The Ramsey Show - App - How Can I Find a Better Paying Job? (Hour 3)

Episode Date: August 6, 2021

Debt, Career, Business Sign Up for a FREE trial of Ramsey+ TODAY: https://bit.ly/3rZTUAx Tools to get you started:  Debt Calculator: https://bit.ly/2Q64HME Insurance Coverage Checkup: https://bit.ly/3sXwUn5 Complete Guide to Budgeting: https://bit.ly/3utmVXi Check out more Ramsey Network podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fHhbVE

Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studio, this is The Ramsey Show. It's where America hangs out to have a conversation about life, money, relationships, businesses, your career journey, your time, just about everything that matters. Anything you want to talk about, we're here for it. She is Christy Wright.

I'm Ken Coleman. We're here together for you. It is a free number to call, 888-825-5225, 888-825-5225. And Christy and I are having more fun than you should be allowed to have when you host a radio show. But why wouldn't you? The advice is free. So if you don't like it. We'll give you a refund.

What's the big deal? Why wouldn't you call? And if you don't like us, you can just send us hate mail. But we have great assistance. We'll never see it. I'm so glad you said that. Because I don't ever read those. I remember when I first started four years ago, the Ken Coleman Show. And I told my producer, I said, listen, no matter how awful it is or how entertaining it is to you, don't ever show me.

Nope. And what is it about the bravery, Christy, of people behind a keyboard? They would never dare look you in the eye and say the things they say to you or me when they fire an email or a... My favorite is the passive-aggressive, holier-than-thou, arrogant, I-just-got-you comment on social media. Yes. That's my favorite. My personal favorite. I'm just going to leave this here and walk away. Yeah.

You know what I was thinking the other day? You know how a lot of people say everyone should have to be a server so you empathize with servers in restaurants? I agree with that. I totally agree. I've been a server i was too i'm so much nicer to servers because i get that i think everyone should have to be on camera and just allow everyone to screw it up let everyone have a youtube show where everyone's just i don't like her hair i don't like it i don't like how she said that that's right i think it's true let them feel yeah that comment thread people might be a little nicer love that. People might be a little nicer. People might be a little nicer if they got to experience what it's like to be in the public eye.

Yeah, why don't you share something that comes from your heart that you want to help somebody. Why don't you just put that out there and let somebody rip it. Jesus. So yeah, send it on in. We won't see it. We don't care. We don't care. That's the price of admission, though, and we are okay with it triple eight eight two five five by the way what they don't know is what

we say about them there are breaks here for a reason people jk jk we love y'all next question so what does that mean oh just kidding you have to help me with this i'm a 47 year old dad that's not a new thing well when, when you said JK, I wasn't quite sure. Since we were in middle school. All right, fantastic. There it is. She's helping me.

She keeps me current. 888-825-5225 is the phone number to jump in. Let's go to Big Springs, Texas. That seems like a really great place to be from. Big Springs, Texas is where Robert joins us.

Robert, how can we help? I'm just trying to figure out how to get that free. We've been talking about doing it for a while now, and we're trying is the key word. Okay. We're trying to get it worked. All right. Well, let's just start. How'd you get connected to us?

How'd you hear about us? On the network, listening to the radio. All right, cool. Awesome. I listen to it a lot because I can't get it when I'm home. So I listen to it when I'm out this way a lot. Okay, cool. Awesome. Well, Robert, I'll tell you, we were actually talking about this earlier, but everything we teach about money, career, time management, anything, we break down into really simple steps because we believe that if

you have a clear path and steps, then it's a lot easier to do it. And so Dave's money principles, Dave Ramsey's money principles that this organization, Ramsey Solutions, is founded on are seven baby steps, seven very specific steps that you take in your money in order to get control of your money and have financial freedom and be able to build wealth and give and do whatever you want to. So the first step in the baby steps is to get $1,000 really super fast. So this can't be something I'm going to save $10 for a real long time.

Really super fast. Get $1,000. Sell so much stuff the kids think they're next. Get that $1,000 and you're going to put that in a savings account. Just for any type of emergency that might come up when you stop using debt, which is now. So if you stop using debt, you stop using credit cards, which is what we want you to do, you're going to need what's called a starter emergency fund. And you put $1,000 in your savings account.

So if your tire blows out, you can cover it and not have to use your credit card that you've been used to using, for example. And so you get that $1,000 starter emergency fund, and then you begin to pay off all your debts, smallest to largest, by balance. So what I want you to do, Robert, is I want you to make a list of all your debts, any type of debt, credit card, car loan, student loan, personal line of credit, medical bills, whatever. All your debts, you're going to list them out in order by smallest to largest balance. I want you to ignore the interest rate. I know this sounds counterintuitive. People all the time say, oh, shouldn't I pay off the highest interest rate first?

Because then I would be, listen, if we were doing math, we would have never got ourselves in this situation, people. So we're going to focus on smallest to large just because we found that quick wins are motivating for you to stay with the plan. So you want to get that quick win. You pay off that smallest debt. You mark it out on your list, cut up that credit card or close that account, whatever it is, and then you roll that into the next one. So what you're going to do is you're going to attack that smallest debt when you're in

baby step two, and you're going to pay minimums on everything else. And then when that smallest debt is paid off, you mark it off, cut it up, close the account, whatever, roll that payment into the next smallest debt. You attack that debt, pay minimums on everything else. And this is what we call the debt snowball. And you keep doing that until you get to your largest debt, which is most likely your student loan. If you have a student loan, a car loan, something like that. We don't include the mortgage in this step. This is just consumer debt. So all debt you have other than the house. And that's called baby step number two. And then when you're debt free, which is super exciting and a really big deal, you never go back into debt again. You want to begin to save up cash for your fully

funded emergency fund, which is three to six months of expenses. And this is going to be the cushion and protection between you and an emergency in life, like something like a job loss or health scare, some medical bill you have to take care of. You're going to be able to pay cash when you have that savings. And so those are the first three steps. First step, step number one, $1,000 emergency fund. Step number two, pay off all debts, smallest to largest by balance. Baby step number three, three to six months of expenses.

And then once you get that, you're ready for baby steps four, five, six, and seven. Four is to be investing 15%. We don't recommend to invest until you're at baby step number four and debt-free. Baby step number five is to fund kids' college fund. If you have kids, you want to fund their college. And then baby step six, pay off the home early.

Baby step seven, build wealth and give. And the whole idea, Robert, is that you've got to have an incredible intensity and momentum and gusto. Gazelle intensity is what we call it, especially in those first three steps. Because when you said to me, when you asked this question, Robert, you said, we've been trying to get out of debt.

We've been trying. Trying is different than being committed to it. So you've got to commit. You've got to take debt off the table. It is no longer an option. We're going to cut up those cards, which I know is scary. We're going to close those accounts when they're debt free, which I know feels vulnerable. But you're going to have that emergency fund to protect you.

We're now operating on a cash system, not a debt system. So you've got to change your mindset and change your behavior and commit to this plan. The only way that it works is if you commit to it. We're going to stop trying, and we're going to commit, and we're going to do it. Stay on the line. I'll have Kelly send you the Total Money Makeover, which is Dave's best bestselling book that shows you how to do this step-by-step in detail. Great stuff. It's as clear as it can be, and it works over and over and over again.

Robert, you got this. Appreciate the call. Debt-free is in your future. Don't move. More of your calls coming right up. This is The Ramsey Show. If current times have shown us anything, it's that the least expected events can and will happen, and we have to deal with it. That's why everyone who has a family counting on them needs term life insurance.

For over 20 years, the only company I've recommended is Zander Insurance. Not only because they search all of the top term life plans to find you the best rates, but over the years, they have constantly changed and updated their systems to make the whole process simpler and easier to get the protection needed. You can now apply with a completely touchless experience with everything being done either over the phone or the Internet. They also have plans with super competitive rates that don't require an exam, allowing you to skip a step and get the coverage you need faster. Go to Zander.com or call 800-356-4282. allowing you to skip a step and get the coverage you need faster.

Go to Zander.com or call 800-356-4282. Great rates and a simple process mean there's no excuse to not get this done, people. Welcome back to the Ramsey Show. I'm Ken Coleman, joined by my colleague Christy Wright. We'll take your calls this hour, 888-825-5225. Blinds.com's 100% satisfaction guarantee means even if you mismeasure or pick the wrong color, they'll remake your blinds for free. You get free samples, free shipping, and with the new promos they run every month, you'll save even more if you use the promo code RAMSY to get the best deal.

Today's question comes from B in California. My business closed due to COVID, and I'm struggling to find another job. I owned a day spa with 22 independent contractors for 10 years. But now the only job I can get is waitressing. Not true, but I understand. I've applied for jobs in different fields, but I keep getting turned down. I even applied for a job in collections and offered to go to school to learn about that industry, but the manager was looking for someone with experience.

I'm confused, lost, and heartbroken. I don't have to work since we are debt-free, and my husband makes a great living, but I want to find my new niche. Niche or niche? Do you call that niche? I call it niche. I feel like niche is the safer.

I feel like if you say niche, you're trying to be fancy. And I think my brain just messed with me right there in the middle of that. It's like, is it a gala or a gala? I did a combination of niche and niche. It was like niche. I said niche. I don't know what's going niche. It was like niche. I said niche. I don't know what's going on. There you go.

Any advice you could give would be much appreciated. Okay, so much here. Let's start with the fact that I want you to take the pressure off of yourself, B, because you don't have to make a living, because of your financial situation, being debt-free, and your husband having a good job. Let's take a deep breath here. It feels like you're really pressing because I hear I wanted to think about going into collections and even going to school to learn about that industry. And it's just like, I'm just grasping. I'm searching right now. And the reality is that you need to step back and go, what do I just want to do that has

even nothing to do with a paycheck? Let me just go do something that I'd like to do and begin that process of discovery. I would love for you to go to KenColeman.com or RamseySolutions.com and you can get the Get Clear Career Assessment and begin to look at talent, passion, and mission. Talent's what you do best. Think of talent as tools. There's clues, Christy, when you figure out what you do well. And then we look at what would I love to do. But I think in this situation, I'd focus more on passion with B. And what I help callers with, Christy, on mission

is when they're trying to figure out the specificity of the work. Many times it helps to just ask the three-part question. Who are the people I most want to help? What problem do they have or desire do they have that I want to solve? And what's the solution to that? If you break that down, it could be a problem. It could be, I want to make women feel beautiful, right? So I'm going to go into maybe the beauty industry or something like that. I want to design shoes, clothes, whatever.

It doesn't always have to be a problem, but it is always a problem or a desire that you associate with certain people. And then what are the solutions to that? So I think B, that's where I'd start. But I think you've got to relax here because just trying things from collections to waitressing, I mean, it's just all over the board. And I think that there's some sort of, Christy, self-imposed pressure. And we can't answer this in detail because it's over an email. But what do you hear in that? I'm curious that this question from Bea actually makes me want to ask a bigger question of just in general. And your thoughts on this, Ken. I wonder how many businesses closed due to COVID because they could not cash flow in the closures, but they stayed closed only because of discouragement. That's a great question.

If you had a business for 10 years, B, and you had 22 independent contractors, and you knew how to do this, and you did it well, why could you not do it again? Why could you not restart it? Now, would you get all of your clients back that you were at your peak? Probably not. They found other solutions, but I bet you'd get some back. Let me use an example, Kim. Some of my favorite businesses from a lunch place in Brentwood to a yoga studio downtown, don't at me with all your feelings about yoga. It's a form of exercise, people. Listen, have clothes. I feel like there might be

something there we got to dig into in a moment oh no take care of b i'm gonna circle back yoga studio and sandwich shop both closed due to covid and they're not back but if they open back up i would be there in a heartbeat along with several other people like you that's right because because it the concept was proven and uh she did it before she knows how to do it. The scary part of starting, she doesn't have to do that. It's just when someone gets knocked out, like in boxing, someone gets knocked down and out, man, it's like getting up is hard. It's tough. But there may be a percentage of businesses in the United States that did not restart

because of finances or because the market genuinely shifted. I get that. That is true for some. It's not true for all of them. I wonder how many did not open back up simply because they were discouraged. I wonder if Bea is one of those people. She doesn't even mention that, interestingly enough. It's not even an option.

You think it's too much pain? Because she could go work for a spa. Having owned a spa business, she doesn't even mention that as just a J-O-B. She doesn't even need the money. I wonder if you – I think you've really – I mean, it's hard to read into something like this, but I think you're onto something. There's a lot of pain associated with having to shut that business down to where she goes, I might go get trained to be in collections. Have you ever heard anybody say that in your life? No. And it's the furthest thing from spa. A hundred percent. And the other thing that's so interesting about business, and this is what I talk about this a

lot through all the work I do through Business Boutique, business is personal. It's you. It's your heart. It's your skills. It's your services, your knowledge. This is your baby. And so if someone rejects the business, it feels like they're rejecting you. It does feel personal. Absolutely. And what's interesting is even if you had a very successful business, if you had to close those doors because of all the regulations, closures, quarantine, all the stuff that happened last year. Yeah. I wonder how many of those business owners, even though they knew in their head, I'm facing an impossible situation, in their heart if it felt like I failed.

I failed. And they didn't want to go back into that opening back up. I don't have to wonder. Because they felt like they failed. And I'm like, you didn't want to go back into that i think you're all over i don't have to wonder like they failed and i'm like you didn't fail you're right you didn't because the business the the people that are starting again people are absolutely packing those restaurants out they're packing those those exercise studios whatever the thing is out and yeah you may have to build it up a little bit again and you may have to find a new space because that space is gone but i just want b to start it again i just wanted to open it back of people yeah i i think there's a lot of a lot of pain associated

with this and she's just going i need a fresh start or it is possible we just don't know this that she's looking for something else but i this self-imposed pressure i mean she's actually in a really really good position financially where she doesn't have this pressure. I've got to go get A, J, O, B. So, you know, it's very interesting stuff. And you had 22 independent contractors. 22. You could come back with five. I'd start with calling all 22 of them and going, hey, what you doing these days? 100%. B needs some work. Hey. I'd start there. Hey, let's do what we did. Round two. Let's try again. All right. So a lot of heat coming off of you when you said, don't at me on the yoga. Have you been attacked for saying that you do yoga? Oh, my gosh, Ken.

Are you serious? Yes. I'm not playing around. Oh, it is rooted in Middle Eastern religions. Oh, boy. Oh, so I've actually led you back into it. Ask America. Ask America, what are your thoughts on yoga?

They'll ask you. They'll tell you. So it's not stretching and breathing. There's deeper. You're telling me there's more stuff. That's what it is for me. It's where it originated. Okay, so have you done the goat yoga?

No. Because you used to own goats in your farm days. Listen. You used to. Okay, I have one of my favorite little factoids about you, and you're a very impressive woman. You've been my friend for a long time. One of my favorite factoids about you. you're a very impressive woman you've been my friend for a long time one of my favorite factoids about you we're laughing before you even say it well because i remember the first time i heard this you had a farm you lived on a farm sure did in your early single days pre-mat right yeah and you had some fainting goats and i thought this was a

joke and you said for real the only animal i had multiple animals. But I don't care about the other animals. I only care about the fainting goats. So it all comes back to a full circle for me. Goat yoga, where you do yoga with a goat on your back. Listen. Have you tried this? I've not tried it, though I want to. And just for all my Business Boutique listeners right now, we're always brainstorming fun experiences for Business Boutique every year.

Why not goats on the stage? Fainting goats. I fought for that in every meeting. And I got shut down because apparently they use not goats on the stage? Fainting goats. I fought for that in every meeting and I got shut down because apparently they use the bathroom on the stage and on the people

and it's just it actually wouldn't be as cool as it sounds. Have we not been to the circus? Who is shutting this down? Every time I go to the circus something happens on the concrete.

Hey, you lead the charge. I want to see you do yoga and someone maybe What if I show up to the next meeting and say I think there ought to be fainting goats, because I know this, the women would love it.

It would be the number one thing on the survey. It would be the number one. Because you're dancing and shouting and clapping. We would hear about it on the survey. You're firing these women up, and the goats would freak. It would be awesome. It would be something. Great experience.

It would be something. All right. I fought for it. Coming to Business B boutique this fall. RamseySolutions.com. Get your ticket. There might be a fainting go-to. I'm expecting an email from Dave Ramsey in T-minus 30 seconds.

Dave loves the idea. I know he does. All right. Don't move. More of your calls coming right up. This is The Ramsey Show. You're listening to The Ramsey Show, America. Thrilled to have you back with us.

I'm Ken Coleman, joined by my colleague Christy Wright. The phone number to jump in on the conversation with us is 888-825-5225. That's 888-825-5225. Christy, don't answer this because I already know the answer. Have you ever made a dumb decision with zeros on the end because you didn't do your research? I have. Christy hasn't. Yes. Most people make choices based on feelings or opinions,

especially when they're buying a house. But when it comes to the real estate market, feelings are not your friend. Facts are your friend. So check your facts. Find out what you can actually afford. Research what's trending in home prices. Talk to a reputable real estate professional in your area.

Never buy a house without the facts again go to ramsey solutions.com slash agent that's ramsey solutions.com slash agent and get an agent who will help you make smart decisions 888-825-5225 888-825-5225 i want to talk about your book well i was getting ready to say i I'd like to talk about my book, too. No, I'm kidding. I kid. Your book launched Monday. Monday?

Can you believe that? Listen, people probably don't realize this. What? But when you launch a book, when you launch it for pre-sale, and this is this thing you've been working on for a long time, the content you've worked on for even longer, but the book at least over a year. Oh, yeah. long time the content you've worked on for even longer but the book at least over a year oh yeah and you put it out there and it's this like it's this exciting but also borderline terrifying of like nervousness excitement nerves of finally putting out there in the world and then you start

to see oh my gosh it's connecting it's helping people people are buying it you're hitting your goals tell me a little bit about what this week has been like for you because i want people to here's what here's what i want people here the human being behind the book like you're not just an author and it's a beautiful cover that the team designed and all the things but like talk about like your heart behind this because i know it because i get to see it and you've done hear from you but i want people to hear not just the marketing points. I want them to hear from you because you, you have such a, um, not,

I mean, passion's the word, but it's more than that. Like there's this, like in your, in your core, this calling to do this. I want,

I want people to hear from you as like the person. Yeah. You know, I was the kid that was terrified as a teenager that I wouldn't figure out what I'm supposed to do with my life. Really? That's the back story. A pastor's kid. And so when you grow up in church and you hear your dad preaching all the time to other

adults saying, hey, do what God's called you to do, do what God's called you to do, and it just becomes this mantra. Was it intimidating of this idea of I have this one calling, what am I supposed to do? 100%. Yeah. And so as a teenager, you're like, okay, I want to do what God's called me to do. What is that? How in the crud do you figure that out? It's terrifying. It's terrifying for adults. Certainly terrifying for a teenager, you're like, okay, I want to do what God's called me to do. What is that? How in the crud do you figure that out?

It's terrifying. It's terrifying for adults. Certainly terrifying for a teenager. So at the root of all this, I was always that kid who really wanted to figure it out. And I got direction early on in my life and pursued it. And I felt that I was called to go into politics. The very long story. When was this?

What age were you? Very short, 16. Okay. I felt I was called into politics to run for office one day very long story. When was this? What age were you? Very short, 16. Okay. Felt I was called into politics to run for office one day. Okay. Down the line. Okay.

And so, it's about 31, 32. I'm 31, 32, realizing that this thing that I've been planning for to the point where we moved into a neighborhood in the Atlanta area,

picked a district, blah, blah, blah, had all the plans. And I realized that I didn't want to do that. And it freaked me out. I'm 31, 32, I've been a very intentional guy my whole life. And I was in a career crisis.

I was like, did I miss it? Have I been, I mean, this is the heart of all this. No, for sure. And I was like, how could I have been that far off? But I wasn't quite sure what it was. And then when broadcasting kind of, I'm trying to shorten this. When broadcasting becomes a thing, I felt like an imposter.

I felt like maybe I was delusional. I didn't go to school for it. I didn't have any experience doing it. And I got a wife and three little ones under the age of three. So I got responsibilities. And so as I begin to walk it out and really reset my own life and dive in that's where the heart of everything I do comes from is I know that I went through it and I felt like I'd blown 32 years of my life that's not true that's that's a lie from the pit of hell but I also wrestled through it

got super clear and figured it out and dove in and then started on a very long journey seven and a half years to get to Ramsey Solutions, another three years. So about 10 years to step into the dream job. And I know that it can be done. And dream job is not about glitz. It's about doing that thing that you were created to do. God gave you Christy Talent when you were born. He also gave you a heart that's unmistakable for certain types of work.

You think about it, you get juiced. When you're in the middle of it, time stands still. And then you have results that you personally want to put into the world, and so that's mission. And so as I began to go through the process for myself and walk the journey out, it became very clear to me that, yes, broadcasting was the work, but the mission was helping people understand that they were created

to fill a unique role in this world through their work. That means they're really valuable and it means they must do it. Whether it's a plumber or a professor, a teacher or an astronaut, all work is valuable. So that's the heart behind the book. I want to go back to that moment when you realized you didn't want to do politics because I'd be willing to bet there are some people there right now and whether it is um you know they got a degree in something they realize they don't want to do it or they've been doing it for years and they're like i'm ready for something new i had a similar moment i um in college uh was pursuing an advertising degree and i'm i'm super creative like that's how my brain works and so i was like i can a great writer you're great with words yeah i like i thought

like i'll come up with catchy headlines. Which makes sense. And work with an ad agency and all that because I have that skill. And I really enjoyed it. I love the challenge of that creative aspect. And senior year of college, I went to University of Tennessee. Senior year, we had to take an advertising ethics class. I've told this story on stage many times. But we watched a documentary about advertising's effect on women and people in general, but specifically women.

And it was like this light bulb moment that that is not what I wanted to do with my life. That I wanted to do something, but I didn't want to contribute to women's low self-esteem. I didn't want to contribute to that. And not that that's all that advertising represents by any means, but I just, the path I thought I was on was not that path. And it was this moment of almost devastation feeling like I have spent four years, a lot of my mom's money in this college education towards something that I actually don't want to do at all.

And in the sovereignty of God, I use that degree in so many ways in what I do with teaching women marketing. But I'm curious from you, when you had that moment, how did you get yourself out of that slump or that fear or even the panic of like, oh, my gosh, I've spent so long pursuing. I moved my family to Atlanta for this path, and this is not what I'm going to do. How did you break out of that? Yeah, that's a great question. And it was only in getting really clear on what the next step was, what I was actually supposed to do, and seeing that there was purpose in all of it.

So while it was a shift from politics to broadcasting, the reality was nothing really changed that much. When I actually dove back in, you just touched on it. That's right. It's so beautiful. I realized it was a public call. It was a call to communicate. I thought it was running for office and giving speeches and writing policy. Turns out it is giving speeches, but it's writing books.

Yeah. So it wasn't as big a shift. It was professionally from a sector or from an industry standpoint. But the actual work itself, my talents didn't shift. You're pulling from all the things you already had. Yeah. And so then I also now look back and go, hey, I ran a business in that time. Jeremy Breland and I ran a company together.

I got so much experience that helps me now in what I do. Just like you mentioned, you use every bit of that work and experience now in what you do. That's right. It's just a very different mission, which is the result. But the work itself, not that different at all. So getting clear is one of your steps. What step is that? It's the first step.

It's the first step. You've got to get clear. What am I supposed to do, right? And here's what you've got to know. When you see talent, passion, mission align, I use what I do best is how it looks to do work. I love to produce results that matter to me. It turns into an arrow when they get an alignment, it points to the marketplace. And here's what's cool. And you know, this, there's more than one dream job. Yes. There's

more than one career path. Yes. But what we know is there is a role you're supposed to fill. Yes. Because of those gifts you have of talent, passion, and a sense of mission. Yeah. And it's just incredible too because you've taken your story

and all of this experience and you've put this in your book that is now on pre-sale that launched on Monday from Paycheck to Purpose. Don't we all want that? We want purpose.

The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love and it's available for pre-order. When you go to ramsaysolutions.com and you pre-order his new book, you get over $100 of free bonus items, and you can even enter a giveaway for $3,000, and that's totally free.

Text CASH to 33789 to enter the giveaway. Go to ramsysolutions.com. Pre-order your copy. Get a copy for you. Get a copy for a friend that may need it. And help them if they're in that spot of the fork in the road. Breathe life into them. Show them how to get clear.

And actually go from paycheck to purpose. This is The Ramsey Show. Thrilled to have you with us. I'm Ken Coleman, joined by my colleague Christy Wright. Today's scripture of the day comes from Matthew 11, 29. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Today's quote comes from Rob Siltanen. People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. I think we're getting a yes and amen from two crazy people right here. I love that. Who are trying to change the world. Love that quote. That's a great, great quote. All right, 888-825-5225 is the number.

Let's go to Charlotte, North Carolina, where Fola joins us. Fola, how can we help? Hi. Thank you for taking my call. You bet. What's up? I wanted, can it be too late to switch careers? What do you mean by too late?

Well, I've been a nurse now for about 13 years, and I'm pretty tired right now of it. Sure. I've been tired for a while. So I was looking into some other things. I tutor, and I'm pretty good at that. Okay. But that taps into the side of me that likes numbers and things like that. So I was looking to switch into something like data management,

but that would take some education on my part. How much education would it take? Have you looked into that? Have you researched it? I have. At least a year of self-study, like intense self-study. So the technology field, because presumably you could continue tutoring on the side and make that a really nice side business. It sounds like you're already doing it and you enjoy it.

But is the technology field something that you're thinking about this this data management, because of the stability in the career, or is it something you really enjoy? Well, because I think it would be something I would enjoy. Good. And also because I could potentially merge it with my nursing degree and work in a health care company. Fantastic. Okay, so I've got a couple things for you.

I want to take on this idea that you think it's too late. Is this because you think your age, but somebody's not going to hire you? Is that what's behind this? What's making you think is it too late? Because I already spent 13 years doing nursing. Okay, great. Let me just tell you right now, it's not too late. You can transition. One of the things I want you to do in the next week, I want you to contact Bethel Tech. Betheltech.net slash Ken Coleman. We've got a partnership with them. They are training people for technology jobs with no previous experience. You don't have to have a ton of technical skills.

They have a nine-month program, and it's less than $15,000. Now, that's one example. I want you to talk to them, kick the tires, ask them all the questions. It may not be a good fit for you, but this year of self-study that you've already identified, that's not too long. And the reality is I know you're tired as a nurse, but if you've got a clear path forward so you know right now that technology is something that you can add to your tool belt and stay in the healthcare world where you've got a ton of connections.

13 years worth of relationships. This is a huge head start for you. If you can hang on and you can take care of yourself, I'm going to have Christy talk to you about some things that you can do because you're exhausted. And Christy can help you with that. But if you can, and I know you can, if you can hang in there long enough to get qualified, Christy, I know that she can transition out of that nursing day to day and move into technology and have a fantastic future. Well, and it was what we were just talking about. Your career is not necessarily one thing you do for four decades like it used to be in older generations. And then you got the gold watch and you retire. Now it's more of an evolution and careers can change and they should. And that's fine. It's not too late. In fact, it's incredibly

normal. And so the one thing I would encourage you as Ken is talking about what this looks like of the getting qualified, I just want you to remember that that's a season and it won't last forever. And so let that motivate you to pour yourself into getting qualified in the season, knowing that the difficulty of staying in nursing isn't going to last forever. And the difficulty of getting qualified in training is not going to last forever because when it's hard, because it will be hard to learn this new thing and to continue to nursing when your heart may not be in it anymore, that that is a season and there's light at the end of the tunnel. And when you get to the other side of the training, you can begin to transition into that new thing

and it will all be worth it, but you're just going to go through a season of getting qualified. That's okay. Great advice. It's normal. Foley, you got this. You absolutely have this.

Let's just keep looking into this, all the multiple ways to get qualified. And once you pick the right path, you fund your way through it, keep the cash flow going, and then you're going to walk right into this great future. Really proud of you. Thank you for the call.

And by the way, don't for a second look back on 13 years of nursing and say, huh, it's just what Chris and I were talking about. I kind of wasted some time. That's not true. You are caring for people on the front lines, and we salute you, Paula. Thank you so much. And it prepared you for what you're going to do next. That's absolutely right.

All right, let's go to Kayla in Colorado Springs. Kayla, how can we help? Hi, yes, thank you for taking my call. Sure. I am a systems engineer, and I have been for about three, four years now, been floating in technology. But this isn't my calling, and I know that it's not my calling. This isn't what I want to do. This isn't what my degree is in. But I'm on baby step two. And in order to pursue the job that I want to pursue,

I would take a significant pay cut. How do I juggle the baby steps while still pursuing what I want to do with life? I love this question. I get it all the time. Okay, let's just break it down. How much do you have? How much debt do you have left? And then when do you expect to pay it off currently with your current job? Currently, we have $123,000 left of debt. Payoff is just under two years.

That's awesome. And I'm looking at how can I do this? Do I just sell off the cars in order to pursue the job that I want, to get rid of the debt faster? Sure. I'm just scared. I get it. I'm scared. I get it. But here's the deal.

You're in great shape right now in a job that you're stable in, and you are trucking on this thing. So let's just look at what is it going to take for you to get qualified. Do you know to change? You've already got the degree. Is it aligned with your degree, and what do you have to do to get qualified to change careers? Do you know?

Yeah, it's actually pretty simple. I would just have to be hired on. It doesn't require anything, so my degree is in criminal justice. Okay. How big of a pay cut would it be? We would be looking at about $30,000 to $35,000 a year. Okay. But once we have no debt and we've got that emergency fund, how do you feel about it? Let's fast forward. How do you feel about it if we were there? I feel happy. You'd change tomorrow, wouldn't you? I would change tomorrow. Okay. I got some great news. Kayla, listen to me. Criminal justice is still going to be there in just under two years. I wouldn't put this pressure on you right now to choose

between paying off debt and doing the work I love. This is how what I teach and what Ramsey Solutions on Money teaches comes together. I'm going to tell you, chill out. Keep moving forward. I'd sell cars. Yes, I would try to take the under two years, Christy, and I'd try to shave time off of it because I know that then I can walk into criminal justice. But you're qualified, Kayla. Here's what I want you to do. I want you to get connected while you're paying off debt and make sure that you've got every opportunity that could be available to you waiting on you the minute you guys pay off the debt and get that emergency fund in a place where you can take the pay cut. Because we've got the third largest group of net worth millionaires in this country is teachers. That means the median salary right now in America for teachers is $60,000. It's not about the paycheck.

It's about purpose, and they're moving their lifestyle to be able to do the thing they love. And that's you, Kayla. You got this. It's what we were just saying about a season. This is a season. Oh, that's it. You're in the season of paying off your debt. It's what I always say.

This is what I talk about in my book, What's Right Right Now. You don't have to do everything all the time. We're going to do what's right right now. What's right right now? Paying off the debt. It doesn't mean that dream is dying. It's just not right now. What's right right now is paying off the debt. And then when you get debt free, however you get there, take an extra job, sell in the cars, whatever, then what's right?

Oh, pursuing that next step in your career, pursuing the job that you really want. But we've just got to do the right things at the right time. Otherwise, that dream is going to stress you out, and we don't want that. We want to keep the joy in it for you, but it just comes down to doing it at the right time. That, that dream is going to stress you out, and we don't want that. We want to keep the joy in it for you, but it just comes down to doing it at the right time. That's it. Kayla, you got this. Listen, you're at under two years right now. You start selling stuff, getting gazelle intents. There's the extra motivation beyond just getting debt-free. It's stepping into the work that you were created to do. Keep with it. It's going to be here before you know it.

Great work, Christy, on the seasons. I had too much fun. I really did. This was so great. It did not feel like three hours. This flew by. Yeah, very good stuff. Hey, I want to thank our producer, Ben Hill, and our associate producer, Kelly Daniel.

But most of all, we want to thank you, America. This is The Ramsey Show. Hey, guys. This is James, senior producer for The Ramsey Show. Did you know over 18 million people listen to The Ramsey Show every week? And a lot of those people listen on one of our 600 plus radio stations across the country. To find a station near you, head to theramseyshow.com.