Author: Olivia

I (43yo) have been job hunting for the last few weeks. I am unemployed and have no income. I have been on several interviews and have even declined a couple jobs. My job history and experience had me in a career where my average pay is in the $25-30/hr range. Not spectacular, but where I live I can afford everything and have some savings My boomer parents have on more than one occasion gotten on to me that I need to just take the first thing I'm offered. This came up after they convinced me to apply as a cashier at the local dollar general. I figured if they matched local cashier pay in the area ($15/hr) it would be a decent stopgap until I got something in my field. After the interview they offered me a cashier position that paid $8.20/hr… I was shocked. (Probably shouldn't have been) I…

I started my job back in 2019 at $20/hr. At the time, minimum wage was $8.60/hr in my state. We weren’t quite comfortable but we were close. Since then, I’ve received a single pay increase of 51 cents and the official minimum wage is $11.15/hr. That being said, most places of employment are paying $15/hr minimum. I could literally walk down my street and apply at the McDonald’s or Taco Bell and get that much. Gas has gone up $1.15+/gallon since then. I’m paying over $100 more a week for the same groceries I was getting then. Everything is up. Gas, groceries, water, electricity, property taxes, insurance. Only thing that isn’t going up is my wage. The value of my wage has gone down so much that I’m being forced to get a part time job and add 20 hours a week to my work schedule. I would need a…

My dad has made a lot of money for my family. We are pretty well off to say the least, but my dad told me how many hours a week he had to work to support my family. He said it was 60 hours a week, sometimes 70. He said that he wished he could’ve spent more time with me and my brother growing up and it made me sad. The reason that he worked so much was to pay for my college and my brothers college which I’m grateful for but I wish college was free like in other countries besides the US, so that he wouldn’t have to sacrifice spending time with his family. So that he could’ve been around more for me growing up. I didn’t see my dad often because he was always working.

Due to my experience as a kid growing up and partially going to school, I definitely have misgivings about it. I feel like haven’t been able to completely live life. I still feel this way even now without having a kid myself. The only difference is I can stay up later on my own terms just with repercussions if I do it on a work night. But that’s called bedtime procrastination revenge. Something kids can do that even adults do today due to work and such. I also have time I can go out for myself during free days but as an introvert this is limited too. Where you go varies with a child. I work at a daycare and they are right when they say it can be birth control. I’m in my prime at 32 but keeping up with all 10 or more toddlers with the head teacher…

I'm 15, and I got a side weekend type job and my so called “boss” is a nightmare. He never gives me any breaks and always forces me to do extra work if I don't impress him etc etc – and today was my first day working for him. It's honestly feels like touture and the worst part is I'm not allowed to sit down under any circumstances despite me currently recovering from a leg injury I got about 7 days ago. I have to go back in a week and I'm scared to tell him how I feel about working for him, so I've come here to speak out and ask for advice. What do you think I should do?