Newbie here: Stupid, Stupid Girl.

[LadynRed]

All great advice ! No matter what the financial lobbyists would like the world to think, deciding to file bankruptcy is NOT an easy choice, and it's not emotionally neutral. I had nearly perfect credit for a very long time.. all ruined by the first layoff and extended period of unemployment.. which was broken only when I took a job at a 40% cut in pay ! It took me 5 long years to get nearly to the point where I was before the layoff salary-wise - and then came another layoff. It was really downhill from there until I finally decided BK was my only choice if I wanted ANY chance of actually saving for retirement. I was 49 when I filed in 2005 - just before the horrid BARF legislation was passed. I was feeling pretty low, I fought BK for at least 4 years, always telling myself I'd get out of the mess w/o help -- I was kidding myself, big time.

While it was emotionally draining for a few months, the day my case was filed I felt a HUGE weight was lifted and that weight completely disappeared when I got my discharge letter. I finally had a free and clear path to do something about retirement and I've been very happily debt free and SAVING money ever since.

I think just about everyone goes thru the 'feeling like a failure' when filing for bankruptcy, like you've failed at the "American Dream" - you're not a failure, but the system fails US and most of the 'working poor' in this country.

Just a suggestion when it comes to recovering - you might want to consider moving to another state where tech jobs ARE available. I personally HATE moving, but sometimes you have to to get what you want. My company employs quite a few tech writers, and I work for a healthcare company ;).

Go for it, get better, get the burden off, and start over doing what you want.

[One Half Full]

Moving scares me too. I have the mortgage here. The lawyer tells me to KEEP the house-- though I don't see why. I dislike the house and the state. I really want to just move to an apartment, but I have not found one that I could get for less money, and also, I have some pets that I do not want to give up. I love my dogs! I've been really shell shocked for the last 3-4 years. It is really strange going to work and hearing "I'm going to Europe for vacation." Where do they get all the money? How can anyone buy a 200K house? I have absolutely no idea how people are buying these huge houses (not the people getting ARMs, but the Other people who can afford them!)

Retirement savings? I haven't been able to think about retirement for years. They dumped the retirement for a 401K leaving it to us to take the risk. I have had been able to contribute only a token amount since it began.

[Flamingo]

The whole reason I am in this situation is that my college degree was in technical writing. Most new graduates went to work for dot coms and in IT. I ended up working in a factory, not enough money to make ends meet. I was overeducated for most jobs I applied for, and undereducated for all the others, so I ended up refused by all, and working manual labor-- Isn't that a kick? Everything I've done has led to bad luck. I would really like to throw the house into the mix-- get rid of it so I can move out of here. This place is bad luck for me.

May I offer you some excellent employment advice. With your tech background look for a job in the health industry which is absolutely booming and looking for IT folks and also provider relations and other area reps with technical training. Many health care organizations are expanding rapidly and are looking for people with a rich/good technical background. Don't ignore my hint - start looking now or in whatever state to which you may plan to move.

[One Half Full]

May I offer you some excellent employment advice. With your tech background look for a job in the health industry which is absolutely booming and looking for IT folks and also provider relations and other area reps with technical training. Many health care organizations are expanding rapidly and are looking for people with a rich/good technical background. Don't ignore my hint - start looking now or in whatever state to which you may plan to move.

Tech writing is an English Degree, you work with tech people, but you are not an IT person. It is not a technical degree. I also graduated 10 years ago and have been doing lower scale work since then. I don't think an employer would look at a degree that is not current-- as well as no real experience. It's really a glorified secretary position.

[jmstay]

If you have paid your bills for years then you likely have paid your creditors back....and then some. Thats my take on it. We had a 16 year history without even the 1st bounced check, late payments, ANYTHING. Yea, a little guilt here as well initially BUT when I think about a couple of creditors who jack up our interest rate based on our D to I and not payment history, I say to them now........get a piece of paper and I will give yo my attorney's #...deal with her.

We truly had a great lender who was our bank as well for years. They were alsways so accommodating and extremely pleaseant, even when trying to collect. they never adjusted our interest rate, etc. We hated to to this to them but the reality is that I am in damage control mode and need to do whatever I can to ensure that my family has the best outcome possible...than does not inlcude maintining unneccessary friendships.

Have you ever had a credit card company raise your non-introductiory rate from 9.% to 22% because you became a higher risk and not becasue of your spotless payment history? If so, think about this scenereo every time you feel guilty.

If that does nto work, wait until you hear form their collections people...that will likely lead to a "gloves off" mentality.

Good Luck

[FreshLikeADaisy]

Tech writing is an English Degree, you work with tech people, but you are not an IT person. It is not a technical degree. I also graduated 10 years ago and have been doing lower scale work since then. I don't think an employer would look at a degree that is not current-- as well as no real experience. It's really a glorified secretary position.

Ummm, NO. Please, no. I am (or was) full time IT with a technical background, and tech writers were highly prized. I think you need to leave the area, just as you say.

One thing to note is that while people with technical backgrounds may be at a disadvantage in high-tech areas, technical writers are not because that is precisely where their skills are needed. (Most technical IT people can't write far beyond their name. It's true. I'm a rare exception to that rule. ) When I was looking for work in a very technical area earlier this year, I saw literally *dozens* of ads for technical writers and very few for my own technical skills.

In non-tech areas, I have a feeling any techie who can spell gets shoehorned into technical writing (God knows I certainly have been) because the demand isn't great enough to hire for that position alone. So PLEASE don't take your current experience as the last word. It doesn't matter what you think you have to offer or that you think tech writing is a glorified secretary position, if you can present samples of your work to a prospective employer you will be HIGHLY desired. And if they want to pay you mid 50's and up to be a glorified secretary, well then smile and nod, girl. Smile and nod.

I hope I haven't come off as sharp, but seriously -- take a closer look at this. Good luck!

[One Half Full]

In what journals are you looking for these job postings, Fresh? I have actually never seen a Tech Writing opening that did not ask for at least five years previous experience. In college (since it was during the tech bubble collapse) most of my instructors were clueless about who was hiring. Possibly if you could PM me and give me the name of the journal you are reading? Thanks.

[songbird81]

You could check out the Society for Technical Communication's website. They have a section with job listings all over the country. Good luck!

[FreshLikeADaisy]

I usually looked through Monster to begin with. But when I say "high-tech" areas, I mean like San Jose, CA, that are just chock full of tech people, whether those people have jobs or not. Where I was looking earlier this year was Raleigh/RTP and Charlotte, NC -- both are tech rich areas, but especially Raleigh-Durham: that's where IBM and Nortel and Cisco, etc have huge operations. Don't get me wrong, there's always ebb and flow, but just look through Monster. I never saw RTP without a whole heap of technical writing positions, and ones that stayed open for some time, as though they just weren't finding the people they wanted. And don't be discouraged by the "5 years experience" thing, either: you actually have a degree in it, and that's worth a lot. Technical writing resumes tend to get fluffed a lot, I think, so apply anyway, and be prepared to show examples of your work along with a familiarity with various styles that may be required (anything from white papers to training docs).

[One Half Full]

Well, believe me, I wish I could get out of here. I would have to throw the house into the bankruptcy. I'm told not to do that, though I wish I could. Since nothing is selling here, I would be stuck here if I kept the house-- I'd just rather have it done and over with and get out of town. I have no Heat in the house and it is 15 degrees. I also don't have refrigeration (good thing the kitchen is like an ice box!)

[chpxiii]

One Half Full, it may be that your lawyer is trying to have you keep what little you *do* have. However, if you don't want it ... well, what you do with it will be something you may need to decide.

Other high tech areas with relatively nice standard of living: Austin, TX (although, the price is getting up there) and Dallas, TX. I currently live in Dallas, TX. My concern with moving to Silicon Valley for you is the cost of living. It's so sky high, I think God is in the next neighborhood.

Industries to consider: Interactive Marketing agency. i.e. they do websites. They need tech writers to be able to draw up content documents for websites.

Sweetie, I know that the lawyer is advising you to keep your house. Many lawyers advise their clients in many things. Ultimately, it's their advice and the client (in this case you) need to do what is best for themself.

[FreshLikeADaisy]

Once again, I find I agree with chpxiii 100%.

I have often found that "what everyone is telling me" is just not right for ME. It may be the very best of conventional wisdom, and it may come from the kindest intentions, and still not be right for YOU. If I had taken all the advice I had been given about dealing with my current situation, I would already be dead. That is not an exaggeration. It is also not an indictment against the people who loved me enough to be concerned and tell me what they thought. It's just that, in the final analysis, your own gut knows far more about what your next step should be than any other voice you might hear.

Everything you have written says that you are *drop dead miserable* where you are. Bankruptcy IS the definition of "fresh start", is it not? Once you get all your necessary medical bills racked up and are ready to file, you may feel even more strongly that letting go of this particular albatross of a town and a house is exactly what you need. These are decisions that you will have to confront when you're doing the paperwork, such as Form 8, your declaration of intent as to what you are going to do with all the property involved in your secured debt, such as the house securing your mortgage.

I would encourage you not to take the default, no matter how many people suggest it, without really listening to what YOU want and YOU need. It may end up being exactly what you do anyway. But you have to have some hope in it; it has to come from a place in you that actually sees a future on that particular path. Otherwise, what good is the mother of all fresh starts, except to allow you to re-enact the precise scenario that is making you so unhappy now?

Anyway, think it over. But don't be pressured into keeping a house you don't want. In many ways, it is far easier NOT to be tied to a house and too much stuff: you can go anywhere and do anything.


P.S. And yes, there are apartments and even houses to rent that welcome animals.

[One Half Full]

You read it right freshlikeadaisy. I am drop dead miserable. I've been stuck in a place without decent jobs for nearly ten years (telemarketing, meat packing, retail stores). The houses here take about a year to sell. I've seen some on the market year after year. Buyers expect perfection. I cant afford to make the place "perfect." All I can do is slap some paint on the walls. I have a grand total of $1,500 in equity after 6 years in the house-- so I would not be losing anything.

My dream of dreams is to go back to college to get my Masters. The state next door (5 minutes away) has a decent program which I can possibly get into. If I live in the state, I can go to college paying instate tuition, and also continue working where I am working (a night job). My Masters will enable me to teach at a college or community college level. (An MFA is equal to a Ph.D). I can get decent pay as a community college teacher. I need to be able to move from place to place. As a non-tenured teacher, I won't have a stable position (and I am not a young person either, this is my last chance).

There are decent places (not big buildings) to get an apartment. I was just talking to some guys who rented a huge place above a store for a minimal amount. They had "big" dogs not just small "lap dogs" like I have.

I never want to "own" a home again, frankly. Ownership was really only "rental" to the bank, without renter's rights. I don't really care if some "Flippers" get my house. It is highly unlikely (in this market) that I will make a farthing on the property (the RE fees will eat up any profit).

I hate this house. It was a fixer up when I bought it. I was under the impression that my paycheck would rise to offset the rising costs of everything else, but that never happened. If I lose anything I want to lose this house. I was even thinking about just foreclosing on the property, and then paying my credit cards with the mortgage money. I would lose the house, my credit record would be screwed up either way.

Oh well I will stop whining-- but each day that passes, I am more sure that getting rid of the house is one of my top priorities.

[chpxiii]

One Half Full - you're not whining. Girl, I think about you everyday. Take care. And rely on us if you need to. Keep talking and let it out.

[FreshLikeADaisy]

...Oh well I will stop whining-- but each day that passes, I am more sure that getting rid of the house is one of my top priorities.

You're not whining. If I had to guess, you don't even really talk about these things in real life; it almost sounds like you're finding your voice as you write it all out here. That is so cool.

I think people innately know what is right for themselves in their guts, if people just let them alone to hear it for themselves. But we're so worried about doing the right thing and pleasing this person or that person, or living up to some idea of something, or just in the end being so tired of hearing all the crap we get when we go our own way that we cave out of weariness. That, and a million other things keep us from hearing ourselves when we already know which general direction is best. But that doesn't change the fact that we already know it...

I commend you on facing this whole thing squarely (better late than never) and wish you the courage and strength to take the steps you need to take to better your life. I think you're going to be fine.


P.S. I foreclosed prior to bankruptcy, which will make it harder to get a mortgage if I ever care to in the future, but my credit was screwed anyway. I can't recommend it as a course of action, but it's not the worst thing in the world, either, if that's what you decide is best.