Diocesan Services

Underemployed: Thoughts from a Father

“Daddy,” she asked, “are we going to run out of money?”  The question was clear and unambiguous.  And it demanded an honest response.  Her question emerged, I am sure, not just out of concern for the welfare of her parents, but also for her own welfare as well.  My daughter is a 19 year old college sophomore, attending a state university about two hours away from the town we live in.  While in-state fees are substantially less than those for out-of-state students, it still costs us, as a family, well over $20,000 each year to fund her education.  Her unstated question, I believe, was, “Am I going to be able to stay in college?”

Ours is a situation not uncommon to many families across the country.  Last October 1st, my spouse was unexpectedly laid off from her job.with only six weeks notice.  And so, as she entered the ranks of the “unemployed”, our family entered the ranks of the “underemployed.”  It is a curious experience for our family, as this is the first time in our married life when we really have been confronted with the question of our own financial sustainability into the foreseeable future.  I know that there are countless people across the country who will go to bed tonight, if not with an empty stomach, at least with an empty heart out of concern for their own financial well-being.  And I know, as well, that there are countless others who will go to bed with full stomachs, and full pantries, and not a worry about making the next car or mortgage or tuition payment.  For the first time in my life, I find myself somewhere in the middle.

The “current troubles” (to borrow a phrase from our friends in Northern Ireland) of our economic predicament here in this country has this hidden cost that I had not anticipated until it landed on my own doorstep.  How many families, I wonder, are like mine… not in immediate crisis, and yet still internally shaken?  It may well be a “hidden epidemic” far more widespread than I might have originally imagined.

My family will survive this economic challenge in our lives… I have no doubt about that.  And I am sure we will fare far better than some, since we have a safety net of some savings – not to mention the emotional support of friends and family – to see us through.  But the reality that has been driven home to me is that far more of us are vulnerable than I used to think… many of us live much closer to the edge than we’d like to believe.  The current financial crisis is doing more than widening the gap between the rich and the poor.  It is also jeopardizing the rest of us who live in the middle.

I am wiser now than I was just a few months ago.  But, as usual, that wisdom has come at a price.  Perhaps we will all come out of this a little wiser, a little more humble, a little more aware of our reliance on one another and on forces beyond our control.  I like to think of myself as one of those people who can make it through whatever obstacles are placed in front of me. I have come to understand these last few months that we all got into this fix together, and the only way out will be together as well.  It has been a lesson about living in community – in every sense of the word.  And it is a lesson that I hope to remember, and to share with others, as we continue to face the challenges which lie before us.

“Daddy,” she asked, “are we going to run out of money?”  The question was clear and unambiguous.  And it demanded an honest response.  Her question emerged, I am sure, not just out of concern for the welfare of her parents, but also for her own welfare as well.  My daughter is a 19 year old college sophomore, attending a state university about two hours away from the town we live in.  While in-state fees are substantially less than those for out-of-state students, it still costs us, as a family, well over $20,000 each year to fund her education.  Her unstated question, I believe, was, “Am I going to be able to stay in college?”

Ours is a situation not uncommon to many families across the country.  Last October 1st, my spouse was unexpectedly laid off from her job.with only six weeks notice.  And so, as she entered the ranks of the “unemployed”, our family entered the ranks of the “underemployed.”  It is a curious experience for our family, as this is the first time in our married life when we really have been confronted with the question of our own financial sustainability into the foreseeable future.  I know that there are countless people across the country who will go to bed tonight, if not with an empty stomach, at least with an empty heart out of concern for their own financial well-being.  And I know, as well, that there are countless others who will go to bed with full stomachs, and full pantries, and not a worry about making the next car or mortgage or tuition payment.  For the first time in my life, I find myself somewhere in the middle.

The “current troubles” (to borrow a phrase from our friends in Northern Ireland) of our economic predicament here in this country has this hidden cost that I had not anticipated until it landed on my own doorstep.  How many families, I wonder, are like mine… not in immediate crisis, and yet still internally shaken?  It may well be a “hidden epidemic” far more widespread than I might have originally imagined.

My family will survive this economic challenge in our lives… I have no doubt about that.  And I am sure we will fare far better than some, since we have a safety net of some savings – not to mention the emotional support of friends and family – to see us through.  But the reality that has been driven home to me is that far more of us are vulnerable than I used to think… many of us live much closer to the edge than we’d like to believe.  The current financial crisis is doing more than widening the gap between the rich and the poor.  It is also jeopardizing the rest of us who live in the middle.

I am wiser now than I was just a few months ago.  But, as usual, that wisdom has come at a price.  Perhaps we will all come out of this a little wiser, a little more humble, a little more aware of our reliance on one another and on forces beyond our control.  I like to think of myself as one of those people who can make it through whatever obstacles are placed in front of me. I have come to understand these last few months that we all got into this fix together, and the only way out will be together as well.  It has been a lesson about living in community – in every sense of the word.  And it is a lesson that I hope to remember, and to share with others, as we continue to face the challenges which lie before us.

“Daddy,” she asked, “are we going to run out of money?”  The question was clear and unambiguous.  And it demanded an honest response.  Her question emerged, I am sure, not just out of concern for the welfare of her parents, but also for her own welfare as well.  My daughter is a 19 year old college sophomore, attending a state university about two hours away from the town we live in.  While in-state fees are substantially less than those for out-of-state students, it still costs us, as a family, well over $20,000 each year to fund her education.  Her unstated question, I believe, was, “Am I going to be able to stay in college?”

Ours is a situation not uncommon to many families across the country.  Last October 1st, my spouse was unexpectedly laid off from her job.with only six weeks notice.  And so, as she entered the ranks of the “unemployed”, our family entered the ranks of the “underemployed.”  It is a curious experience for our family, as this is the first time in our married life when we really have been confronted with the question of our own financial sustainability into the foreseeable future.  I know that there are countless people across the country who will go to bed tonight, if not with an empty stomach, at least with an empty heart out of concern for their own financial well-being.  And I know, as well, that there are countless others who will go to bed with full stomachs, and full pantries, and not a worry about making the next car or mortgage or tuition payment.  For the first time in my life, I find myself somewhere in the middle.

The “current troubles” (to borrow a phrase from our friends in Northern Ireland) of our economic predicament here in this country has this hidden cost that I had not anticipated until it landed on my own doorstep.  How many families, I wonder, are like mine… not in immediate crisis, and yet still internally shaken?  It may well be a “hidden epidemic” far more widespread than I might have originally imagined.

My family will survive this economic challenge in our lives… I have no doubt about that.  And I am sure we will fare far better than some, since we have a safety net of some savings – not to mention the emotional support of friends and family – to see us through.  But the reality that has been driven home to me is that far more of us are vulnerable than I used to think… many of us live much closer to the edge than we’d like to believe.  The current financial crisis is doing more than widening the gap between the rich and the poor.  It is also jeopardizing the rest of us who live in the middle.

I am wiser now than I was just a few months ago.  But, as usual, that wisdom has come at a price.  Perhaps we will all come out of this a little wiser, a little more humble, a little more aware of our reliance on one another and on forces beyond our control.  I like to think of myself as one of those people who can make it through whatever obstacles are placed in front of me. I have come to understand these last few months that we all got into this fix together, and the only way out will be together as well.  It has been a lesson about living in community – in every sense of the word.  And it is a lesson that I hope to remember, and to share with others, as we continue to face the challenges which lie before us.