I am frustrated. I frequently hear uplifting, amazing stories how a person overcame everything wrong in their life, and now that person is doing great. I had accepted what we had been sold by our parents, get good grades, go to college, get a job, climb the corporate ladder, save up buy a house, and have a family. I did that and when I graduated college I had all of my hopes up. I followed graduating with the typical month-long backpacking trip through Europe, and when I got back my whole life changed in a way I was not expecting.

The day I came home my dad told me he had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and then he died 83 days later. I moved back in with my parents to take care of my dad while he was sick and his passing followed by a huge depression. I struggled to pull myself out of this crazy depression to try and build a life for myself. I was already 25 and felt I had nothing.

Now, fast forward 3 years and I have been laid off the past 2 jobs and have unsuccessful for 3 months to find work. As millennials, we are constantly told by older generations that we are lazy and don’t want to work. I call bullshit. I am willing to work. I want to work hard. I am able to work. I am willing to put in the years and climb the corporate ladder. But how is anyone supposed to accomplish that if they are never given a chance? We live in a scary world right now, cops are shooting unarmed people, people are rioting against said cops, women are not being paid equal for equal work, and the election, if it is to go one way (Trump, in my opinion), will set women back even further. I watch shows, read articles, browse trending stories on social media all with the intention to stay informed while learning other people’s opinions. With this, I hear relentless stories that are meant to inspire. Stories like the one about a girl going from living in their car to becoming a billionaire. I don’t understand how any of this is supposed to happen or inspire if no one is willing to give me a chance. All I am asking for is the ability to earn a paycheck. According to books, movies, Netflix specials, facebook, this is when something amazing is about to happen, right? I earned a Sociology degree in school, I want to help people. I want to dedicate my life to an organization (or many organizations) that are making positive change in people’s lives. It is crazy to me that I am having trouble getting hired to HELP people! I would love to open my own non-profit one day. I am just at a loss for how any of this will ever happen if I can’t even pay my rent this month.