bad that apparently these people are not the target market for this blog, it's people with money problems to start with sitting in overpaid jobs.....
What ever you do, don't give up on yourself. A couple of close friends recently were downsized and they took it very personally. I keep trying to tell them things happen for a reason and nows the chance to get a better job. One of them did find a better job, but the other one is just mooping around, blaming the world!
All I want to add to the above is a general warning not to be taken in by the attractive side of early inflation.
It is the nature of inflation that it fools everyone about what true values actually are. That's the main way it does its harm. Many people will be behind the curve. Some people will be ahead of the curve. Some, due to some combination of cleverness and luck, will be right on the money--but so many of their counterparts will be wrong, that there's only a limited benefit in being right.
Money ought to be a yardstick for value. During inflation, that yardstick can't be relied upon. It's as if the government started scattering yardsticks of all different sizes. You might make a deal that seemed good, only to find that the yardstick used to measure what you got was shorter than you expected. Or, you might make a great deal, only to have the guy you're trading with suddenly go broke, because he'd been using yardstick that was too long.
The other really bad thing that inflation does is force people into short-term thinking. Essentially as it is to plan ahead as far as your next raise (because you have to allow for price changes that will occur between now and then), looking out beyond that becomes very difficult. Don't give up on making long-term plans, but be sure to allow for the fact that inflation adds a whole additional layer of uncertanty.
Great post. To me, it's all about making active choices. Many people stay unhappy because they let life flow by without making any choices. "Have to" and "should" are the most common words in their vocabulary.
When you realize that everything is a choice that "aha" moment arrives. And when I say everything, I mean everything right from the choice we make each day to continue living.
@gtWise:
so.......teachers, firefighters, police are overvalued? Most will argue they are chronically underpaid/overworked and do their jobs because they love what they do, and gasp, care about others. These groups are being hard hit by rising costs and many are losing their jobs. Supply and demand has nothing to do with it.
Hope you never need one of them.
It's also amazing how you KNOW so much about everyone in the United States, about their habits, their work, their lives such that you can make sweeping judgements; that you are entitled to be paid what you think you deserve, but others are not.
Phillip-don't know you, but always enjoy your posts- sorry this has gotten rather skewed, but sheesh!
This exercise is a great way to identify what makes you happy, which is important to know if you want to live IN the happy. I think happiness is a lifestyle. Once you know what makes you happy, you can start building your lifestyle around it.
I think there are a lot of things that we all have in common that contribute to getting and staying happy - I'll be writing about it over the next few weeks.
I grew up eating SPAM so I loved this post! But even I didn't realize that SPAM has so few ingredients - no wonder I love SPAM and hate hot dogs. My favorite way to eat it is as you described, with rice and eggs. It's also delicious in ramen or udon (add some julienned veggies, shredded cabbage and/or chopped spinach for a complete, well-rounded meal).
I humored my family by taking them to the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Until then, I'd never eaten Spam, but I tasted the free samples they had at the museum and now I can tolerate the stuff. I was amazed at all the different types of Spam there are.
If you're heading across I-90 in Minnesota, stop in at the Spam Museum. It's a pretty cool place, and it's free. How's that for being frugal?
Good post. Your first point is important. Review your financial status. I would add, that if you are in your fifties, you should consider retirement. Think Retirement
If you find yourself unemployed in a recession, it may take a while before you find a job, all the while burning through your retirement nest egg. And, at the same time, your house values and investments may decline. You may be better off, simply retiring, instead of looking for another job.
This is a really helpful post, especially at a time like this. You offer constructive ways to make the most of the situation and move onto something better.
Maybe I should start a Spam support group. By the way, there is Spam Lite out there, which has 30$ less fat I believe. But that's a bit like light whipped cream or choccy cake...not the same on a taste level. Oh, and Spicy Spam rocks!
put some kimchi in a pot
you can add onions too
add spam (cut any way you like, bite size is good)
fill with water to cover
boil the crap out of it.
eat with rice.
enjoy
optional, rice cakes, ramen noodles, glass noodles, other meats
Amazing but true, Dollar Stores had it for 99 cents a can... expiry date 2010. Who knew? So everyone we know is using expensive gas to go buy bags of rice and dehydrated food cause they finally believe the economy is in trouble, and my husband and I are pulling our little grocery cart home with $20 worth of Spam every payday :) Hey, it's protein, and much tastier than some of the alternative meat sources in the survival books, too. Crockpot Spam and beans, it's what's for dinner.
Another point I wanted to make is that in cases like this, paying off student loans FIRST, is better than paying off credit card debt. My credit card APR is only 7.9% while more than 50% of my student loans is at 9.1%.
I have $165,000 of student loan debt (public undergrad and private grad school). My parents didn't contribute a dime to my education.
35% of my net montly income goes towards payment of those loans. I have to live at home otherwise I will not be able to save a dime. I drive a sub $20k car. It will take me at least 4 years to save up for a modest downpayment on a home (I live in Southern California).
Something is terribly wrong when some of my credit cards have lower interest rates then my private loans, which are currently at 9.1%. I would have financial problems if I were to move out on my own because of my student loan debt.
What's crazy is that I make $100,000/year. Moral of the story, do you homework and do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if grad school is worth it. I'm almost 28 years old and thought of me living at home until I'm 30 is depressing, but it will be necessary unless I make at least 25% more.
A great American invention. I've always loved it, but now that I'm almost a Senior Citizen, they came out with a reduced salt version for me. I like it better than the original. I made chili with it last week and it was delicious.
people with "overvalued jobs" are a large portion of the US.
Maybe that is the root cause of the problem. Maybe the unionized workers who earn more than what they produce is the problem. Maybe people who have a sense of entitlement to cheap gas and cheap food are the problem. Maybe these people living on the edge living up the future on credit and can't make a differentiation between wants and needs is the problem. Maybe it's the media feeding us with the latest must have product advertisements is the problem. Maybe it's the thousands of people who think they need to yak on their cellphone in their cars to and from work is the problem, because a cellphone is an absolute neccessity in today's world, NOT!. I don't know.....
I'm glad you and your friends have cushy jobs that allow you to pretend everything's just fine.
Who said I had a cushy job? I said I had a job where I get paid what I deserve and right now I deserve 8% more than last year. That is all I said. I also said that I am confident that with my qualification and profession I will have no problem finding a job that will pay me enough to keep up with the rate of inflation, whatever that might be.
Shutting off the tap of cheap money will hurt people who deserve to be hurt because they were getting something for nothing in the first place and freeloaded on our society.
hi
I've been ridding the posts here, and thought it's time for me to pursue my own dream. but (and there is always a but),
I am 28 years old. I have been very miserable in the last few years because I have studied something that wasn't what I really wanted. at the school I was studying at, there were others studying cinema. some actually made a few good films and are working today in our small industry. that was my dream all along, and I wasn't really going for it. when it was time to change my mind and join them, I didn't and thought it was a dream worth burring for some reason..
today, I don't work in what I have learned to do and feel miserable and frustrated of the outcome of my life. I am dead broke, living at my parents house, and studying something so completely not my niche, that I don't even want to wake up in the morning to do it.
needless to say that pursuing my dream in cinema is very hard, and it takes years to make it as a director in Israel. I feel so depressed that I can't even go sleep anymore (literally..)
I don't really know what to do. everything I want will take me years now, and I that life is such a waste. even when I think about going back to film school I feel bad with a whole in my heart that is so hard to fill.
I went to career counseling and to therapy, but all they said is that I mustn't go with art anymore, as I will always be poor, which would lead me to more depression and more anxiety attacks.
what I don't say is that the situation of today was also caused by a recant relationship I had with someone who didn't want to be with me because I am not educated/ working in my profession.
I miss life. the smell of a fresh flower, the warmth of the trees, the wind in my face, the cool water of the sea. I became numb to all of those.
I picked up smoking and it's really doing me bad.
is following my dream the cure? is it? I will do it if I only new I would be cured and normal again.
regards,
Tal
so.......teachers, firefighters, police are overvalued? Most will argue they are chronically underpaid/overworked and do their jobs because they love what they do, and gasp, care about others. These groups are being hard hit by rising costs and many are losing their jobs. Supply and demand has nothing to do with it.
Supply and demand has everything to do with it!
Funny you should mention these guys/gals. I am actually a Certified Firefighter and an NREMT Certified First Responder. I'm also an active volunteer firefighter/first responder in my community. I do this for free. I went through all the training and certification just to be able to serve my community. Last year I responded to over 200 emergency calls out of my own free time for no compensation other than the knowledge that I get to help people in distress. This year I'm up to 100 calls so far.....
I love how you bundle the two statements of "chronically underpaid" and "because they love what they do" in one sentence. You're almost implying that these professions should be paid more because they love what they do. That is not how economics works.
I'm not sure how it is in your part of the country but over here there is a huge surplus of firefighters or people who'd like to be firefighters. At the closest large city fire department over 10,000 people will test for 100 spots. 10,000 people are willing to get "chronically underpaid" yet only 100 will get in. Seems to me they're not underpaid enough when supply and demand are so out of propotion. Who knows, with such a specialized field as firefighting you do want a 1:100 hiring ratio and the compensation is just right although I might venture to think otherwise.
But I do know that my department's paid guys just got a huge raise this year due to going 24/7 from part time (I'm talking 80% raise) and I think the raise was unjust. And I, as a taxpayer, am paying for it in increased taxes (our local city tax just doubled from the year before). They were all complaining about low pay before the raise, yet I did not see one of them quit because of it. However I did see fresh cadets out of the academy lining up outside the door waiting for a spot to open so they could get in and get "chronically underpaid".
So please, don't lecture me about how severely underpaid these people are when there are 100 people are waiting outside for a spot to open and they'd be more than happy to fill it.
I think you have just proved my point about people having this sense of entitlement in our country. Remember what the constitution says: a right to pursue happines, not a right to hapiness. There is a HUGE difference between the two.
Phillip-don't know you, but always enjoy your posts- sorry this has gotten rather skewed, but sheesh!
This post is not skewed now, the original one was. It basically said that inflation is bad and everyone gets screwed on it. Which is simply not true. I have tried to point out that there are people and government municipalities who will make out like bandits during a high inflation period and people who have decent, not overpaid jobs should not have much to worry about. Too bad that apparently these people are not the target market for this blog, it's people with money problems to start with sitting in overpaid jobs.....
What ever you do, don't give up on yourself. A couple of close friends recently were downsized and they took it very personally. I keep trying to tell them things happen for a reason and nows the chance to get a better job. One of them did find a better job, but the other one is just mooping around, blaming the world!
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
Thanks for the good comments and the kind words.
All I want to add to the above is a general warning not to be taken in by the attractive side of early inflation.
It is the nature of inflation that it fools everyone about what true values actually are. That's the main way it does its harm. Many people will be behind the curve. Some people will be ahead of the curve. Some, due to some combination of cleverness and luck, will be right on the money--but so many of their counterparts will be wrong, that there's only a limited benefit in being right.
Money ought to be a yardstick for value. During inflation, that yardstick can't be relied upon. It's as if the government started scattering yardsticks of all different sizes. You might make a deal that seemed good, only to find that the yardstick used to measure what you got was shorter than you expected. Or, you might make a great deal, only to have the guy you're trading with suddenly go broke, because he'd been using yardstick that was too long.
The other really bad thing that inflation does is force people into short-term thinking. Essentially as it is to plan ahead as far as your next raise (because you have to allow for price changes that will occur between now and then), looking out beyond that becomes very difficult. Don't give up on making long-term plans, but be sure to allow for the fact that inflation adds a whole additional layer of uncertanty.
Good luck!
Great post. To me, it's all about making active choices. Many people stay unhappy because they let life flow by without making any choices. "Have to" and "should" are the most common words in their vocabulary.
When you realize that everything is a choice that "aha" moment arrives. And when I say everything, I mean everything right from the choice we make each day to continue living.
Cheers,
Alex
@gtWise:
so.......teachers, firefighters, police are overvalued? Most will argue they are chronically underpaid/overworked and do their jobs because they love what they do, and gasp, care about others. These groups are being hard hit by rising costs and many are losing their jobs. Supply and demand has nothing to do with it.
Hope you never need one of them.
It's also amazing how you KNOW so much about everyone in the United States, about their habits, their work, their lives such that you can make sweeping judgements; that you are entitled to be paid what you think you deserve, but others are not.
Phillip-don't know you, but always enjoy your posts- sorry this has gotten rather skewed, but sheesh!
for giving SPAM a bad rep...
*tsk, tsk*
sp4m 43v4
You could open up a real estate agency and make a lot of 'fake' transactions to clean up the money.
I believe many stock options expire if you are no longer employed with the company. So that is another thing to consider.
Things to do next spring break..
This exercise is a great way to identify what makes you happy, which is important to know if you want to live IN the happy. I think happiness is a lifestyle. Once you know what makes you happy, you can start building your lifestyle around it.
I think there are a lot of things that we all have in common that contribute to getting and staying happy - I'll be writing about it over the next few weeks.
I grew up eating SPAM so I loved this post! But even I didn't realize that SPAM has so few ingredients - no wonder I love SPAM and hate hot dogs. My favorite way to eat it is as you described, with rice and eggs. It's also delicious in ramen or udon (add some julienned veggies, shredded cabbage and/or chopped spinach for a complete, well-rounded meal).
Hey...I remember you from Mizzou and wanted to say hello. Great ideas...I hope you are truly as blessed and prosperous as you seem! Theresa M. Cain
I humored my family by taking them to the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Until then, I'd never eaten Spam, but I tasted the free samples they had at the museum and now I can tolerate the stuff. I was amazed at all the different types of Spam there are.
If you're heading across I-90 in Minnesota, stop in at the Spam Museum. It's a pretty cool place, and it's free. How's that for being frugal?
Good post. Your first point is important. Review your financial status. I would add, that if you are in your fifties, you should consider retirement. Think Retirement
If you find yourself unemployed in a recession, it may take a while before you find a job, all the while burning through your retirement nest egg. And, at the same time, your house values and investments may decline. You may be better off, simply retiring, instead of looking for another job.
This is a really helpful post, especially at a time like this. You offer constructive ways to make the most of the situation and move onto something better.
Maybe I should start a Spam support group. By the way, there is Spam Lite out there, which has 30$ less fat I believe. But that's a bit like light whipped cream or choccy cake...not the same on a taste level. Oh, and Spicy Spam rocks!
um... quick and cheap korean kimchi soup...
put some kimchi in a pot
you can add onions too
add spam (cut any way you like, bite size is good)
fill with water to cover
boil the crap out of it.
eat with rice.
enjoy
optional, rice cakes, ramen noodles, glass noodles, other meats
Amazing but true, Dollar Stores had it for 99 cents a can... expiry date 2010. Who knew? So everyone we know is using expensive gas to go buy bags of rice and dehydrated food cause they finally believe the economy is in trouble, and my husband and I are pulling our little grocery cart home with $20 worth of Spam every payday :) Hey, it's protein, and much tastier than some of the alternative meat sources in the survival books, too. Crockpot Spam and beans, it's what's for dinner.
Spam diced small on top of a green salad.
Fried Spam Sandwich.
Love it, Dave
Another point I wanted to make is that in cases like this, paying off student loans FIRST, is better than paying off credit card debt. My credit card APR is only 7.9% while more than 50% of my student loans is at 9.1%.
I have $165,000 of student loan debt (public undergrad and private grad school). My parents didn't contribute a dime to my education.
35% of my net montly income goes towards payment of those loans. I have to live at home otherwise I will not be able to save a dime. I drive a sub $20k car. It will take me at least 4 years to save up for a modest downpayment on a home (I live in Southern California).
Something is terribly wrong when some of my credit cards have lower interest rates then my private loans, which are currently at 9.1%. I would have financial problems if I were to move out on my own because of my student loan debt.
What's crazy is that I make $100,000/year. Moral of the story, do you homework and do a cost-benefit analysis to determine if grad school is worth it. I'm almost 28 years old and thought of me living at home until I'm 30 is depressing, but it will be necessary unless I make at least 25% more.
A great American invention. I've always loved it, but now that I'm almost a Senior Citizen, they came out with a reduced salt version for me. I like it better than the original. I made chili with it last week and it was delicious.
Kitty
people with "overvalued jobs" are a large portion of the US.
Maybe that is the root cause of the problem. Maybe the unionized workers who earn more than what they produce is the problem. Maybe people who have a sense of entitlement to cheap gas and cheap food are the problem. Maybe these people living on the edge living up the future on credit and can't make a differentiation between wants and needs is the problem. Maybe it's the media feeding us with the latest must have product advertisements is the problem. Maybe it's the thousands of people who think they need to yak on their cellphone in their cars to and from work is the problem, because a cellphone is an absolute neccessity in today's world, NOT!. I don't know.....
I'm glad you and your friends have cushy jobs that allow you to pretend everything's just fine.
Who said I had a cushy job? I said I had a job where I get paid what I deserve and right now I deserve 8% more than last year. That is all I said. I also said that I am confident that with my qualification and profession I will have no problem finding a job that will pay me enough to keep up with the rate of inflation, whatever that might be.
Shutting off the tap of cheap money will hurt people who deserve to be hurt because they were getting something for nothing in the first place and freeloaded on our society.