Words of Wisdom anyone..?

I was originally gonna post in "chit chat" but ah, oh well. It's not really a rant.. but, I thought it'd fit better here.

Anyway, today was kinda crappy. My SO had to shovel out £300 unexpectedly for a repair on his car. He only has £400 in the bank and he is pretty upset about it. He is pretty down because right now his job isn't giving him that many hours because it's slow there this time of year (they start getting busier in a few weeks though) And no money = no visits.

I told him this is why we both need to go to school for careers (which I'll be taking the first step, going for my first GED class tomorrow! So nervous!). He wants to get into carpentry, which I really think he'd be good at considering he is a pretty hands on kinda guy. Thing is, he is so down about the economy and tells me how he doesn't want to end up a graduate, then being stuck with loans to pay off and no job to find afterward. This is very disheartening but I want to encourage him to at least try. I mean, times are tough for most people out there. I get that it's hard but that's no reason to not try at all! It's even worse when you have the person you love so far away and it's so expensive to travel. It just makes me so sad to see my SO like this...
 

Does anyone have any words of wisdom or stories of their own adversity they can share? I'd really appreciate it! Plus I think if I had something positive to tell him like someone else has gone through what we're going through and came out at the brighter end of the tunnel it might make him feel a bit better.

I'm really sorry that things are so tough at the moment. 

As your SO is in the UK, maybe some debt advice would help him feel back in control with limited funds?
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ManagingDebt/index.htm

If he is interested in trades, then an apprenticeship is not a bad idea to earn while your learn:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/14To19/OptionsAt16/DG_4001327

Or if he wants careers advice:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/GetLearning/DG_072072

Lastly, some ideas to improve wellbeing:
http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living

Don't forget about the value of volunteering on your mental wellbeing, enjoyment, community involvement and CV:
http://www.do-it.org.uk/

Lastly, getting benefits advice in the meantime may be useful to make sure income is maximised:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/BeginnersGuideToBenefits/DG_4016805

He can contact his local council, CAB, or welfare rights organisation for advice about this.

There are lots of things he can do if he is having a hard time. Lastly lastly, if he is depressed, I would also suggest going to his GP for advice and options to improve this.

The best of luck with everything and I hope your GED classes are inspiring you! ((Hugs))

If he did a carpentry apprenticeship, he wouldn't be a "graduate".

If he did a university degree and became a graduate he wouldn't be in the exact same position except with loans, he'd have a key piece of education which would widen the job market for him, doors that were otherwise closed would be open, in addition your student loans are linked to your earnings, so it wouldn't be like he'd immediately be saddled with a huge burden he'd need to pay off.

If he's on a low enough income he would probably find his courses at the college would be free or very cheap if he wanted to learn a trade like carpentryand he could do them in the evenings or at weekends.

In this climate, I'd be more inclined to do training, university etc, and hope everything picked up whilst I was studying, especially if I was on a low income. It seems like you'd have little to lose by not doing it.

You want a rousing story? My DH moved over here so we could be together, we didn't want to get married as we felt we didn't know each other well enough, so he came on a student visa, it cost us $100K in student loans, I didn't like where I was working, so took a downwards move into a new industry in order to "get happy" just as he moved over. I then got out of a bad job situation (office bullying) by moving to London on a whim. Two years ago we were surviving on my very paltry income, living above a burnt out fish and chip shop in a studio flat, scraping together pocket money to put on our oyster cards.

He worked and studied like a man possessed, got accepted on one of the top masters programs in the UK, walked into a very highly paid job within two weeks of graduating, I worked 24/7, weekends, week nights, christmas day, got promoted five times in 18 months and after some strategic moves I am now in an executive position and own part of the company I work for. We're both still in our 20s.

We've been together for  about six years and married for 8 months. It's been an amazing rollercoaster ride, and we're very happy

Work hard at changing your life, if you actually want it to change.

If he did a carpentry apprenticeship, he wouldn't be a "graduate",

I was just thinking 'do they really do carpentry degrees at university'?!

Cheesebiscuit you have an inspiring and interesting story!

Cheesebiscuit you have an inspiring and interesting story!

That is a VERY inspiring story! Thanks for sharing.