tired of being poor

S

steve_k

CAGiversary!
I just graduated from college with a perfect 4.0 gpa and was nominated into three honor societies (could only join one because dues were too high) and earned five scholorships during my time in school. Now I am out and I am still poor. I'm sick and tired of being poor. My transmission is having problems and if this car goes out my family will not even have a car. I have to live with my mom in her apartment and my job does not pay enough to live off. I work at a large store around here and everyone comes in a luxury car (Mercedes, Hummer, BMW, even a couple of Ferraris) and buys lobster, caviar, crystal figurines, and big-screen TVs like they are nothing. Good jobs are hard to find now unless you already have work experience in the particular field you want to go into (which I don't). I've decided to go back to school and spend my savings to work towards a Master's degree in finance.

Anyone else here poor and tired of it?
 
And in going back to school you are imprisoning yourself in your parents middle class values.

Do yourself a favor - get a job and have your employer pay for your masters degree unless you can get into an Ivy League yourself.

Also read Poor Dad, Rich Dad.

Alternatively, you can look forward to a lifetime of unmanageble educational debt.

I am not saying this to be a douche, I am saying this because I have seen both versions/
 
While I am not very poor, I am not rich either. I really feel for people like you, however, who work their asses off in school and work in general and have to put up with so many wealthy and ungrateful people. Not to say that all rich people are ungrateful, but if it were up to me, the people who worked hardest would "Get the furthest."
 
I'm poor and I'm tired of it too, but you know there's nothign you can do about it other than work hard to better yourself. Get your master's and I'm sure your life will get better. Part of the problem though, could be your own attitude. The whole "I had a 4.0 etc" arguement is null, because as life shows us; GPA counts for shit. Your worth is proven by how you approcah and solve problems. Your creativity, eloquence, and determination will ultimately rid you of poverty while feeling sorry for yourself will drive you deeper down.
 
Go to a temp agency. http://www.roberthalffinance.com/
thats one for finance people. Thats why I left school after my sophmore year to work. I now have 4 years of experience. I am now back at another temp agency. Most companies hire temps then hire full time. Its all about getting your foot in the door.
 
[quote name='BigNick']Go to a temp agency. http://www.roberthalffinance.com/
thats one for finance people. Thats why I left school after my sophmore year to work. I now have 4 years of experience. I am now back at another temp agency. Most companies hire temps then hire full time. Its all about getting your foot in the door.[/quote]

I am working through a Temp agency too. I recommend you join up to 3 temp agencies. One of them might be bad and not give you any work.
 
[quote name='thegamer4787']While I am not very poor, I am not rich either. I really feel for people like you, however, who work their asses off in school and work in general and have to put up with so many wealthy and ungrateful people. Not to say that all rich people are ungrateful, but if it were up to me, the people who worked hardest would "Get the furthest."[/quote]

Off topic, but reading that reminded me of this:

4f19homerthumbsupfrankgrimes.jpg


Back on topic, best of luck to ya.
 
I am to, I was thinking back to when I spent 15 years in school to get a job for$5.25 an hour after I graduate (high school) the same amount the people who dropped out or sit home and did drugs all day get and the same made more then me. things have picked up since then I am up to 6.25 + commision which is good I made 12 an hour saturday ( w/ comission) i was geeked.
 
[quote name='SS4Brolly'][quote name='thegamer4787']While I am not very poor, I am not rich either. I really feel for people like you, however, who work their asses off in school and work in general and have to put up with so many wealthy and ungrateful people. Not to say that all rich people are ungrateful, but if it were up to me, the people who worked hardest would "Get the furthest."[/quote]

Off topic, but reading that reminded me of this:

4f19homerthumbsupfrankgrimes.jpg


Back on topic, best of luck to ya.[/quote]Reading this makes me think of mousin and his .67 GPA.
 
Reality's Fringe]I'm poor and I'm tired of it too said:
I agree about the GPA thing. Ask someone who interviews or hires people what they look for and they never list GPA as one of the things they are looking for (though a higher GPA may be required to get the interview). I have actually talked to hiring managers that said they have witnessed many problems with people that had 4.0s or higher GPAs because they did not learn how to cope with failure so they can't recover when they commit some kind of mistake in the workplace, even if it was not very serious. Obviously this isn't always the case, but I thought I would share it.

Another thing, going back to school will not give you that "on-the-job experience" you are lacking. You will probably learn some great things that could make you a great person to hire, but you also run the risk of being someone with no experience that costs more to hire because you have so much education.

As some people pointed out, temp or contract work could be the best way to go. You will get some job experience that you can use to market yourself with, and those companies may even hire you.
Click to expand...
 
I just graduated from college with a perfect 4.0 gpa and was nominated into three honor societies (could only join one because dues were too high) and earned five scholorships during my time in school. Now I am out and I am still poor.

Welcome to reality. America functions on the bais of- can you provide a desireable product to a customer? I.E. can you provide a service that other people are willing to pay money for. Depending on difficulty/rarity of the service you provide will determine your compensation. I.E. managing a McDonald's will compensate you less, than if you develop an operating system that dominates the market. A degree in of itself does not provide $$$. If you have an engineering degree, Project management degree, experience in Construction- companies like Fluor, Bechtel and others (large A&E and construction firms) are hiring people to do oversee's work.

I'm sick and tired of being poor.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad, R. Kiyosaki- borrow it from your library. I know I did and it made life a hell of a lot better.


My transmission is having problems and if this car goes out my family will not even have a car. I have to live with my mom in her apartment and my job does not pay enough to live off. I work at a large store around here and everyone comes in a luxury car (Mercedes, Hummer, BMW, even a couple of Ferraris) and buys lobster, caviar, crystal figurines, and big-screen TVs like they are nothing.


Right, are they using credit cards? Perhaps you are just smart with your money. Also, consider who you are comparing yourself to. Are you comparing yourself to people you would like to be like, or the majority of the people in similar situation (I.E. just out of college).

Good jobs are hard to find now unless you already have work experience in the particular field you want to go into (which I don't). I've decided to go back to school and spend my savings to work towards a Master's degree in finance.

A master's degree is good, but again, the problem is that throwing education at the problem does not magically provide you a job. The education system would love for you to belive that - spend money and go to school and you'll make big money. Why do you think that kids want to be rock stars / sports stars. Those people make $$$$, and society, for whatever reason gives them this kind of $$$. If society gave this amount of $$$ to computer game programmers, we would actually have bad ass games all the time.



Anyone else here poor and tired of it?


Hey- I looked for a job 5 months before I graduated with my B.A. and did not get one until 1 week out of school- and that one sucked. It took 6 more months of looking to get a halfway decent carreer going.

Best of luck. It is easy to get frustrated, but just because we graduated from college/got an MBA, or PHD does not mean that we get to be the ruling class.

And, since you are in this position, don't you kind of wish that the economy was better? If so, be sure to vote for Bush because he has done such a stand up job of helping people get good paying jobs- right? Like you?

Best of luck.
 
also gettin a higher education means a company will have to pay u more. Most cases they are lookin for a cheap ass employee. It might be better to look for a job now and get some experience then trying to go back to school and being a bigger paycheck to fill the same position.
 
My advice is to create your own job. I worked corporate America for a decade and decided three things.

1. I was constantly working for someone less qualified and less able than me.

2. Organizations reward those who play the system, not people that excel without needing it. Example: I was stripped of major accounts at a network affiliate because I did not need a manager or any station resources to double or triple business. Their argument was a fax machine could have increased the business as much as I did. No, I'm not lying.

3. My last job was with the smallest and least corporate company I ever worked for (Until then I'd never worked for a organization with fewer than 5,000 employees.) the owner was dumber than a box of rocks but still had 30-40 people working for him and probably made a low six figure income. None of his products or people were exceptional.

I basically decided that this trend was going to continue the rest of my working days in one form or another. I'm a young guy, don't have a wife to support or kids to care for. I have no capital so to speak but a great idea and have put together a string of vendors of people willing to work within my abilities financially and based on clients paying their bills.

Bottom line: I'm going to be my own boss. I'm going to have my own company because I too got frustrated with life and money but for different reasons from you. It is possible, this is America. How is it Koreans come here and open deli's or groceries not having money or speaking the language and flourish? Because the opportunities of this country exist.

You don't need a degree, you don't need a diploma, you don't need to sit in front of a hiring manager and worry about your tie. You don't need a political party to be in power, a President or governor to have a program you just need an idea and determination and dreams bigger than you can think of today can become a reality.

That's the wonder of America. Every day ordinary people do extraordinary things. You can be one of them if you'll only take the leap of faith.
 
Steve, you don't mention what it is you studied during your time in school. THis matters. While a degree, ANY degree, is helpful in that many employers simply won't even consider someone without that demonstration of determination and capacity to learn, there is still the matter of offering skills that matter.

There are many college graduates whose degree qualifies them solely to teach in the same field. This can lead to unfortunate mysterious deaths of competing graduates as well as those of professors who are getting way too much mileage from their tenure. There is an old joke about the English major who says his dream is to move to a small town and open a poetry repair shop. Works for MDs and veterinarians but not the tweedier realms of acadamia.

So what is your actual hope in terms of a career? Do you have a specific focus and is your degree directly applicable? If not, it may be best to pursue some technical training which can lead to a trade job that has decent starting pay. Alternatively, if you have the educational background you may be well advised to seek a company in that field but not in a position that exploits your knowledge. Promoting from within is the preferred policy at many companies. If the guy in the mailroom (who may make more than you do now) has a degree in a company related field this can be a big advantage when seeking a newly opened position within the company.

My own sister was recently in this position but she had no confidence and resigned because she felt overly pressured to rise above the level of her self-perceived abilites.

EDITED FOR TOO MANY REASON TO LIST. PREVIEW IS MY FRIEND...
 
I too feel your pain, but don't whine about it when you can do something about it.

I agreee with epobirs, what you get a degree in is a big factor in what you make of it.

I, too, graduated among the top of my class in college, and the first thing I did was MOVE TO WHERE THE JOBS IN MY FIELD WERE (Southern California -- 3000 miles from where I used to live). Not to be harsh, but don't complain about not getting a job if there are more qualified people where you live getting jobs before you . (ie, people with experience)

Either get a job as an intern (not making any money) where you live to move up in that company, or move to where the demand is higher and live off ramen noodles for awhile.

Good luck to you.


It is possible, you just have to have the willpower to make it happen.
 
Do the popular thing learn to play poker! lol. thats how i earn some extra money especially nowadays were everyone thinks there the greatest player on earth. But serioulsy you gotta have the sour with the sweet hopefully it'll all work for you in the end
 
Ikohn4ever- I liked your comments how about we start up a company-

Cheapassemployee's.com

We could market individuals to companies who meet or beat their requirements but are willing to be compensated at less than what the company is willing to pay.

The unfortuante thing is, I bet this allready exists in Temp agencies.
 
An easy way to make some good quick cash while you seek out better employment is gay phone sex, If you think you can pull it off. A friend of a friend ( who is not gay has been doing this recently and is generating a $200 plus check every week. I don't know the exact details but if you are interested I think I could find out.
 
This is just my opinion. I'd hold off on the graduate degree until you have gained some on the job experience. Try to land an office job, it doesn't matter if it's low paying. Do the mailroom thing or data entry. It does get your foot in the door and gets you office experience. Employers look for more than just what specifically you did at your previous jobs, they also want to know that you have worked in an office environment and know how to conduct yourself in one.

I have interviewed and hired quite a few people and what I look for isn't so much the education but the practical "real world" experience this person has. Not that I do not value education, but there are certain situations that come up that aren't covered in books and there's no better teacher than experience.

There may be some exceptions where your degree will get you hired, but they're few and far between. One time, I interviewed this guy who just graduated from Yale. He had no office or real world experience. He wasn't qualified for the position and the interview was horrible. It was slow and painful and I was glad to get him out the door. My boss (the CEO), though, was enamored with the Yale degree. To her, it was prestigious that we would have this guy from Yale working there. I had to argue with her for an hour until she finally gave up on the Yale idea.

I'm not trying to be harsh and I'm not trying to say it's easy. If you're making $6.25-$7.00/hr at a dept. store, I'm sure you could get in on an entry level office position at the same or little higher. Tough it out for a year or two and you'll be well on your way! Good luck.
 
If you just graduated, try to use the resources your school has to offer. Connections are very important, and many schools have lists of alumni who they can contact. Also, use any other connections you can. Who you know is often more important than what you know. Good luck.
 
i think that all of your problems relate to post education problems. i am just entering high skool and my parents make me pay for every thing on my measly 7.50 weekly allowance which i hardly get anymore. i get straight As also.right now i voulenteer at 3 different places, all of which have stated and i quote "i would give you a job right now if you were old enough." and i can guarentee that these people drive ferraris and hummers (ive seen them) your best chances is to try your connections. See if theres a long lost cousin who runs a bbusiness or uncle who is a corperate owner. it might just pay off.
 
Just having a degree of any kind can get you a job in college/university administration. What's your degree in, though, that you're not looking for specific positions? Also, hook up with the people you knew at college - I have a friend that's trying to find me a position at his firm for when I graduate.
 
LOLOLOL. I just have to laugh at you. you had a 4.0 and ur broke. thats america for you. I had like a 2.5 in high school and Im rich. see its not ur grades that matter its how street smart you are. Im driving a souped up sports car and have the cash flowing while someone smarter than me in school who worked their ass off is broke. oh man thats just soo funny. Im so glad Im rich. but my parents arent rich I had to get rich by myself. LMFAO ROTF.
 
(From original author)

I have a BBA with a major in general business and a minor in management from a state university. I just graduated this May and honestly kind of gave up on looking for a 'real' job once I started my current job and decided that I wanted to go back to school. I'm sure that makes a difference. When I wrote the letter I just had to rant because my transmission went out and would cost at least a month's worth of work. There are several reasons why I want to go back to school. First of all, I like school. It surely beats working at a job like the one I have now. Secondly, what if I get married in the next few years and have kids or start making better money and have to fight myself to go back to school? Going back now will be easier than three to five years from now. It will be easier now while my expenses are low. I think the best thing to do is to go ahead and get my finance degree, get my Series 6, 63, and 66 licenses (I know it is easier said than done), and get a start through a temporary agency (if my school contacts don't work out). The hardest part about it all is getting that first initial field experience.

I've been debating over an MBA over a Master of Science in Finance and am leaning towards the finance degree. I know several of you have warned against getting my masters right away, and those arguments are valid. However, there are pros and cons to waiting to go back to school and going back now.

I was suprised by the quality of feedback I got from this website (except for the gay porn thing - I can't even fake that - I would have to interupt the phone call with 'you know what, I'm not gay'). I am tired of being poor though and need to find a way out.
 
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