The High School Years

My first job involved being around books. I developed a passion for reading book during my sophomore year of high school. I couldn't get enough of them. So what did I do? I applied to work at the local library. I loved being there. I love looking through books and imagining I was in a tropical paradise or a castle in the Highlands.

So the summer of my 16th birthday was spent working at the library for 10-15 hours a week making $5.90/hour (by my senior year I was making $7!!!). I help out my family by giving my mom every 4th paycheck. It wasn't much, but it help pay for some of the bills. I don't recall saving much of what I made. I just remember buying a lot of books with my money.

I started working part-time during high school usually right after school and on weekends at the library. It was my only job and I loved working at the library. I love making money. I was able to go out with my friends and pay for my own gas. From that point on I never really asked my mom for money. I understood that she had very little to give away but if I really needed it, she'll hand it over.

I think it's interesting to look back at realize that my sister never had the same urge to get a job. I think it's because she was pretty sheltered from our money situation. She knew that we didn't have a lot of money, but she didn't know the extent of our debt. In eight years (from the age of 9 to 17), my mom had acquired almost $20,000 worth of credit card debt. I was shocked. I was scared. I just wanted us to win the lottery and make it go away. 

When I applied for schools, I also applied for financial aid. I had won some awards during my senior year that involved getting $5,000 to $10,000 scholarships to schools like Rensselaer and RIT. My one problem was that I was in love with Boston. I wanted to go to school in Boston. Period. My boyfriend at the time decided to attend Stonybrook University (one of the State University of New York also known as SUNY schools) and lived at home. I managed to get accepted into all my schools but decided to go to Northeastern University in Boston, MA. 

Looking back, I could have gotten the same education at Stonybrook for way cheaper. But I decided at the time that the tuition I was paying was worth it to be in Boston. It was for the experience. Actually, after all my scholarships and Federal grants, my tuition at NU wasn't much at all, probably $5,000 a year or so.

That summer before college I opened up my Bank of America account. I transferred my pitiful savings account from a local bank into my new BoA checking account with a linked savings account. It was a good start, but that $1,000 or so I had did look very lonely. So what did I do while I was at NU?

Part 1: Growing Up with Mommy
Part 3: The College Years
Part 4: Where I Am Today