Alright bro, I have several things for you here..Apparently, I'm known for my long posts, so brace yourself.
I don't really know anything about the lawsuit, so I'm not even going to speculate on any of that. But, I'll tell you this: If you don't have good legal representation now, get it. Don't use the excuse, "I can't afford a good lawyer right now" - that doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of resources out there for people with no or low income. Check with your local chamber of commerce first, they usually have some good information on that. If they don't, then call the local Bar Association. I can guarantee that they'll be able to help, or at least provide you with direction.
Typically, when I hire a lawyer, I follow that route. Most of the time I can get a lot of good advice for no more than twenty bucks. You might also look online for "pro bono" lawyers. I remember seeing a few sites that had listings for them.
As an F.Y.I, Pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin meaning "for the public good". The term is generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service.
Going to college does help, a lot, but it isn't the absolute way to get a good job. I'll come back to that in my next bullet.
If you still want to go to college, there are things that you can do. First step, go talk to your student aide counselor. I had the same situation a few years back, and they were able to help me with the finances enough so that I could finish and get my degree. Basically, I had to pay back 40% of the loan before I could request a new one. That sounds like a lot of money, but when you send in as much as you can whenever you can, it adds up quick. That's just one option though, there are several others out there. You can try for various grants, scholarships, etc. as well.. I swear, there's a grant out there for every person living, you just have to do your homework on them.
Like I said, having a college education helps, but a lot of employers look more for experience rather than education - depending on what kind of job you're looking for. First things first, create a resume. You can't do anything in the professional world without one. There are thousands of templates online that'll guide you through the process. Remember though, there are three types of resumes: experience resume, educational resume, and skills resume. When I used to create resume's, a good majority of them that I created were based on someone's skills, rather than their education or experience. I could spend an hour on the subject, but I'll refrain.. Again, just do your homework and you'll find a ton of excellent resources out there.
I will mention one resource that I think EVERY job seeker should take a look at. Go to the library and check out a book called, "What Color is your Parachute?", by Richard N. Bolles. I promise you that it will help you out. It's an excellent book, and it will guide you through everything you could possibly want to know about careers. It's one of those books that forces you to take a deep look at yourself and really examine what type of job you want. Once it helps you determine that, then it pretty much goes step-by-step in helping you get that job. It's an amazing book.
Here's the website:
JobHuntersBible.com: -You can also read some of it if you go to Google Books and type in the title.
A little more than six years ago, I was close to 40,000 dollars in debt. Since then, I've been able to pay off all of that debt, and buy a house, and have money to spare. It was hard as hell, and I wasn't making all that much money, but with determination and a little planning I was able to do it.
The first thing that you need to do is to get your finances in order. Create a budget - and I cannot emphasize that enough. Find out exactly where all of your expenses go, average all of that out, and slap it into a spreadsheet. A lot of banks actually have this feature online, so if you use a bank, talk to them about this feature. It'll help you a lot. I realized that I was spending nearly 300 bucks a month on coffee. On Coffee! Can you believe that? I knew it was a bad habit, but I didn't know it was THAT bad. Thing is, you'll start to see the same kind of situation. All those little things adds up into much bigger things. Once you know where those things are, you can start to reduce how much you spend on them. Once I did this, I realized that I had close to an extra 900 dollars a month. That's a lot of money right there.
Next, go talk to a non-profit credit counseling agency. Make sure to get your credit reports first - freeanualcreditreport.com - and take a good look at them. Most of these agencies will be able to help you get your finances sorted out to a point where you can live comfortably without worrying about little things like buying food.
Once you've done that, and have created a working budget, stick to it. Follow the plan as closely as you can, and you'll have no problems.
The very worst scenario is that they may suggest bankruptcy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but again, make sure you understand it completely before doing anything. It's meant to be used as a last resort tool to get you back up and going, but only as a last resort.
And now we come to this.. Thing is, finding someone for a relationship really don't have anything to do with money. It's all about confidence and attitude. You absolutely must have confidence in yourself, otherwise you might as well hang up dating for good. Some people are born with it, others have to gain it through experience. I've made a couple posts in my blog on this very subject, so maybe that will help you out a little.
For right now, I would work on getting your situation straightened out, and then worry about dating. I can tell you're a good guy, you've just been through some bad experiences.. I think that you'll be able to get all of this sorted out, and then you'll be able to get on with life.
My friend, I wish you the best..
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