Unfortunately, I grew up in a large family – and my parents simply could not afford to send five of us off to college. So, nobody went. We graduated from high school and went straight to work. For my brothers, that meant fast food cooks, the military, etc. – for me it meant clerk typists and phone reception jobs – and I worked for some very low class bosses. Some of them spouted off filthy remarks – cheated on their wives and let me know they’d like to “play” with me and I had no respect for them, at all.

After over a decade of this hell, I became a stay at home for a few years. Then came the empty nest…and I decided it was time to make some changes in my life.

I enrolled in college in my mid 40’s, studied the subject I’m most passionate about (history) and earned a bachelors and masters, graduating Summa Cum Laude and working my behind off while I attended college. Nobody handed me anything…I had to apply for school loans and used up my life savings. But, I achieved what I set out to accomplish.

I’m in my 50’s now and having the time of my life working in the field of history in the academia world. My boss – a history professor – is not only a very bright and gifted man, but he’s also a GOOD man, of sound character, and I have the utmost respect for him. I spend my time conducting research, writing books, archiving historic materials – i.e. doing the kind of work I always wanted to do. I’m no millionaire but the job pays fairly well, nearly $50,000 per year, plus excellent benefits. But, it’s the fact that I get up, each morning, looking FORWARD to going to work! For decades I hated my job – I hated my very existence. I toiled away at jobs I detested, putting in long hours, working holidays and weekends, and was treated like a moron by the upper management.

And this story holds true for my siblings, as well. All of them eventually went to college, on their own, paying for it out of pocket, and now one of them is a high paid chemical engineer, another a federal official and the list goes on. My parents didn’t have any money to give us, but they provided us with something even more valuable…a work ethic. They taught us that to have anything worthwhile one must work for it. For those who enjoy fabulous riches, but who never did anything to earn it (gold diggers, for instance) they have nothing BUT money. They are low class, regardless of how much money they have. This is why nobody respects people such as Paris Hilton. She never DID anything to earn what she has. She simply crawled out of the right uterus on her day of birth, and now she’s “entitled” to all of the world’s riches for doing absolutely nothing. She has no compassion for those who suffer in poverty because she does not relate to them, period.

It’s a tough sell…it’s not easy. Many days, while working as a museum tour guide AND as an aid in a nursing home, while attending college I wondered how I could go on another day. I was physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted. I thought I’d kill over from the workload. And after a long day of work, it was time to head off to classes. Then came homework and papers that needed to be written, tests to study for…it seemed there was no end to it.

Looking back, in life’s rear-view mirror, I’m thankful I stayed the course. I’m living my reward now.

Good luck to all of you out there. Take my advice – follow your dreams! Don’t let anybody convince you that you’re worthless, because you’re not. There are billionaires in this world who are literally worthless and do nothing but center around themselves. YOU are the backbone of America! Someday you can tell your worthless supervisors where to stick their low wage jobs! Then you can go live the life you dreamed of.

Great post, once again!

If you are in a dead end job, you are limiting your options with which you can grow your savings. In this case, with little or no income growth, you will have to spend even less to save more. You can keep refining ways to spend less, which is fine…but will only take you so far. Additionally, your “dead end” job may be pulled out from under you in many cases – layoffs do happen. Best to actively manage your career, especially if currently in a dead end job. If not, someone else will manage it for you, and is in turn managing your personal finances!

If in a dead end job, acknoledge it, accept it, and get moving on the path to finding more meaningful work. Overcoming inertia and being active in managing your career is very important.

Its tough, if not nearly impossible, to work hard if you have no passion for the job.

That’s where I’m at right now. It sucks. I work, and I get work done, but I’m not working hard.