Homeless With a College Degree

[aegis]

I always thought that earning a college degree was enough to set yourself apart from the crowd and helpful in earning a livable wage. As it turns out, that isn't always the case.

I was laid off from my job (IT/Network Security) about three months ago here in San Diego. I moved out here about 6 months ago for this job, but was laid off a few months after being hired.

I've been unable to find a job here since, but I can't afford to move. I recently sold everything I own in order to make my student loan and credit card payments. I moved out of my roommate's apartment recently, because I knew that I wouldn't be able to afford the rent. There are definitely no jobs available in San Diego, but I don't know where to move.

I'm 25 years old and have a B.S. in Information Systems from Excelsior College in New York. The only debt I have is student loan debt: about $9k @ 6% over the next 9 years ($110/month). The unemployment check isn't cutting it.

I'm not a dead beat. I try to pay off all my debts and have a 700+ FICO score. However, I don't want to borrow against my CC's to pay for a move, and I don't even know where to move to. I even tried to join the Navy as an officer, but was turned down because of a medical condition with my kidneys.

BTW, I'm currently typing this from a library and living in a shelter. If anyone knows of any available jobs in San Diego, please let me know. I'm also willing to relocate to anywhere I can earn a livable wage. I've heard that people make decent money working in the oil fields in North Dakota. Supposedly, the cost of living there is very low. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Sorry for my sob story.

[maurreen]

I'm sorry that happened to you.

I don't know anything about oil fields. But North Dakota has the country's third-lowest unemployment rate, after Wyoming and Nebraska. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm

I expect it also has a low cost of living.

Some years ago, I used to hear that fishing jobs in Alaska could be very lucrative.

Or you could consider working for yourself.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

[asnlady]

Can't you get a job at a restaurant? You should take whatever you can before being homeless gets comfortable...then it will be so much harder to transition back.

[sparkyharky]

I, too, was homeless with a college degree...Mine is in Social Sciences Education. Don't EVER think that a college degree will prevent you becoming homeless. About 10% of America's homeless have college degrees..everything from AS to PhD's. Mine is a BA in Education. I taught Spanish in a very small rural district and that was the beginning of my homeless adventure. I used to picket in front of the University of Florida in Gainesville to educate the public to the truth about homelessness. I hope my picketing helped!

[jkatra]

I don't know if I'm too late to help you, but if I were in your shoes I would move to Portland, Oregon from San Diego. There are still some IT jobs here and with a much cheaper cost of living, and Standard Insurance Company is still hiring:

jobs-standard.icims.com/jobs/intro

[EEE]

Originally Posted by jkatra

I don't know if I'm too late to help you, but if I were in your shoes I would move to Portland, Oregon from San Diego. There are still some IT jobs here and with a much cheaper cost of living, and Standard Insurance Company is still hiring:

jobs-standard.icims.com/jobs/intro

This is a good post as I'm in a very similar situation and in San Diego as well. With a college degree and previous work experience you should be able to land a job, any job, here in San Diego. This is a large city with a lot of opportunities. I too am considering the military as an option though, I hope I don't have any medical issues that prevent me from doing so.

If your unemployment checks were of any decent amount, why didn't you just go to Tijuana (or Rosarito to be safer) and rent an apartment? With your weekly checks you could live quite fine and dandy while you get your life back together. Going all the way homeless seems like an extreme considering your semi-income.

I hope you are doing well, I realize I'm replying to this thread a few months after its original post date. Let us know!

[scorch]

If you have a college degree, any major, you can always come to Asia and teach English. There are so many jobs in China you can pick and choose. I was offered jobs while shopping in a super market and once a lady approached me on the street and asked if I would teach in her factory.
The pay is not great, but more than you will need. You get a free apartment, free utilities, and work about 20 hours a week. I did it for three years, got about $700 a month, but prices are so low, I never spent all of it, and my wife was with me and didn't work. If you teach in Korea, they will even pay your airfare.