Living A Third World Dream
Just read +Darlena Cunha's article. I can totally relate to everything she said, except for the kids, the Mercedes and the food stamps. I lost my job and consequently lost my house when weeks and months of unemployment turned into years.
I was denied unemployment benefits for some reason the state (of Colorado) never really did clarify. Just, "You don't qualify."
I watched as my saving account went from five digits to zero because I was still paying my bills and feeding myself and my dog. The days became long, hours and hours of sending out cover letters and resume's, of going to [free] networking events and volunteering just to make additional connections. Occasionally I'd get a call about a position but at less than half of what I was making before and far less than I needed to keep my house.
Nothing happened. Sure, I'd get the occasional interview and then turned away for a cheaper candidate. I'd get referrals from CEOs and board of director officers and then shunned by the HR person. Some very nice people even offered to help, but they always wanted to put me in a position or industry I wasn't interested in. As a man who used to have five states report to him, I was uninterested in a $12/hr hourly position at the bottom.
When my house was at risk my mother, who never liked my motorcycle, said, "Sell your bike."
But why, I'd ask. I don't owe a payment on it, just monthly insurance, which was cheaper than my truck. I didn't have a truck payment either, and if it meant cutting outgoing monthly costs, getting rid of my truck would have made more sense. I did sell some furniture and a few other small items, but I've never been the kind of person who buys the 'latest and greatest.' At the time, my television was over 5 years old. Who was going to buy that for more than a couple of dollars? My DVD player wasn't special. My stereo was a keepsake from the military older than my mid-90s truck.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a dual income to rely on. I didn't have anyone else who could help and I wasn't a WIC candidate or anything else. In fact, I was shocked that finding a full time job was so incredibly difficult.
I have a college education and graduated cum laude, I am a veteran of the US military with an honorable discharge and an experienced manager of people and projects. I'd find a job, right?
Here it is years later and I've still never been able to find any position that's full time employment at a livable wage. A man I know hired me for sales and after my first commission told me he wouldn't pay a base pay any longer, that I was, commission only. Another company I worked in sales for refused to pay me for bringing his largest customers in, citing he needed that money to reinvest in his business.
I've done a series of odd jobs over the years, worked in IT, as a process server and a sales coach. But nothing steady and nothing long enough to justify benefits and health care. Nothing regular enough to replace my truck or even think about making a purchase when I needed to ensure a savings account, instead.
Not only was the financial and credit loss devastating, but I also suffered a loss of friends. When you can no longer afford going out, birthday presents or other social engagements, people stop calling. Family doesn't invite you to a family affair half a continent away because they know you can't afford the ticket. People pull away, ostracizing you for your poverty.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/07/08/this-is-what-happened-when-i-drove-my-mercedes-to-pick-up-food-stamps/
I was denied unemployment benefits for some reason the state (of Colorado) never really did clarify. Just, "You don't qualify."
I watched as my saving account went from five digits to zero because I was still paying my bills and feeding myself and my dog. The days became long, hours and hours of sending out cover letters and resume's, of going to [free] networking events and volunteering just to make additional connections. Occasionally I'd get a call about a position but at less than half of what I was making before and far less than I needed to keep my house.
Nothing happened. Sure, I'd get the occasional interview and then turned away for a cheaper candidate. I'd get referrals from CEOs and board of director officers and then shunned by the HR person. Some very nice people even offered to help, but they always wanted to put me in a position or industry I wasn't interested in. As a man who used to have five states report to him, I was uninterested in a $12/hr hourly position at the bottom.
When my house was at risk my mother, who never liked my motorcycle, said, "Sell your bike."
But why, I'd ask. I don't owe a payment on it, just monthly insurance, which was cheaper than my truck. I didn't have a truck payment either, and if it meant cutting outgoing monthly costs, getting rid of my truck would have made more sense. I did sell some furniture and a few other small items, but I've never been the kind of person who buys the 'latest and greatest.' At the time, my television was over 5 years old. Who was going to buy that for more than a couple of dollars? My DVD player wasn't special. My stereo was a keepsake from the military older than my mid-90s truck.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a dual income to rely on. I didn't have anyone else who could help and I wasn't a WIC candidate or anything else. In fact, I was shocked that finding a full time job was so incredibly difficult.
I have a college education and graduated cum laude, I am a veteran of the US military with an honorable discharge and an experienced manager of people and projects. I'd find a job, right?
Here it is years later and I've still never been able to find any position that's full time employment at a livable wage. A man I know hired me for sales and after my first commission told me he wouldn't pay a base pay any longer, that I was, commission only. Another company I worked in sales for refused to pay me for bringing his largest customers in, citing he needed that money to reinvest in his business.
I've done a series of odd jobs over the years, worked in IT, as a process server and a sales coach. But nothing steady and nothing long enough to justify benefits and health care. Nothing regular enough to replace my truck or even think about making a purchase when I needed to ensure a savings account, instead.
Not only was the financial and credit loss devastating, but I also suffered a loss of friends. When you can no longer afford going out, birthday presents or other social engagements, people stop calling. Family doesn't invite you to a family affair half a continent away because they know you can't afford the ticket. People pull away, ostracizing you for your poverty.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/07/08/this-is-what-happened-when-i-drove-my-mercedes-to-pick-up-food-stamps/
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