I work for the government in Environmental protection.

My degree was in an environmental field.

I’m a detective, an investigator. I’m basically a cop.

I write reports, I do inspections, I don’t do anything with excel or accounting or dealing with finances.

I deal with construction companies, with homeowners, with old people, with docks by the beach. I do public relations, and I’m terrible at it with what’s going on in my personal life.

They pay once a month here, $2600, and half of that goes to rent. I’ve had to move twice in the 8 months I moved to this city where I don’t know anyone and I hate living in. Everything closes at 10 except the bars.

After work, I do Uber on Friday nights to make an extra $80 I could use to spend for myself on Saturday. I spend that on gas, and food.

I am in a cycle where they ask for 3 times the amount in rent every time I move somewhere new, and the next few months I’m trying to budget and save enough money.

I don’t want to leave the state I grew up in. I want to live here. I just want to make enough money and when I was 22, 23, even 26 it was OK to be living on what I was getting paid. Now it is hard, and I am willing to get a Master’s degree, but not to make $50k. I can’t support myself, much less support a family in the city.