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Student Debt and the Death of The American Dream

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Image by Lloyd Morgan (license CC BY-SA 2.0)

Image by Lloyd Morgan (license CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

For the past month, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with a single number on my mind- 42,320. When I close my eyes and brace for the sweet release of dream land, that number continues to haunt the happiest places of my mind.

I’m standing on a stage next to my rock and roll heroes, Green Day. We’re launching into a cheerful, but foreboding rendition of their new single, “Bang Bang;” a song that darkly enters the world of mass shootings, pop culture, and social media.

I had assumed the role of rhythm guitarist to back up lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong-A man who I consider to be the coolest guy on the planet. Suddenly, a sign starts flashing in the back of the arena. The crowd and the music cease to exist. The sign is a neon marquee with the number 42,320 flashing in red. A guard gets on the stage, rips my cherry red Stratocaster out of my hands, and throws me to the floor. I’m handcuffed and escorted off the arena stage, Billie Joe and the band screaming, “Hey! Bring her back!” It was the police coming to arrest me for not paying back my student loans.

“We encourage kids to go to college, but is that the correct decision, financially speaking?”

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How Working At a “Start Up” Almost Killed Me- Part Two

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How Working At a “Start Up” Almost Killed Me- Part Two

To read part one, click here.

Originally, we were supposed to return to New York. Somehow, the West Coast became the target. First Santa Monica, then Los Angeles, and then, because some random douchebag opened his mouth and encouraged our foreign CEO’s… we ended up in Palo Alto, the single most expensive place to live on the planet.

The powers that be rented out a mini mansion to serve as our office, and our home. It was like one of those hacker houses on Silicon Valley; the HBO show that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the horrific injustices that occur here.

Our boss was fired a week before we left for California. He was “invited to leave” after a skirmish that was probably about money. Don’t quote me. (Ed. Don’t worry, we won’t)

An interim replacement was appointed, and basically uprooted to run a team he had no investment in. I was starting to think the CEO’s didn’t have any investment either.

“A woman was brought in who had worked at several video game companies. She used to know our CEO’s in college. She was kind, thoughtful, and attentive. I knew the company would eat her alive.”

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How Working At a “Start Up” Almost Killed Me- Part One

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How Working At a “Start Up” Almost Killed Me- Part One

It’s Tuesday, and the entire U.S. team at my company was fired. We’ve been working together at a “start up” company for just about a year. We worked 70 hours a week, night and day, on weekends, and even Christmas. We relocated three times; twice domestically, and once internationally. We received no benefits, no salary increase, no vacation, no health insurance, and no notice of our impending exit.

The world of start up companies is foreign to many. They’re a somewhat illusive beast, that has been inaccurately described since Silicon Valley became a thing in the 90’s. Start up companies get the exact opposite reputation they should. They’re mistaken as ultra hip and liberal, with snacks and trips, and little actual work to do. A real start up company is populated by a shark tank full of thieves, corrupt business people, unscrupulous investors, and fickle employees. It’s not a place for the faint of heart, those with mental illness, or people with souls.

I graduated from Ohio University with a degree in theater, and a minor in journalism in 2015. My father lost his job when I was a sophomore in high school, so I worked and student loaned my way to a diploma. 40,000 dollars in debt later, I entered a hostile market with no jobs, and no hope.

“We were the only foreigners in the small neighborhood of Sindaebang, a section of Seoul that had never seen a blonde haired, green eyed person before. I was frequently called a prostitute.”

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What It Takes To Get By In Silicon Valley

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Image by Samykolon CC BY-SA 3.0

Image by Samykolon CC BY-SA 3.0

 

At 23 years old, I consider myself part of the lucky few who fit into the 30 percent tax bracket. By the way-it’s killing me.

Silicon Valley has been hailed as a hub for innovation for over 20 years. And now that everyone knows it’s the greatest place on earth for technology, everybody wants to live here. That also means you have to work harder than everyone else if you want to get by, and even succeed. This causes extreme competition for everything from parking spaces to apartments. There are more people here than ever before, and they’re all chasing wealth.

Cloaked behind the fog of the Bay, and the majesty of the California landscape, a new breed of income inequality is being cultivated. Silicon Valley is a place where the richest people in the world reside. Everything around us is getting more and more expensive by the minute. Places that wouldn’t cost 400 dollars to rent in Ohio, are nearly triple that value here.

No matter how hard you work, no matter how many hours you put in, you’re constantly behind. You’re running behind the wealth of Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs. You’re fighting for the word innovation, as the gentrification of your city reaches into your pocket, like a thief in the night. When you pit the richest people in the world against working families, recent college grads, and new companies, you’re bound to run into some serious issues.

“It’s becoming nearly impossible for millennial kids to graduate with their degrees, and get a job.”

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