I had done it! I ran through the finish line with a college degree. Yes, it was in Political Science and I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with it, but the goal was to get a degree and that I did! So WHY was it so hard to find a full-time gig that fit my interests after graduation?! I was promised a good paying job that would provide for me till I aged out of the workforce, if I only got that 4-year degree. Reality, it turns out, was a little bit colder. Political science provided me a ticket to apply for positions but little else other than 4 years of very interesting topics for learning. I eventually stumbled my way into a Public Safety role, which I enjoyed. It allowed me to interact with my community, make a difference in the lives of children and families, and pay my bills. But barely.
I didn’t figure out until after graduation and my subsequent start in Public Safety, exactly how much I owed. Believe it or not, I signed for my loans with little thought, and didn’t even know who my lenders were at graduation. After locating my many loans, I added up the damages and was flabbergasted. Positively befuddled . $48,000 in debt with a $26,000 salary. Mind you, it was 2012 so expenses were somewhat lower. But $26,000 is $26,000. It didn’t take long to figure out that this money wouldn’t go far. In 2013, my freshly minted Husband and I added our combined debts of around $70,000 and decided we did not want to pay the minimum payments for the next 10 years.
A family member was nice enough to give us a little book called ‘Total Money Makeover’ as a wedding gift. After a quick reading, we were sold on paying down debts, reducing expenses to near zero, and getting out of this hole! In 2 years, we were done with debt. To make this possible on a public safety and trade salary, we did several things:
- Eat rice and beans VERY frequently. Or grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Or Manwiches. Or loaded baked potatoes. You get the idea.
- Live in a 560 square foot apartment. There was a living room and a bedroom. If we needed space, someone went outside or to the other room. Not my favorite but it reduced our expenses.
- No eating out. No coffee out. No cocktails out. We either made it at home or we did without.
- Lots of thrift shopping for clothing. This wasn’t hard at the time because my first big girl job provided a uniform and his job was in construction so he was dressed for utility, not the runway.
- Cheap date nights: Playing cards, hiking or going to a local park, buying takeout and eating elsewhere, etc.
- Beater cars: Both of our cars were functional but not pretty. There were moments where I felt embarrassed that the pain on my car was fading or the roof was peeling but I just kept reminding myself that this was short term and I could upgrade once I was able. At the time, we had a VERY old Toyota Corolla and a slightly less old Subaru Outback. Crusty but serviceable.
- No other responsibilities. We postponed getting pets and were not ready for kids so the non-essential expenses were kept very low.
This is the secret sauce to a quick reduction in debt. I realize that if you are here and looking for a way out of debt with a family or pets, you are committed to that for the next 12- 18 years minimum. But if you are just starting out like we were, keep it simple. It’s much easier to “deprive” yourself of what society tells you that you are owed n when there are no little people or animals accustomed to their manner of keeping. There is no time like the present, regardless of your situation. So keep your chin up and keep pushing. But if you have the option to keep spending to a bare minimum, definitely do so.
Bottom Line: We were sold a bill of goods on this college degree=coast to retirement pipe dream. Political science didn’t naturally open up any doors. While Public Safety will always be near and dear to my heart, supporting a family and having children was also a dream of mine and the two things didn’t go hand in hand. I knew that if I hoped to buy a home, have kiddos, maybe a pet or two, and do anything beyond the weekend trip to the local beach, I was going to have to figure something out.
After having a very transformative experience giving birth to our first child, I was bowled over by the difference a compassionate and engaged care provider can make. A coworker happened to be in Nursing school and encouraged me to at least take a look at the curriculum. This gal? She did not care for blood and gore, couldn’t dress her own wounds, and didn’t have any interest in being in a high stress situation (foreshadowing anyone?). But this coworker convinced me to at least consider it. I felt inspired. I considered. I pondered. I decided that this might be the path I was looking for.
Fast forward a couple of years of nursing school and the newfound philosophy of ‘you have to suck till you don’t suck anymore’, I was off to my first nursing job. Can you believe, I chose MedSurg because it was going to be easy. My first interest and internship was in the Emergency Department but my gut told me I needed something smoother sailing before I got my toes wet there. The biggest laugh I have ever had, looking back, is to think that MedSurg was going to be easy! The high acuity, frequent turnover, and chronic understaffing made if very hard to provide good quality care to anyone but if there’s one thing we are good at, it’s making use of our resources and teamwork. Around 4-5 months in, I was starting to feel like I had some idea what I was doing. I was a Nurse for approximately 6 months before Covid came and ran over my brain and reorganized my entire organization. Floating to higher acuity departments with little to no extra training left me concerned for my license and safety and I decided I needed to make a change.
A quick stint in Home Health and exactly one punch to the head later, I decided that wasn’t my cup of tea and transferred to patient education, which I ADORE. I did this for several years and greatly enjoyed the flexibility it gave me to be home with my children and eat meals with them, tuck them in, and be home for family time each night. This role served me well and I strove to serve my patients well before deciding it was time for a change.
Which brings me to where I am today. Nurse Case Management utilizes all of my strengths as a Type A personality, a personality who flits from interest to interest, and a Mother. You have to be organized, quick on your feet, critically thinking, and ready to put out any fires that come your way. All of these nursing and Mothering strengths also apply to personal finance. The experiences God has given me along the way in my personal and professional life have prepared me for where I am now. I am forever grateful that I am surrounded by people who love me and whom I love, have the opportunity to provide for my family in a big way, and do all of the things that light me up, while leaving behind the things that didn’t serve me.
So that’s me in a nutshell. There is ever so much more to tell about nursing, about my beautiful family and all the trouble we get into together. There’s always time for that later. Thanks for sharing this time with me.
Photo by Andrew James on Unsplash
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