Money, Money, Money

Must be funny in the rich man's world.

Thank you for the music, ABBA.

What is your vice on what you spend most of your money on? Mine is coffee and travel lol.

Money, isn't everything, but it's important.

As I am currently applying for graduate schools, I am also looking for a full time job to utilize my bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. A degree that is currently sitting in my living room. Yet, my career plans... might not really have anything to do with Neuro. The brain and health yes, but probably not to the extent of knowing the intricacies of neural synapses and chemical releases. Good background, but not where my passions lie.

I think growing up, a lot of us struggle to find what we are passionate about due to a lot of external influences affecting us. Our parents, society, our friends, what we see on media, etc. Our parents usually want us to be financially stable, so I know for me, there was hope to become a doctor or an engineer. Both which I considered. Both which I did not pursue.

Society might influence us in how quickly and what timeline we should reach "success." Four years in college, a job or graduate studies right after, then get married and have children, etc.

Our friends... they are just as confused! They are finding their passions, so it makes sense what they do we would consider doing as well. My best friend did her degree in Computer Science and half my graduating class in high school all became engineers. I seriously thought I would go in the route of a Computer Scientist or an Engineer. I hated programming. I think the most engineering I liked was building Legos. Which to this day, I actually still think is fun.

I am glad that I found my passion in Public Health though, because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Besides, if all of us just discovered our passions and pursued that, wouldn't the world be a happier place overall? A lot of YouTubers I follow talk about following their passions, and how the money came that way. I agree, money will come if you are doing what you are interested in, because you will most likely be good at it too with time and diligence. Plus, isn't your happiness the most important? Health is wealth yo.

Except, I still stress about finances. (Who doesn't?)

I just paid the first installment of many for my student loans today. Even then, I know I am fortunate to live in a middle class household where I had opportunities growing up with loving parents who are able and willing to help me as needed. Sure I had some scholarship and the opportunity to work as a residential assistant in college, but boy, managing finances is still a struggle.

My mum was talking with me today and told me that Bill Gates once said something about how it is not our mistake if we are born poor, but it is our mistake if we die poor. Apparently the Manipuri (my family's ethnic background) version is: it's not your fault if your father is poor but if your father-in-law is poor it is your fault haha.

I was feeling worried, because we were discussing my options about where I would go for grad school. My top choices for schools aren't near home, which meant thinking more about the money. Why must school be so expensive? I tried to keep my cool and not panic while listening to the other options. There really is no worst case scenario, I will go to grad school eventually. Maybe not in my original (and preferred) timeline, but nonetheless, I have options!

Then instead of being stubborn about not wanting to apply to the school near me, I decided I would just be proactive and look for more scholarships. If anyone wants something, they can make it happen without money being an issue. I have to truly admire those students out there finding the money they need to pursue their dreams. I mean, one of my co-workers at a previous job was working full time and pursuing her degree in Public Health. On top of all that, I don't even know what goes on in her life, and life itself has more things to deal with.

Even my brother, who I really admire, has been working every day to hopefully get a scholarship for the program he wants to do the most with his life. He has been so determined to pursue this career since he was a little boy and watching him grow up getting closer to it, is quite inspirational. He went out of his way to find money, it is not guaranteed, but he is trying. Money cannot be an excuse to not do the things we want to do in life. May it never be an excuse.

I think about the time I had to stay in the hospital, (medical bills in the United States are something to cry about) and how my parents being the best parents I could have, consoled me about the bills. My dad would tell me, "Money can always be earned." Somehow, that simple statement made all the difference.

I even used my dad's words when convincing a friend to finally buy the Macbook for himself. He told me he was afraid to drop so much money at once, but I told him that he could always earn it. I know for a fact with his engineering background and his personality, he would definitely get an internship for the summer. I believe in him, and he did end up buying the laptop and thanked me after since it was "the best thing he bought" so far.

Other things I am thinking about in regards to money is where I can save. I might not have a full time job now, but I think I will also be more proactive in using the skills I have to maybe make side money. I could teach swimming or maybe work as a barista again. I can most certainly limit my coffee expenditures too. Where excess money is being spent, I don't need to fall under that trap of consumerism. We don't need a lot to be happy, and I think it's the day to day actions of being productive or getting closer to our goals that make us happier and have peace of mind.

So wish me luck as I browse the Internet to find scholarships and look through my clothes and books to sell too. Let's not give money the power to control our lives. We can be the determiners of our own lives. If we really want it, let's just go for it. Why not?

Thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts or if you just want to correct any typos I missed haha.

Bon chance!

Simi

#money #budgeting #studentloans #whyisschoolexpensive