being a state worker

cons: sitting at a desk almost all day. some of your co-workers fit the stereotype of doing as little as possible to pass the day. people expect you to pick up their slack. it's definitely not something anyone ever says they want to be when they grow up. if you're efficient you take on way more tasks than anyone else around you, even if they make exponentially higher salaries. i had to give up a career i loved 'cause it didn't afford me the lifestyle i'd like to live (let's not kid: daycare workers don't make enough to pay the rent and eat let alone buy a home).

pros: great health care/retirement bennies. my boss totally has my back. i will be able to buy a home. i actually work my butt off and rarely make mistakes. i'm proud of my output. it will get me out of my folks' house and not back into an apartment full of slobbish/junkie roommates. it is a job where i can promote despite my visible tattoos and love of strange hair colors.

all in all, i have to say if i could go back and do it all again, i would have gotten a state job straight out of college. had i done that i'd be financially set in my own home by now. as it were, i'm able to pay off all of my bills and get back on my feet in two years. not too shabby. oh, and i am not ashamed to be total george costanza living at home at 33. i weighed my options and did what i had to do. thank goodness i had parents who would help me out. declaring bankruptcy or staying in a house where i kept finding needles and getting further in debt weren't really viable options.