“boiler-room style sales culture”

I can't say that I am surprised that my former school is being sued. My School allowed just about anyone into it. I remember being paired in a group project with three others. One student was special needs, which is fine, however, the school had no special needs program. $$$ was the only thing they saw when they accepted this poor girl into the school. How is anyone to succeed if there is no filter?

I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but spending as much as I did on my education would have to be my biggest. Hindsight is always 20/20, my degree is in Interior Design, which you'd think would be a lucrative career- While there is the exception of those starting their own businesses and making the big bucks, you are pretty much either stuck in a sales job or if your lucky working under an architect.

This school, when I was there, charged upwards of 35K per year for tuition alone. Finishing your degree in 3 years will cost you a small house. I'm embarrassed to say, I financed the whole thing. So here I am, 26 years old with a modest life, I drive an old car, live in a 'cute' house (I've learned that since becoming a homeowner, cute means small), and have what would appear to be a stable middle class income job. The only thing in my life that is extravagant is my student loan bill.

I've been able to manage but I often wonder about the students that paid for the same education as I did, but really weren't qualified. Did they drop out, not get their degree and will they spend the rest of their life with a HS Diploma working minimum wage trying to pay off their loans? Will they default and not ever be able to experience, what I think are some of the greatest things in life like being a homeowner, buying their first new car, having a job they genuinely enjoy? I can't even imagine.

I will always have my degree and yes, that is something awesome. I am a first generation college graduate and I am definately proud of that. If I could go back though, I definately would have chosen a more affordable college and a more broad course of study.

Adjusting back into the simple life...

One month after I said I do, I am still adjusting back to life as usual. There are so many things that we want to get done in the next month or two. For starters, we are working on staining our new fence (which has proven to be an excellent deterrent for our weirdo neighbor, except when we are staining it). I expect this project will take up all of my evenings this week.
Next weekend we are headed up to the North Shore for my best friend's sister's wedding. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I know AJD will make for a stunning bride, her beauty will hardly compare to the scenery, but that doesn't stop me from being excited about that too! I figure it will be a nice little getaway for NPZ and I. Hopefully it will tide us over until our real honeymoon in Feb. (haha, get it tide!)

After the wedding weekend getaway I will waiting patiently (okay, impatiently!) for these to arrive.

I have agreed to agreed to help out with my mother in laws wedding by doing the wedding invitations. There was a lot of information needed for invites, so I decided to go with the pocket style, hopefully this won't be too tricky! Her husband is from Chicago, and her family is mostly in MN, so while it's not your traditional destination wedding, for some of their guests, it definitely is. I have to get them out right away so hopefully they come soon! I'm hoping I can recruit some ladies to help me out! I think it will be easy because luckily I was not a bridezilla and did my own invites, so none of my friends are sick of me yet!

Lots and lots to do, and lots and lots to enjoy!

-Liz