I can’t blame my financial choices on advice I got 6 years ago. But I’ve been thinking a lot about what the GM said to me when I was 20 and working my first sales gig at a car dealership. I told him I wasn’t sure if I could afford unstable pay while I’m already working a 2nd job.
“I like people hungry. You’ll work harder. Look at Billy, he’s the best and spend every dime before he makes it.”
Years have gone by, and I’ve worked quite a few jobs since then. I’m HOPING that this insurance sales gig is it for a long while. $1.75 raise base compared to what I was doing and better hours. So that puts me at $3,639+ annually. Once I take another 40 hour class in my own time I’ll be making $2.50 more on top of the initial bump and $250/month stipend, so $3,639+ $5,199+ $3000= $11,838 more than my prior gig.
They were very transparent, and it makes sense for me. Well the first 3 weeks I got my initial license- 80 hours of studying. Crushed it. Then my car broke down AND I had a medical issue. I’ve spent the next month STRUGGLING just to get by with my starting pay. And I can’t fathom putting in an extra 40 hours into my cert with my mental and financial scramble even though it means $100 more per week that I could really use.
Workers do NOT work better hungry. I’ve been incredibly preoccupied and stressed ever since I had that 6k hit. I am not at all in the right mindset to learn. Losing sleep, feeling hopeless, severe bouts of anxiety that I feel physically. I’ll be okay, I’ve had a couple weeks to adjust. Moonlighting a bit as a bartender, sold some things I’ve been meaning to get rid of. Going to knock out a couple classes while I’m feeling better. I’m just disgusted that the first message I got in sales is financial need will make you work harder.
I’ll tell you that after getting laid off from bartending during covid and procrastinating seeking help, blowing through savings, struggling to find a job I was 1000% more financially responsible after getting rent assistance and food stamps. Because I could think without intrusive thoughts about where I would live and how I would eat. Crazy, huh? You don’t see rich parents moving their kids to shady areas where things are constantly breaking and withholding food because “you’ll work harder if you’re hungry” but the same people will go to work and spread that bs message.