Anybody suicidal over debt?

[FTL.Wanderer]

I honestly hate college and regret going to university. It's such a scam. A very very expensive scam.
We need to tell today's youth to not go to college. It's not worth it!! You'd be better off learning a trade or something

No one wants to hear this. I've been writing about this in school papers and online articles with Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from some of the US' best universities for YEARS (Harvard found the value of an Ivy League degree is in family networks, not the degree itself--so poor students attending the Ivy League did not benefit anywhere near to how much students from already rich, powerful, well-connected families did; and minority Harvard grads had no better employment chances than state school graduates with similar GPA's and internships).

And you can find similar articles in some of the most widely read publications like the Washington Post and the NYT. People don't care. They think, just like people getting married ignore the divorce odds or people taking out loans to start businesses ignore the failure odds, "I won't be among the losers." Everyone thinks they're going to get the degree, earn 6+ figures, and buy the big house in the right zip code. The only people reading about the educational debt problem are the people with education debt problems. Try calling a university--any university, from community colleges to the Ivy League--and ask them about post-graduate employment figures or average starting salaries in disciplines they prepare people for or ANYTHING to do with a cost-benefit assessment on their programs. They don't want to have the conversation. They'll either brush you off or even become belligerent.

 

[Nem]

Debt is the icing on the cake! It's a big cake but the debt is going to have to die with me, suicide fixes a lot of problems, credit cards can go screw themselves.
Peace, hugs

 

[FTL.Wanderer]

Debt is the icing on the cake! It's a big cake but the debt is going to have to die with me, suicide fixes a lot of problems, credit cards can go screw themselves.
Peace, hugs

I feel the same way. I have HUGE credit card and IRS debts--and not due to buying things frivolously, but instead to being the victim of fraud. Like you say, I'm salivating over creditors finding out they have no way at all to squeeze from me what they want. But with our luck, these people will never even care because they're already billionaires and they have their claws into not only other Western citizens like us but also now into poor, desperate developing world citizens since these same companies have privatized water and air rights. They probably want us to commit suicide b/c we're not productive slaves.

 

[Your Own Ghost]

There are reports from industrial plant managers in the US South that PAY 100% for people's certification in national high-needs fields WHILE paying a STARTING salary of $15-$18+/hr (USD) in a part of the country where apartments (1-bedroom) are about $500/month. But they can't find high school juniors and seniors willing to pursue the 2-3 year training that leads to a stable career with full medical/dental/retirement benefits with median income approaching six-figures.

I just want to add for anyone who may read this, getting into IT is also a viable way to earn a living wage with nothing more than certificates. If you have the drive, it's entirely possible to study in your own time and land yourself a help desk job after only a few months. Sometimes it doesn't even take that at the start, because help desk is so focused on customer service they like to hire people who toiled in retail and are able to deal with frustrated customers.

It's easiest to think of IT as a leveling up system, and even if help desk doesn't particularly interest you, it's for the most part used as a stepping stone for experience and much better paying jobs. And understand that IT, ironically enough, is often ignored altogether in University-level computer science programs.

The main certificate authority in the States is CompTIA. You can go to their website and see the various certifications and get an idea of what they pay. There are also YouTubers who can talk all day about what these all mean and the paths you should take. Getting the first actual certification (the "A+") should be the most expensive thing you do, and should cost you no more than a few hundred dollars at a testing center.

To study for the A+, I recommend two main things: 1) Buy Mike Myer's A+ learning track for $10 on Udemy. Don't be fooled by their shady prices – never pay more than about $10 for a class on Udemy. If the price jumps on you, go into incognito mode or clear your browser cookies and you'll oftentimes get a lower price. 2) Combine it with Professor Messer's free YouTube track that covers the same material. This'll give you multiple perspectives and reinforce your knowledge.

It's not easy, but it's doable and sure won't cost you tens of thousands of dollars in tuition.

 

[BipolarExpress]

There are a lot of reasons why I'm suicidal, but my ~$150k in student-loan debt (plus another ~$30,000 in credit-card and personal-loan debt) is definitely a contributor. It's fucking embarrassing and shameful that I ended up in so much debt.

 

[deadalreadysqc]

It's crazy to me that 12k would fix all my issues and I'd be debt free, but that amount seems so overwhelming most days and it makes me want to die more …I hate how important money is in our lives

 

[Asiam]

I'm in like 10k debt and that feels bad to me because I haven't gone to university or college, I'm a high school drop out. When I was 21 ish, our cat died and my mom stole my new credit card and put 1000 dollars on it to cremste her without my knowledge. I get that she was in pain, but there are cheaper options. I felt good that I helped in that moment. However, somehow I lent her another 3.5k, she was jobless and the lights would go off, a 400 dollar regular payment. The interest made it 10k.and funny enough she received a 800,000 dollar inheritance and hasn't paid me back. I never built up good credit, it was a new card, so it frightens me. It also frightens me that I don't know if I can go to school and add to that debt, especially needing to pay 1200 for rent on top. However, 10k isn't as bad as I thought.

 

[Chronicoverwhelm]

I definitely am, although I have several major reasons to want to CTB. I'm so buried in debt and there's no way out. I'm on disability, but even if I could work and make a living, there's no way to pay my debt off. I can't afford to rent anywhere on the planet. I can't afford to stay alive.

 

[treetop.grazer]

Debt is definitely what others refer to as the icing on the cake fir me. A wife that's not worked in to years and 3 kids to pay for at uni just pushed me over the edge in terms of debt, i earn a good wage but in a job i hate but I'd never earn this money anywhere else. I'm stuck with no escape, coupled with my depression I'm on a huge spiral for the past 2 years that I can't escape.

 

[makethepainstop]

There are a lot of reasons why I'm suicidal, but my ~$150k in student-loan debt (plus another ~$30,000 in credit-card and personal-loan debt) is definitely a contributor. It's fucking embarrassing and shameful that I ended up in so much debt.

Shame you can do bankruptcy on student debts.