Longing For The Financial Security of My College Days

I remember about two years ago one of my friends remarking that she was happy that she was out of college because now she was finally making some money and no longer living life as a poor, in debt college student. I was happy for her self-realization but I did not share the same feelings regarding my financial situation. In fact, when I stopped to reflect, I discovered that I think I had more money while IN college.

During the early part of my senior year of high school, when it was getting down to crunch time to decide which college to attend, my parents sat me down and explained how the whole financing of my college education was going to work in our family. I was fortunate. In fact, I realized alot fortunate than most teenagers. My parents informed me that they were going to help me out with the cost of my higher education. I was going to have the same set up that my older brother had years prior. My parents would pay half and it was my responsibility to come up with the other half. They also made it know to me that my brother went to a public school and I was attending a private school so my tuition would be understandable higher. They told me that I would, and had already received some grants and scholarships but that I would also have rely upon other means. And since whoring myself around the streets of downtown and selling weed to burn outs was probably not what they had in mind, I knew that I would be dependent on student loans and getting a job or jobs while at school. After they informed me of the basic odds and ends of our oral contract, I did what any head in the clouds 17 year old would do, I shook my head and agreed without putting much thought into it. And I have to agree, my head could safely remain in those clouds throughout the 4 years that I spent in college.

Shortly after I arrived at college I knew that Dr. Lowe was a cool guy. I met him at preview and from that point I had confidence in my major decision. I knew I wanted to get a campus job. I realized that I would make less doing this than working somewhere off campus but a campus job meant a sense of security and the flexibility to work around my class schedule. Since I was admitted into the honors college writing class, I was able to work in Kelly Lowe's directed writing center on campus. It was a great gig four four years. I got to work around both my classes and cross country/track practice schedule and use my brain. I considered my self to be very lucky because I had some friends that were sweating their asses off working hard manual labor in the cafeteria or mowing the campus lawns while I was sitting in a cushy chair helping students by chopping and dicing their papers. It was a great gig. Not horribly busy (with the exception of right before finals week) but active enough to keep me on my toes and make me feel like I was making a difference in the lives of students. I even got to be student director of the EH100I program my senior year which was a great experience. In addition to this, I was an RA. Over breaks I working as a lifeguard for indoor and outdoor pools

The short end of it was that I was making money, spending money and managing to save some dough. I was not thinking about the student loans that were accumulating. It was good and carefree time. A time when I could pay cash for a videocamera and a case of beer. It was simplistic.

And here I am today five years since graduation with all the added responsibilities of adulthood - rent, car payments and student loans. Not that I would change anything because I had a great college experience and I love living on my own and having a car that I love but having the financial blaahs like so many mid-twenty year olds does have its downfalls.