July 26, 2007
I have a PhD and I'm delivering pizzas to pay off my student loan because it's smart and I'm afraid my job will be outsourced to Asia along with me.
That's right. Andy is humbling himself and is going to deliver pizzas 2-3 nights a week to help pay off his student loan of $18k (will be $10k after we sell our house in Atlanta). The student loan is from my undergrad days at Covenant College. My 7 years of graduate school was all covered by Georgia Tech.
We've been following Dave Ramsey's plan seriously for the past 6 months now and it has done wonders for our budgeting and cash flow. We stopped using our credit card and have gotten to the point where we can pay our mortgage a month a head of time. I"m not going to say being on a zero cash flow budget is easy-but it has given us a better sense of control and realization of how strong our desires for unnecessary but desirable items are. If you don't tell your money where to go it just kind of disappears.
The extra money we are putting towards our student loan of about $400/month just wasn't making it go away fast enough for us. We want to be debt-free as quickly as possible so we can have peace of mind and really start chugging away at retirement and college savings. At my age of 30 it's critically important to put as much in long term savings as possible. If we sacrifice now it will be alot better for us later.
The other reason I want to be debt free is because I am seriously afraid of America losing its ability to pay for brainpower-my brainpower that is. It's not that I'm afraid of being paid less-it's that I'm afraid that the job won't even be there. Awesome jobs-to me- like mine at Micron are continuously more difficult to find in America due to our Asian neighbors and the global market. We want cheap goods-but it comes at a great expense. Micron is the only large-scale DRAM/memory company left in the US. All others were driven out by foreign competition. Micron just laid off 5% of its workforce in Boise. I knew I was taking a risk by going into the semiconductor industry due to its cyclical nature, but I didn't know exactly how it feels emotionally to be going through it. I want to prepare for the day I get laid off. We love Boise and don't want to move. That means I need to prepare for becoming a professor at Boise State or get into a consulting job like I was doing in graduate school. Then again, Micron is already beginning to recover and I could spend another 20 happy years there.
We're finally getting seriously mad at debt. I'm even considering not flying back to the East Coast until it's gone-saves about $2000 a year. Short term sacrifices for long term gains. Although when we get plane tickets for $164 from Boise to Atlanta it's hard not to take the flight. Plus-seeing family is pretty darn important to us.
What's funny is that Lynn worked at Pizza Hut before her Covenant College days in order to avoid a student loan. Now I'm working at Pizza Hut to pay a student
loan. I can't imagine carrying a student loan and not having a great paying job like mine-the Micron job that is. Perhaps I can get a second job consulting that pays $150/hour like I had in grad school. Man, that was nice.
Check out more pics on http://www.flickr.com/theeternalstudent
bear, I will pray for you. we're in a similar situation as far as the loans go. I hate debt too. I worked extra at the coffee shop for a while, but it just wasnt worth it for me. I know you've got a high work-load capacity, but what's cost to the rest of your life? I share the same concerns as far as retirement/kids college savings goes, but are you sure you're not being motivated by fear? I know its hard to balance the whole sovereignty/responsibility thing, but I'd hate to see you miss out on more important things than being debt-free.
I miss you.
thanks for keeping your perspective Andy, you're discipline is very humbling.
Posted by: katiek at July 26, 2007 8:59 AMI think it's a wise fear. I have peace that God will provide, but I also know that Scripture continually refers to debt as a weight (where is debt a blessing?-House payment is all I can justify) and a bad thing to get out of as soon as possible - "Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler." Proverbs 6:4-5
Actually, my work load isn't bad-about 45 hours a week at Micron. The pizza delivery will primarily be during the hours when the kids are asleep. I think a year or less of working two jobs and sacrificing some family time will give much greater freedom and more time two years from now. I know the time while the kids are under 6 years of age is critical spiritual/emotional development. I also know we will need more money as they get older. I feel really blessed that we are where we are- I just need to clean up this short term debt so it doesn't become a long term burden.
Posted by: andyp at July 26, 2007 9:08 AMOnce more I'm humbled and challenged by your attitude in submission to where you think the Lord wants you to be. But...I'm with Bob, I'll be praying for you because it sure is hard to balance everything. You just got free from the big PhD obligation and are tasting the joy of having some free time with your family. I admire you're willingness to do whatever is necessary to accomplish becoming debt free. I know as always you'll make time for the Lord first, your family next and whatever work is required of you. Just remember to take care of YOU too! Not many folks need that admonition (sp?)but you are one that it doesn't hurt to remind from time to time. I love you and I'm proud of you and glad you're my son-in-law. I'll be praying for you.
Posted by: cindy at July 26, 2007 9:11 AMI can respect that perspective, but I guess I wouldnt choose it for myself. of course I support you fully, at least as best as I can from afar. do you think the consulting thing is a real possibility? next to $150/hr, driving pizza is kinda comical.
Posted by: bobw at July 26, 2007 2:12 PMI can vouch for Andy's heart leading him w/right motivations. Right now we can't give in as many ways as we want and we really feel that debt as a yoke, like Proverbs says.
Right now Andy's at his first night at this new job! He spent all day w/the boys and left as I was getting them to bed. He's more nervous than his first day at Micron! I'm finding it all hilarious, esp once I thought about how easily Andy gets turned around w/directions. I can't say how much I respect him, though. When he is convicted of something he's faithful. I love being able to honestly gush to the boys over their daddy and say I hope they grow up to be men like him.
Posted by: lynnp at July 29, 2007 12:12 AM