My spouse and I have been doing some restructuring of our finances now that they have a new job as of a month ago. We’ve been doing an equitable split of our finances based on income which involved us taking inventory of everything we’re paying every month.
This led to me really taking a closer look at all of my debt and that has me really bummed out. My best friends just bought a house and I’m in the hole for 84k US worth of student loans, credit cards, medical debt and a refinance loan I took for my previous credit card debt while I was getting my second degree.
A big motivator for going back for a second Bachelor’s in Computer Science was knowing I could make more money and be able to pay off my debt sooner. However currently I’m getting paid a little less per year than I owe back. Also, my work life is having a negative impact on my mental health so I’m also looking for other jobs when I can.
It feels like I’m doing all I can but it’s barely enough to make a dent in my debt each month. If I fall apart and lose my edge I’ll get fired and then I’ll end up accruing more debt. I’m also worried about being discriminated against by future employers as a trans person (being misgendered daily at my current job is a reality). But my stamina bar is super low and it’s hard to take further action when I feel so powerless.
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That’s the rub isn’t it. You’re not supposed to ever get out of debt. As long as you are in debt, someone’s earning interest on it. And that debt can even follow your family long after you are gone.
FWIW, you don’t need the CS degree to pivot to software. Start learning, build a project portfolio, and attend local tech meetups. Unless you really want the academic experiences, you’re footing unnecessary literal and opportunity costs. Around 30% my colleagues have unrelated degrees.
Working and learning at the same time is quite a bear to tackle, so you’ve certainly got the gumption.
Things vary from company to company, but tech is pretty chill about trans* stuff. I’m out and one of several at my current company. No pronoun issues.
I already have the second degree.
I don’t doubt many people have transitioned into the industry without one (judging from my time helping to teach a free coding bootcamp) but many jobs, including the one I have and the ones I’ve been applying for, do require a “Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or similar field”
I live in the San Francisco Bay area, proverbial tech heaven, and would have to agree here. I mean maybe it is different in other parts of the country, but here your tech degrees as well as experience make massive difference in opportunities and salary offers as it’s an extremely competitive market here. I personally am not tech but have a wide social circle of friends who are and they discuss this often whenever talking about opportunities. Degrees and certification matter.
