Tl;dr: I have a bachelor's degree in physics, and after months of job hunting + dozens of applications, the best I can find is only about $20,000/yr.
I don't even know where to begin. I feel so angry, lost, broken, and scared. I can't even afford to live anymore, and it honestly makes me wonder what the point in living in this capitalistic hellhole even is.
Growing up, I was taught that with enough hard work and determination, anyone could achieve anything. I was also taught that going to college was absolutely essential to becoming successful. So, what do I do? I go to college and pursue a degree in what I'm passionate about: physics, with a minor in math. I mean, it's not like I had much of a choice; my mother threatened to disown me if I didn't…
So, four years later, I graduate. And, surprisingly enough, I find a job as a high school math teacher.
It was abysmal.
I was bullied and harassed by the students. It was hard, but I tried to persevere. But, what made matters worse was that I was also exploited by the administration.
Factoring in my time spent teaching during school, my time spent tutoring before and after school, my time spent creating lesson plans, and my time spent grading papers, I usually worked 80+ hours per week…all for a flat $90/day. Some days, I would wake up at 6:00 AM and go to bed at 12:00 AM, my only breaks being for meals and travel.
After a while, I began to have panic attacks. At its worst, I probably broke down in tears at least once a week. I dreaded going to work, but I tried to persevere for the sake of my students. However, my mental health began to decline so much that it eventually began to compromise my physical health. I ultimately decided to resign after I became sick with the flu + bronchitis, as I struggled to recover because of all the stress.
Keep in mind that this happened just after I graduated from college, so I'm still living with family. After my mom found out that I resigned, she flipped her lid. She called me irresponsible and that I'm far too dependent on her. She said that I just need to try harder and that I should go to graduate school if I can't handle teaching high schoolers. It was hurtful, but given that I really had no where else to go, I was obligated to follow her advice.
Fast forward to today. Since then, I've applied to grad school and I've submitted nearly 60 different job applications to potential employers–far more than I thought would be necessary whenever so many employers are complaining that “nobody wants to work.” Despite that, pretty much the only job offers that I've received are a full-time job (40 hr/wk) at Firehouse Subs for $10/hr, and a part-time job (about 25 hr/wk) as a contracted virtual tutor for $20/hr. The tutoring job has no benefits, only tutors during the schoolyear, and only pays if I'm actively tutoring someone, so I really don't know which is the better choice here…
All this is to say… I'm done. I'm so done. Despite all my hard work and everything that I've been told, I can't even afford to live.
$10/hr × 40 hr/wk × 52.143 wk/yr = $20,857.20/yr.
$20/hr × 25 hr/wk × 43.453 wk/yr = $21,726.50/yr.
I'm sure that estimates will vary depending on who you ask, but a quick Google search led me here, which places the average cost of living for a single American at around $2,817/mn.
$2,817/mn × 12mn/yr = $33,804/yr.
What the Hell. Why. Why is it that I and so many other people struggle so hard to earn enough money to merely survive, while exploitative, money-hungry tycoons like Bezos and Musk can make hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per SECOND?! Why is it that, even though inflation is presently outpacing wages, the government continues to give the rich massive taxcuts?! It doesn't have to be this way!! Enough is enough!!