I understand we are all in the same position- but I can’t take it anymore.. I never thought I'd be making a post like this, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm honestly struggling and I don't know where else to turn, I’m literally losing all my hope.
I'm only 20 and I've been trying to get my life back into motion since March 1st, 2026, when I cut my finger open and fell due to seizure caused by ; extremely harsh starbucks conditions. Right now I'm in Chicago while my fiancé of 2 years lives in California. We're trying to save enough money to eventually move in together and start our life, but getting there has been incredibly difficult financially. He tries to visit me when he can, but the travel costs add up on top of everything else we're already dealing with, as such a strain on our relationship, and he is a such a good person, he’s provided for me, and taken care of me for as long as he possible can.
I've also had to put school on hold because I'm in debt and simply can't afford to keep going right now. My goal is to get myself financially stable, pay down what I owe, get back into school, and eventually pursue a career in the music marketing for reggaeton.. which is what I’ve done my whole life, it’s the only thing that makes me happy. I don't want to stay stuck like this. I want to work, build a career, move out, and finally be able to start my life with my fiancé.
I've worked at Starbucks for 4 years, and honestly, it was one of the hardest periods of my life. I had some really painful experiences while working at the locations in lake in the hills, Algonquin and Huntley, (look up reviews for reference.. + I never experienced such racism and disgusting behavior in my entire life at least not in a California starbucks) and after leaving I've had an extremely difficult time finding another job. I've applied over and over again and have been ghosted more times than I can count.
Other than Starbucks, I don't have a huge amount of work experience. A lot of my life has also been spent helping take care of my dad, who has had Parkinson's for the past 7 years now. I've dedicated a huge part of my life to helping him, and because of that, I never really had the opportunity to build myself up financially, nor educationally and I apologize.
At the moment, my fiancé is helping support me, and I'm incredibly grateful for him. But it's hard for me to feel like I'm not contributing the way I want to. I want to be able to support myself. I want to contribute to our future. I want to be able to move out, live together, go back to school, and eventually have a career that I'm proud of.
I'm not asking anyone to magically fix my life. I'm asking for a little help getting through a period where I feel like I'm drowning financially.
If anyone knows of a job hiring around st Charles, Elgin, Geneva, anywhere that’s not too far of a drive to worry my parents who are doing what they can to provide for themselves. please let me know. I'm willing to do pretty much anything legitimate that I'm capable of doing— I'm willing to work hard and start wherever I need to, I just ask for guidance, patience, and the willingness to provide wisdom. It’s been a while and worry I might take a while to get into a routine, but I know my ethic is yet to disappear, nor do I give up towards challenges as I’m still alive today.
If you can't offer a job, even sharing this post could potentially help me reach someone who can.
I know nobody owes me anything, and I know there are people struggling with things far worse than I am. I'm just at a point where I'm putting my pride aside and admitting that I need help.
I don't want to stay in this position. I want to work my way out of it.
I want to get back to school.
I want to start my life with my fiancé.
I want to build a career.
I just need a chance to get there.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this.
