I've worked in food service as a barista, bartender, food runner, barback, busser, pretty much every single position outside of server since I graduated with a political economy degree in 2017. I'm used to a meager income, but I live in an affordable city and when shit became truly untenable I just picked up more shifts or got a second job, which has never been difficult. As of the past year however this is no longer a reality. EVERYTHING is expensive now, and my wages as a bartender haven't risen, while the tips have obviously fallen because everyone is poor.
I have a BA from a very prestigious institution and have been tired of not using my intellect, so last semester I decided to go back to school. I've been working 4 days a week, 8 hour days since, with my summers being essentially wasted as a result of working two high stress, schedule conflicting positions (bartending and high end baristaing).
I am poor, the poorest I've ever been in my life. Now that semester is back in swing, I'm bartending 4 days a week 8 hours per shift, and still making barely 1000 per paycheck. I'm burned out in the extreme, partially as a result of being autistic and already not being primed for such a customer facing profession, and partially because despite working my fucking ass off, I never have any money. This most recent paycheck was meant to be gross 1500. I just checked my paystub; barely 1000 dollars. Where the fuck are these taxes going that I never see materialize?! If I was taxed out the nose for roads I could drive on and schools my kid neighbors could attend safely I would never say a word. But I'm hemorrhaging a THIRD of my paycheck for Israeli defense infrastructure and payouts to nobody politicians in my state!
I'm truly, literally going insane. I come from an upper middle class family who descended into poverty as a result of the 2008 financial crisis. I'm working my ass off trying to be in community college to earn credits for a second degree, because no one cares about my primary degree that I paid essentially 250k for. I am constantly broke and prioritizing my very meager rent over literally everything else in my life. I do not know what to do. I do not know how to organize all the other poor people in my life to demand better conditions because how do you organize the entire working class against the current productive modes of existence.
I really, truly feel insane. I hate it here so much. I have a haircut that will cost 40 dollars plus tip on Friday and I fear it will spiral me into a hole I can never crawl out of. Fuck this existence, burn it down.