This is a vent post. I live in California & can't afford to live on my full-time salary. I went to school for 8 years & earned my Master's degree, thinking that I'd be able to live a comfortable life. Well, here I am, 4 years post-university barely getting by on my full-time salary.
I'm a single mother of 4 kids, & had to move 80 miles away from my job (because who can afford to live in the Bay Area?) so that I could purchase a home in “The Valley”, to give my kids a better life. With gas prices soaring, food prices increasing, & my current salary rate, I'm “scraping pennies” after every paycheck.
Being salary, no matter how many hours I work, I get paid the same. There have been days where I work 12-16 hour shifts, but don't get paid overtime. At this point, I'm looking for a second job that I can pick up on the weekends.
I'm grateful to have a job during these times, but man can life feel hard sometimes.
Thanks for reading.