[Carbondated]

OP - Your local hospital may have a program that helps with people suffering from depression. There are hospitals in Florida, that have a walk-up day, in which people line up on one day during the week, and they are provided counciling assistance, as well as, medications for people with no insurance. If you are in need of such services, give your local hospital a call and ask what programs they have available.

[harry chickpea]

"8.00anhour~are you reading here? You haven't posted since your OP. I'm just curious~are you actually in a depression?"

Methinks you may have been introduced to a troll, a la "soul surgeon" who inhabited the misc.consumers.frugal.living usenet group for a number of years.

$8/hr in Florida is not a living wage for an individual in most of Florida. Such is the basic point. $8/hr in other areas is do-able. Simple solution - move. Let capitalism take its course and raise wages in areas where expenses are higher than basic wages. It has happened in Key West, it'll happen elsewhere.

[hiknapster]

8.00 an hour is not a troll. He works a lot. He will be back on here.

[kwmom]

8.00 per hour,

If you really want to put forth some effort to improve your situation, I have an idea for you. You'll have to be hard working, drug free, and willing to be away from your girlfriend for several months. My suggestion is that you get Merchant Mariner Doccuments thru the US Coast Guard, and go to sea. This is NOT military, but the Coast Guard oversees US waters, and US vessels, so you get your permission to work at sea from them. The pay is good, even in the lowest positions. You will be able to move up over time. You will get room and board while at sea (typically three months at a time, but you're in port often). As someone new to working at sea, you would decide to work on Deck as an Ordinary Seaman (painting, helping with cargo, helping the Mates), as a Wiper (cleaning up in the engine room, and occasionally helping the Engineers), or you could work for the stewards department, cleaning rooms, and helping to prepare and serve food. The typical pay for a food handler (taken from a table of Typical Pay on the USCG web site) listed the monthly base pay as $1680, but you would also typically get $1519 in overtime, for a monthly total of $3199. This was the lowest paid person on the USCG chart. Remember, you would be getting room and board too. I used to work at sea, and my Husband still does, and it's not a bad life. You would most likely earn 13 days off for each 30 you work, so after a three month trip, you'd have a bit more than a month off. The Coast Guard doesn't give you the job, but their web site give links to some of the unions and plenty of other info. Please at least look at it. Good Luck! USCG Licensing

[Jammie]

OMG KW, that's a wonderful suggestion! If I was young and single, I'd be interested in that. You can't beat a salary of over 3,000 a month along with free meals and a free bed.

[8.00 per hour]

Give me a minute, I just got back to work.

P.S. I'm not a troll, I work overnights and I sleep during the day... I will give a update.

[8.00 per hour]

Originally Posted by tallrick

If I were you, I would go to Texas. The only ways to get anywhere in Florida are either to come here with money, or have support from those already established. As for college, unless you graduate from medical or law school, it will do no good. Remember, for most "labor" type jobs you are competing with those willing to live 4 to an apartment in some seedy area. I have known a lot of people who were born in, or came to south Florida only to find themself completely broke and frustrated. Once in a great while someone figures out how to tap into the money stream and makes it, but that may be one out of 1,000. The entry-level jobs in Florida do NOT pay enough to support a decent lifestyle. You would be better off moving somewhere else as everyone I know who has left south Florida has done better.

Since you obviously have nothing to lose by moving, and are young enough, the suggestion to move north for work is a good one. Florida has no real economic engine other than real estate development and since it has stalled, there is no future here. You also did not mention your field of training, but in many industries if employees are scarce the employers are willing to pay for expenses. At least you have internet access and can do some networking online to find a more favorable area. You also have some "people skills" as you were able to find a girlfriend. Don't sell yourself short, most likely the situation you are in is a result of factors beyond your control.

My situation is a result of a lack of ambition and motivation when I was younger, instead of going to college and separating myself from the ignorance and lack of ambition that my fellow friends had, I embraced them and followed them, as a result, most of us are all in the same situation.

While I will say "I'm trying to grow up and become a man" I have to realize that I caused this mess that I'm currently in. I will agree on the Florida thing, I've been doing some research on Florida and the current issues that this state has, mostly the immigration, low wages and no real economy.

I think Texas will help overall but I doubt the situation will really improve greatly. I would feel better if I can immediately get my own place but I'm staying with a friend who happens to be a government assistance goldmine. (young African American man with a wife and 5 kids).

I'll be putting him outta his way to find income to feed another individual until I get settled much less leaving my mother who's in some deep water with all her current bills and a struggling job (she's a Realtor).

Not to mention I'm the only child, I'll feel bad but I can't continue down this road forever.

[8.00 per hour]

Originally Posted by daniellefort

So much for trying to give the guy some advice. Come on, give him a break, nobody here knows how he got in this situation. I'm sure he knows what he has to do to get out but got in too deep and now is having a hard time to find a way out and was just looking for some advice from anyone who might have been in his situation before. All the negativity thrown at this guy, Let me double check myself....yep this is the FL forum. Welcome to the wonderful state of FL forum where if you ask for some positive results and opinions, you have to search through all the negative crap to find one.

I know the Florida forum is pretty rough for everyone, I know alot of people (even those who are highly educated) are pretty upset about what the state has become. I take no offense to what is posted, this is the internet after all, we are all screenames....

[8.00 per hour]

[quote=LM1;1827492]

orphaned post

I never asked for sympathy, I asked for advice whether you want to ignore it or give it that's your choice. I will agree that I did all these to myself but I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of it regardless, I do take fault for the actions I've made.

I don't waste money, nor do I sit on my butt all day and do nothing positive with myself, I learned from past experiences that you have to separate yourself from the crowd, for a black man like myself, that's more important than anything else because we usually are stereotyped when people see us.

Hey, I'm trying... trust me, I consolidated all my credit cards bills and close a couple accounts to lower the interest rate. I'm paying a flat rate of $300 a month now for all my credit card bills and the interest rate has now dropped to a average of 11%, that's much lower than the previous average which was 28% percent. I owe about 5 thousand so it will take a little time to pay off. I will pay extra if possible.

As for jobs, I took a little part time job with a agency that pays roughly $9.00 per hour, this is a 20 per week, 4 hour per day position in a mail room, I will do this to save up some money for when I leave to Texas. I still have this overnight job as well and both jobs put together can probably combine to $500 a week home pay which isn't bad.

I have to see my counselor at Workforce 1 tomorrow morning and show her my updated resume, Monday I have to see the student services director at Keiser and meet with her on what she can do for me in terms of employment.

At 33 I would like to get a foot in the door of I.T, personally, I see no sense to continue working jobs that cannot count for experience on my resume but that will take time and I won't complain about that right now... I'll work that out myself.

As for my girlfriend she's supportive, she's from the ghetto and wanted a better lifestyle and she's working towards it but the people around her tend to hold her down since so many of them need assistance of their own. We stand besides each other at all times and she knows that I'm serious about wanting a better life and opportunity for myself as a man.

Does anyone know any electrician schools down here in the Fort Lauderdale area? I was thinking about this and it seems like a pretty good idea. I need to do a trade that isn't too much stress on the body since I have Sickle Cell Trait and tire easily.

[doni]

You sound young................. Great wages for young men willing to work the Alaska oil fields.....get on as a rig hand----good money ( hard work) but you'll learn a trade and can bankroll money to help you in your future endevours. We did it for 18 years...thank god it was booming and jobs were
plentiful then. There are still those jobs out there. ( just not as many). If I were young again I'd head back up there. Great opportunity.