Valerian's Profile

I worked for the same company for ten long years of hard work and loyal dedication. Then I took a promotion/transfer to another property within the company, but this new job was in a long-established facility full of unethical executives who violated laws and disrespected employees on a regular basis, leading to union representation and hundreds of unhappy employees. I was in HR, so to transfer (unknowingly) into this mess was a nightmare, and to top it all off - my immediate boss (the Director of HR) was the #1 culprit. Within my first few months, I knew I would never fit in with these managers or this unethical environment, but my old job was already gone, and I had no choice but to try and make it work. I stayed for one full year - struggling the entire time, but all for the sake of keeping my job (money and medical benefits, plus the external benefits that come with job longevity) and hoping for another transfer opportunity to get OUT of there. It never came, and I eventually had to quit.

I have been unemployed now for over a year. It is difficult to find a comparable job with comparable pay, and to my dismay I've been considering employment outside of my field. At this point, I'd be happy with nearly anything that paid $20/hour or more with medical benefits, as long as the company is ethical and the employment is steady. Next to money, my biggest motivator is flexible schedule (i.e., the ability to rearrange my work schedule around my life, such as going home early for a family situation, or taking a 2-hour lunch to attend a short-notice doctor appointment, etc.). I had that flexibility for nine years prior to my transfer, and it was the major reason I was so loyal and dedicated to my job.

Anyway - here I am now - unemployed, no money, no house, no car. I live with my boyfriend who pays the rent while I look for a job, and I manage some groceries and small bills with unemployment insurance, which is about to run out. I need some income, and fast!

One night, my dad was watching Dean Graziosi's infomercial for his new book, plus his old book for free with the order. Dad remembered that years ago, I had mentioned the desire to own realty for the purpose of renting, and/or fixing up and selling for a profit. He recorded the infomercial and called me up, saying I should watch it, and he'd pay for the books if I was interested. So I did.

As of today, 4/14/09, I have not received the books yet - but in the meantime, I am reading what everyone has to say on these forums so I can be better prepared to DIVE into this quickly! I am months away from being 100% broke, and I currently have all the time in the world to try this out - I just have no money to do so, and currently no contacts for networking and advice. I love and welcome advice, so please - if you are willing to share and assist, I will listen!

My goal is to own a home of my own, a few rental properties for monthly income, and to fix-up and re-sell as many properties as possible. If I can "green" these properties, that's even better!

Thank you.

Update: As of 3/9/10, I am STILL unemployed!

4/7/10 - I got a job...very low pay, won't help me pay off my debt, but will cover my monthly cost of living in the meantime. I did end up going broke while unemployed, then racked up 3 months of monthly bills on my credit card (groceries, gas, phone bill, etc.) Wow, three months plus interest really takes a long time to pay off with such low pay....

2/1/11 - Nearly a year has gone by since I got a job, and a lot has happened. My dearest friend, my doggy, had become very disabled, and so I focused my life around her. She passed away 9/17/10 and I lost all motivation for anything until about a month ago. I've finally begun focusing back on real estate again last month. Now I have a list of properties I'm interested in, continue looking at more each day, am working with an agent, and should be getting pre-approved this week to make my first offer.

My goal has changed - increased, really - to owning my own home, plus 20-30 rental properties for cash flow. I would still like to green them. I've had recurring-theme dreams about really cool houses ever since I was a small kid. This really is a dream of mine! Wish me luck.