As I'm sitting here I keep glancing to the five televisions hanging off the wall. All of them are tuned to different channels, but the one that catches my eye is CNN. Right now they're doing a story about the state of the economy in relation to young people like myself. They're talking about where the jobs are for young people, what role education plays, and what to expect in the near future. CNN is also continually referring to the hundreds of dissatisfied young people that are taking part in the 'Occupy Wall Street' event thing. Which makes me think...
Before working at my current job, I vaguely followed what was going on in current events. Now I almost have to pay attention to what is going on around me in the community, in the nation and in the world. When I think about what is happening around me and seeing so many people unsatisfied with the way things in our country are going, I feel like I can't make a difference in improving the overall economic situation. So, instead it makes me ask what can I do to better my own personal economy.
Having experienced the last year unemployed, I learned first hand what it means to be discouraged about the economic climate. As a recent graduate of college, it was difficult feeling like you put your time, effort, and money into a degree that wasn't helping you find a job. Granted, I knew getting a degree in filmmaking wasn't a guaranteed sort of job market, but I thought that with some passion and some hard work I could do great things. I think that is the dream of every college student.
Our parents grew up in a time where hard work and maybe some college was enough to get started on the right foot in life. Now it seems that a bachelors degree is the bare minimum and masters degrees the next level in finding that dream job. I found out a month ago that having a masters degree can actually hurt your chances! But still I pursued that mystical dream job.
My Time as Stay at Home Dad:
With much scouring the internets and bazillions (literally it seemed) of resumes sent I would hear nothing. The point came where I had a choice to either pursue a job in my industry or a 'whatever' job. I just couldn't accept the fact that I had a very specific set of skills in a growing industry and there were no replies.
My wife, Nicole, luckily was still employed and she supported me and our family through my search. I know it was extremely stressful and upsetting having to be the money maker. (I love you Nicole!) I never imagined that my family would be in this situation, but some good things came from it. I had the wonderful chance to be a 'Stay at Home Dad'. Now when you hear those words, I'm sure you imagine a few things. This is what my wife was imagining:
If you've never seen this documentary see it. It will change the meaning of 'Stay at Home Dad'. I had a wonderful time learning what it took to be a Mom. Lesson #1: I am not Mom material. Lesson #2: Nobody really knows how to be a parent, we all just make it up as we go.
My Personal Economy:
This Personal Economy thing is just something that I decided on tonight. I want to improve the quality of my life without having to spend money to feel like I'm successful. I know it feels great to purchase anything you want, but I don't feel like I'm getting satisfaction out of the 'stuff' in my life.
My Dad once told me that for the first 30 years of your life you do nothing but collect stuff and then you spend the next 50 years trying to get rid of it all. Example: Since I recently moved, I experienced this first hand. While I'm packing boxes I keep thinking to myself "Why do I still have this? Its been years since I even looked at this." But I still put it in a box and moved it to my new place, where it sits and takes up space.
It seems like I'm out of time for today but I like where we're going with this. We will definitely be exploring this more. Give it a think yourself and see what you can come up with and let me know how you are or can improve your personal economy. It can be money saving techniques, organization skills, ideas for making money on the side, or anything that you can imagine! I'll do the same and post it again next week!
Goodnight, Internets.
-The Everyday All Nighter
Got to love the learning curves of life! They're there for a reason. Now if only I knew the reason when I was steeped in the curve....
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