McDonalds, Minimum Wage Budget

[lionsfan]

Something i ran into, after my first divorce (yes it was eq related lol) i moved back home. I was almost not able to get a job in my home area because they saw what i had made in the past and looked at my education. They were discriminating against me because of my past income and my education which hurt lol its like i bust my ass to get some education and get a decent job and now i am unemployable because of that lol. The way i finally got a job, i took off my education and lowered the income of my past jobs and i was able to get a job then.

I got so many, we will give you a call i finally would just point blank ask them when they told me this if that was the case or not. If your not going to hire me don't give me hope and act like you are. They finally started admitting the reason they wouldn't hire me was because i was too educated and made too much money in the past and didn't think i would stay and would find a better job eventually. I wasn't trying to get rich i just wanted to pay my bills and put food on the table lol.

That is what i found i had to do at times when it came to working restaurants and so forth my culinary mgmt classes in HS were a bad thing to list for me even though it gave me just basic skills in various areas it proved to be a hindrance. the same goes for when i made shift supervisor working in assisted living facilities, I didn't ask for that position I earned it But acknowledging I had been became a deterrent for hiring, because they would assume i would want more even if they couldn't provide.

 

[Copperhead]

Tons of Americans dont even have jobs. At least someone flipping burgers at McDs has one. I know its a shit job, but hey, its better than sitting at home on your ass where mommy and daddy take care of you or something similar.

 

[StaticX27]

My middle sister lost her husband to a drunk driver he was the sole bread winner for their family of 4 one kid is now 19 and getting married the other 17 and learning to do everything she can to provide and help her mom around the house including care for my father who has now developed some health issues over the years from drinking and drugging. My sisters house is always filled with laughter and love though even if times are tight more often than not as she is working 6-7 days a week to make sure it is that way.

Of your entire post, this is the one I give the most sympathy for. This was 100% out of anyone's control, and has now made your middle sister a widow, and force her into a position where she's gotta come up with a plan.

Everything else, *shrug* that's life. However, it seems you didn't just kick back and start crying to yourself thinking "Woe is me, somebody help me!" You manned up, took care of business, did what you had to do. That said, personally, I wouldn't have had a kid while you were DJ'ing, honestly. DJ'ing isn't a career path, very few people are able to maintain the profession for 20-40 years (which ultimately is how long you're going to be working). I have a number of close friends who are DJ's at some of the hottest clubs in LA, and regularly tour other countries. They all have day jobs that they rely on as their primary source of income. DJ'ing, regardless of how lucrative it is up front, doesn't last forever. And I wouldn't risk my child's welfare on something that can be gone in a whim.

I started working at a pretzel cart on a college campus. I paid for college and paid for my first car by being one of the first plat sellers in EQ (Senior year of high school, I was one of the richest people in the game). After that, I said "I hate working this dumb ass pretzel cart" so I started looking around for a new job. Ended up at CompUSA as a cashier for the commercial sales department. Worked my ass off, then the company made this lovely decision to eliminate my position. Well, it's a good thing I worked my ass off, because my boss decided to promote me instead of fire me. He trained me, and pretty soon I was 19 making about 70k a year, while maintaining full time college student status. Saved my money, which helped me pay for the rest of college. By 22, I was engaged, I had a job lined up at HKS (car parts manufacturer) doing translation and interpretation, making good money; my life was perfect.

Nope, no such luck (or maybe it was good luck?). My fiance cheated on me with another guy in our social circle, and I fell into a deep depression. I was in counseling for a year, on medication. My grades in college dropped, and lost my job, the job opportunities I had lined up, and I did some shopping therapy to the tune of $15,000. It took me 3 years to finish college after that point, and I had to work at Best Buy just to pay the bills.

After I finally graduated college and paid off my debt, I started looking for a real job. Some opportunities, but nothing that really interested me (This was at the "height" of our depression, and I lived in Los Angeles, one of the places that got hit hardest). Magically, I had an interview every week, when a number of people around me were like "OMG THERE ARE NO JOBZZZ!!!!" Most of these jobs were entry level, but they were paying less than I was making, or they told me I wasn't qualified. So what did I do? Packed up my stuff, and got on a plane to go get more skills relevant to my desired profession at the time. 4 years later, I'm living in Japan, loving every minute of it. I would have moved back by now, having accomplished my reason for coming here, but I found a new career path that makes me reasonably good enough money to go start a family with, and that I enjoy wholeheartedly.

At no point did I ever break down and feel sorry for myself (k, maybe a little bit when my fiance left me =P). I took my licks, settled down and handled business. Even now, I'm making the US equivalent of close to 6 figures as a teacher, and still I will not have children. I'm still technically a contractor at my school, and until they offer me direct employment, benefits and more longevity, I still won't have children. Kids are a $200k+ 22-year loan (Cuz I plan on paying for my kid's college education, and probably supporting them partially through college). Defaulting on that loan means screwing up some aspect of their life, paying more than the principal means adding to an aspect of their life. The most valuable form of payment you can give your kid though, is your time. If you're working 16+ hours a day, you are not spending time with your kid. Time for a lifestyle change if your current lifestyle is not what you want. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, living in a life of routine at a job you hate. Why take the "easy" road? I'd rather love what I do for the next 30-40 years of my life than to hate it. So I take whatever action is necessary for me to love it.

Live in a shithole town with only a couple "good" jobs? The world is a HUGE place with high paying jobs in all types of different areas (Yes, there are rural areas that have high paying jobs!). Even beyond US borders! 33% of the countries in the world have English declared as their official language. Move to Denmark, and holy shit, your kid will be speaking 5 languages by the time they finish high school. Hell, I had a job offer to become an IT teacher in Sweden a few years back. Moving expenses paid, housing paid, salary ($50k+/year), utilities paid, free car. This was in the middle of a little small ass village with a population of about 7,500 people. I think the manager said that there was a major city about 45 minutes by car away.

 

[lionsfan]

Your not realizing one thing I'm not with my son's mother and yeah she's a psycho bitch and probably fucking up his head as much as she did mine in some twisted ways . BUT I am still less than 15 minutes away for my child anytime he needs me! In the day and age where there are more absentee parents in this country, I take pride in knowing I stood up and took responsibility to be there for him. Once he is 18 and out of high school he will be free to follow me or not, if he chooses depending on his college of choice! Moving away has not been an option I would consider until his 18th birthday BUT know I have been counting days until for 15 years

 

[StaticX27]

Your not realizing one thing I'm not with my son's mother and yeah she's a psycho bitch and probably fucking up his head as much as she did mine in some twisted ways . BUT I am still less than 15 minutes away for my child anytime he needs me! In the day and age where there are more absentee parents in this country, I take pride in knowing I stood up and took responsibility to be there for him. Once he is 18 and out of high school he will be free to follow me or not, if he chooses depending on his college of choice! Moving away has not been an option I would consider until his 18th birthday BUT know I have been counting days until for 15 years

Then you're doing the right thing.

I had an absentee father for many years, who prioritized monetary support over emotional support. It's one reason I'm a teacher now. When I do have children, I'll be providing moderate monetary support, but I'll always be around for my kid.

That and I got really lucky with the stocks I invested my money from plat sales back in 2002. I've already have a ton in savings just chilling for the day I'm ready to settle down. In that regard, I'm glad I have money-centric parents. I wouldn't have that without em.

Thank you EQ and Chinese blood

 

[smason]

Then you're doing the right thing.

I had an absentee father for many years, who prioritized monetary support over emotional support. It's one reason I'm a teacher now. When I do have children, I'll be providing moderate monetary support, but I'll always be around for my kid.

That and I got really lucky with the stocks I invested my money from plat sales back in 2002. I've already have a ton in savings just chilling for the day I'm ready to settle down. In that regard, I'm glad I have money-centric parents. I wouldn't have that without em.

Thank you EQ and Chinese blood

Let me tell you it wont be moderate at all. I went into court with no job and was told that they knew what i had made in the past and knew what i was capable of making and told me that i was going to be paying 950 a month child support and it was due in 2 weeks and they didn't care that i wasn't working at the time lol.

Just a piece of advice that i have used since, get a pre nup, no matter how much you "love" someone its better to cover your ass up front because they change and they become evil and will try and take everything.

 

[StaticX27]

Then you're doing the right thing.

I had an absentee father for many years, who prioritized monetary support over emotional support. It's one reason I'm a teacher now. When I do have children, I'll be providing moderate monetary support, but I'll always be around for my kid.

That and I got really lucky with the stocks I invested my money from plat sales back in 2002. I've already have a ton in savings just chilling for the day I'm ready to settle down. In that regard, I'm glad I have money-centric parents. I wouldn't have that without em.

Thank you EQ and Chinese blood

Let me tell you it wont be moderate at all. I went into court with no job and was told that they knew what i had made in the past and knew what i was capable of making and told me that i was going to be paying 950 a month child support and it was due in 2 weeks and they didn't care that i wasn't working at the time lol.

Just a piece of advice that i have used since, get a pre nup, no matter how much you "love" someone its better to cover your ass up front because they change and they become evil and will try and take everything.

I wasn't talking about child support in terms of paying after a divorce

That is good advice for that scenario though!