Growing up I took for granted that I was supposed to move out after high school and go to a 4-year college. I didn’t matter if I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted to do with my life, I was just supposed to graduate high school and go to college.
Community college? No, you won’t get out of your hometown that way.
Work for a bit and then choose? No, you won’t get anywhere in life doing that.
Trade schools? Nope. That’s not a way to make a living.
So I moved across the state to go to a 4-year state school. I got a lot of grants but I also had to take out loans because the college fund my parents told me to rely on instead of getting a job to set up didn’t actually exist. It’s so easy just to take federal loans.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to do so I majored in anthropology. I knew it may be hard to get a job so I got an internship at a local sheriff’s office and took out more loan so I could work for free there instead of working at a paying job… so I could have a better chance at a paying job later.
I couldn’t get a job with just a BA in anthropology so I got a masters degree in forensic anthropology (thanks Anthro advisors). So many people are getting degrees in forensic science, every job has like thousands of applicants. All the jobs are with law enforcement and law enforcement adjacent so they don’t become available that often, they don’t pay super, and often times bad employees stick around forever because once you’re FT and off probation it’s super hard to get fired. There tons of politics too.
What sucks is my job in no way requires any of the education I spent so much on. I use the skills on occasion, but I wouldn’t have gotten the job I have now because being overqualified was the only way to stand out from other applicants.
I love working for a public service instead of a company that only wants to make money, and I’m lucky to have gotten a good job with managers that aren’t shitty and but after being a first responder throughout COVID and stuff I’m all the way burnt out. tbh all I want to do is stay home and take care of my dog. I’ve been looking for WFH jobs but so is like… every other person and their mom.
Any degree of student loan forgiveness (I have 6 years before I can even think about PSLF), or public healthcare would change my life so much. I just feel like there’s no winning, and that’s what the system is designed for in the US -_-