August 7, 2009

  • The Problem with Debt

    I never thought that I would be denied an educational loan for school until this past May when I needed money to study abroad in France. Little did I know, I would find out rather quickly after the loan application went through. A few missed payments on my credit card set me on a path to a low credit rating and a few thousand dollars less of what I need to pay for the first semester. I have no idea what I'm going to do. Not only that, I'm playing the catch-up game at work: working as much as I can to assure myself rent money and food for the school year. I can't catch up that much though... After seeing the new work schedule, I realized that the five hours or so they want to schedule me a week will put me in even more debt (and more trouble) than I could ever imagine. So... I am searching for a job as best I can to ensure that I can pay for things without having to break the bank or call Mom and Dad every month for the rest of what I owe. Times are tough (and only getting tougher).

    In this day and age, especially in the United States, one would think that we'd have it all figured out. One would assume that we'd have 100% literacy and be graduating star students left and right. You'd think there would be enough jobs and enough money to go around. Sometimes, I wish there was more we could do to help each other instead of just looking after ourselves. I wish that I didn't have to worry about credit ratings and paying the rent or earning enough money to live, let alone survive. What is the American Dream now that we're approaching 2010? What are our goals as Americans? As people?