I intend to write about everyday life and problems that I faced; I will try to be honest and give detailed accounts of occurrences that, I assume, are similar for us all. All I have to say before I start is thank god for spell check!
When I was growing up I always assumed that money was something I would always have; if I wanted to go somewhere I asked my mum for the dosh and away I went. I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have a part time job through secondary school and could lie about all weekend. When I finished school all that changed. I got my first job during the summer after my Leaving Certificate and I thought I had made it. I liked the pay cheque so much I decided to put off going to college for a few years, big mistake! It finally dawned on me that I could be making a lot more money if I just put the work into college. My mind was made up, college it was. Unfortunately, I was lazy in school and hadn't put much work into my Leaving Certificate so getting into a decent college was going to be a task. In the end I decided to apply for a course I was sure I would get in to, in a private college. I got in but the catch was that it would cost €5,000; I assumed my parents would cover these costs but I assumed wrong. What right-minded parent would fork out a couple of thousand euro for their daughter who hadn't put in the work in school? Not mine, and right they were.
I headed off to the bank, back when loans were easy to get and asked for the money. Within a few days I was approved and within 24 hours it was in my bank account. I was going to college and I was excited. The college was in Dublin, a huge city in comparison to where I was coming from and the rent matched the size of the capitol. Luckily for me my parents covered that end of it, I worked at the weekends in my home town to have money for the week. I had the life. The course lasted one year, it was a stepping stone to obtaining a degree, I was on my way.
After finishing the course I went back to work and once again got sucked into the luxury of a wage at the end of each week, another few years slipped by. One day, sick of working in the same place day in, day out, I decided to head to college again. I found a course close to home which meant I could still work evenings and live without having to pay rent. Ideal, I thought but as luck would have it I hated the course and after a year and a bit I left. I fell into the habit of heading to work during the week and having money to spend at the weekends but I knew there was more that I wanted to achieve. After another couple of years I decided to try college again, I found the perfect course which friends had told me so much about but it was miles away. I applied, I was accepted, I told my boss, I was kept on for weekends, I looked for a house near my college, I found one, I packed my stuff and I left.
Year's older and supposedly wiser, I knew what I wanted to do but financial times had changed and I would have to support myself completely. ("About time", many will say.)
Hoping that because my new course was a higher degree than my last one I assumed I would get a maintenance grant; I didn't and because I had attended a different course in the past I would have to pay full fee's, another €5,000 .
The city I had chosen had rent similar to Dublin, I had a weekend job. The bus to my home town cost €30 each week, I didn't have much, if any, left after rent and bill's were paid. Summer is here now and there are many bill's still to pay; bank's are not as giving with their loans as they were first time round, other avenues will have to be examined.
The longer road is definitely the hardest but it's shaped me as a person; my advise to you is take the shorter route!
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