Unfortunately part of the problem with finances is it’s a pretty big outlay to up and move somewhere. I don’t have the skills that are going to get a company to pay relocation, and it’s a good chunk of money to move somewhere - money that I don’t have.
Understood. Then start where you are, and work towards that goal. It’s up to you.
The sooner you realize that the cavalry is not coming to save the day, the faster you will get moving. Only you can help yourself in this situation.
Most Americans don’t have a rich uncle that can give them a sweetheart job. If you want what you say you want, you are going to have to fight for it yourself. No one can do that for you.
Yes, we can and will pray for you. But you have to take the first step. That means personal initiative, which is still in very high demand in the marketplace.
I’m just tired. I’ve been fighting this medical mess for 6+ years now, and I feel like all I’ve done is derail my life. I want to take a break from fighting and just enjoy myself for a little bit for once.
The truth is that we are all tired. Many people in the West have faced similar challenges, and even worse. You are not alone. People face all kinds of problems - bankruptcy, life-threatening illnesses, and worse. The good news is that you can survive and even thrive after these bad situations if you choose to do so.
You will enjoy life more when you are gainfully employed earning a living wage.
When you are faced with mounting legal or medical bills, that is the very time that you need to muster your spirit and fight.
This sounds more like an income problem than anything else. Once you become gainfully employed earning a living wage, you can vanquish these medical bills and get on with your life.
You need to take the proactive, daily steps towards becoming gainfully employed at a living wage. Only you can do that with a formal, nationwide job search requiring considerable time, work, and effort on your part. Recruiters can help. But you have to actually make the effort to contact the recruiter and sell someone on why their client would want to hire you.
Taking the foot off the brake now will only make your situation that much worse.
One more thing - A lot of employers don’t want someone with “experience”. They would rather mold their employees with a clean slate, and want a younger person with more energy, verve, and enthusiasm, as well as tech skills older employees may lack.
Jobs are everywhere. People die, retire, switch positions, and get promoted every day which opens up new positions in the marketplace, even in areas of the country with weak job markets.
The most job opportunities, and the easiest to find, are with smaller, growing companies run by aggressive entrepreneurs. They are always looking for people to help them grow their company, especially if you have any kind of business development or soft sales skills that will help them to grow their client base.
You may have to start at the bottom with a lower-paying job and work your way up. As you gain skills and knowledge, you will become more confident, mature, and more marketable. Again, it’s all up to you.
There was a time shortly after college where I had to live with my parents. I dreaded every moment and moved out as soon as I could afford to do so. That meant moving into a small one bedroom apartment in a lower middle income part of town. I was earning $8 per hour at the time, after having burned myself out in a straight commission sales job the year prior that was barely paying me poverty level wages working for a crooked employer.
A year later, I moved again into a much nicer apartment, albeit a small apartment, in a nicer part of town when I finally landed my first “corporate” job. Every 2-3 years I continued to move to nicer places until I could finally afford my own condo and then eventually my own very nice and larger home, which is now owned almost free and clear.
There have been ups and downs along the way, including medical scares and job gains and losses.
Years later, I am pretty close to being financially independent and have a good foothold on reaching millionaire status if I keep at the same pace between now and retirement age. And millionaire status doesn’t mean much these days - You need at least a million to keep the wolves away from the door if you plan to survive after age 65 with any level of independence.
You have to start somewhere, and you have to take small, incremental steps to get where you want to go.
America is still the land of opportunity. They haven’t killed that idea yet, although the politicians will try to convince you otherwise.
