Yet, part of me is sad.
I've come to realize that my personal relationship with Las Vegas, NV is very much an abusive one, and I am on the receiving end. The city has done nothing but get my hopes up, and bring them crashing down, time after time. I keep crawling back. Failed job prospects, failed personal goals.
I have benefit from my time here, don't get me wrong. I'm much better off both financially and mentally than I was when I arrived. I've also gotten to know some family that I hadn't previously known all that well. Good times have been had.
But I'm getting to the point where I can't take the lows anymore. Not even just mentally, but if I have anymore financial setbacks I'm risking regressing back to full monetary chaos.
I've also met some invaluable contacts in my time here. I'm not going to mention names, for the sake of anonymity, but I cherish these contacts, as they were some of the few honestly open people to welcome me out here. There is a part of me that really hopes to cross paths with them again, in the future.
But, here I am. 28. Underemployed. No college degree. $30,000 of debt. Overstaying my welcome in the housing situation I'm in (my words, not theirs, as they insist I'm no bother). I'm a quick nap away from embarking on, what will most likely become the big adventure of my life.
6 weeks ago my close friend Pete informed me of the Oil Boom situation in North Dakota. Supposedly there are extremely well paying jobs for anyone willing to put up with the environment and put in a TON of hard work. Normally, I'd pretty adverse to hard work, but I think its time I stop this culture of lazy, roll up my sleeves, and get dirty. I mean, I've always worked hard at my jobs, but my jobs haven't been all that hard.
So we decided to go for it. We researched, set a date of departure, and started planning our trip. Is it going to suck? Probably. But it will finally give me something to define myself. It will finally make me interesting. Since the housing situation up there is pretty dismal (single rooms, if you can even find them, go for over $600 a month) we plan on living out of an SUV. At least, until we find work with a company that provides housing. In a "Man Camp."
I'm going to be honest, the idea of bunking with 7 other guys kinda scares me, and not for reasons you would think. I can deal with the proximity, I've been to college. I just have this problem with snoring. The sounds that escape my face when I'm sleeping would scare the dark one, Cthulu. Even still, with a mattress in the back of a Dodge Durango, I could just bunk in there until I have the chance to get my Sleep Apnea treated. Should I get a job with insurance I could do that very quickly.
Pete is lucky in that aspect. He's already going through background checks for a job with housing. I really hope I can get on there, too. That would be ideal. Working the same schedule and having the same time off for trips back to IL would make it easiest.
I really need this to work. Not only for me, but for my grandparents. They want what's best for me and I 've spend just over 3 years trying to let them help me, but to no end. I really want to make some money so I can drop a nice big check in their laps so they can stop worrying about money.
I think that's my biggest goal right now. Yes, I have some goals lined up that I really want to hit, but that is the biggest of them. I want to pay back my grandparents. Then I want to pay off my student loans. After that I want to buy a new car with cash. Finally I want to save up enough money to go back to school full-time for 2 years to get an Associates degree without having to work at the same time. Ultimately I will accept having to work part time, but if I go back to school, I want to be able to concentrate on it.
I really feel like this could be my time. I will post updates as I go, including details on how things work up there. This blog will become part information for people that haven't done it and are interested, and part documentary, following my trials as I am on my adventure.
Well, I have to finish a few things before I take a nap before my flight. Good night.
--JBH
