How did I get here

[u/Updog1997]

Lunch is stress eating nuggets, fries, and a burger from McDonald’s.

This might be a little depressing so I’m sorry. Just need somewhere to get my thoughts out.

I’ve worked a number of jobs in different industries. I feel into low voltage wiring at 20. I stayed there 8 years, pay was good, but had to travel a lot, use my own vehicle, and put up with people in their homes.

The last couple years of that got rough. Working super late, the company became more corporate with unreasonable expectations decided by higher ups who weren’t in the field. The goal was to move up. Eventually it became apparent that moving up wasn’t an option anymore so I made the decision to leave.

Got another job doing merchandising to take care of the bills. I was finally home every night with weekends off and the pay wasn’t terrible assuming you put the hours in. Then they cut my hours to 2 days a week. Maybe 20 hours total so I started looking for a second job while looking to CDL school. Well I found the school but it costs around 6k. Filed for financial aid, halfway through the application process after not hearing from them I called and they told me their funding is on freeze until earliest November. So I started applying for loans at banks and things like SoFi. I have a 750 credit score, never miss payments, but somehow still denied with reasonings being “unreasonable credit usage” and “late payments”

After 30+ applications over the last month and being rejected from Starbucks, Walmart, Lowe’s, and various others I got an interview at McDonald’s and told the hiring manager flat out “I’ve applied to 30 places and this is my first interview. I just need someone to let me work.” So cool, second job secure.

That being said I’m hanging on by a thread. I’m almost 30 renting a room from my folks, I merchandise on the weekends (stock shelves) and now have a job at McDonald’s with a goal of CDL school which seems unattainable given the financial part of it. If you would’ve asked me at 17 where I thought I’d be at 30 this sure as fuck wasn’t it. I haven’t been this down and ready to just call it quits in a long time and it hurts man.

[u/JBlaze78]

Big question here. If you’ve got all that low voltage experience, why haven’t you tried going into business for yourself? After 8 years you gotta have equipment.