The Ramsey Show - App - How Do I Re-Enter the Workforce After 20 Years? (Hour 2)

Episode Date: October 1, 2020

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🎵 Live from the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, broadcasting from the Dollar Car Rental Studio, this is The Dave Ramsey Show. It's where America hangs out to talk about life, money, your career, your relationships, and mental and emotional health. I'm Ken Coleman, host of The Ken Coleman Show, which is a part of the Ramsey Network, and I'm joined by my colleague, Dr. John Deloney, the host of the Dr. John Deloney Show on the Ramsey Network, and we together are here to take your questions. It is your show, America. The phone number is toll-free. It's 888-825-5225, 888-825-5225 let's start it off with blake in wichita kansas blake how can we help

hey so i started on the you know the whole baby steps and everything uh around august of last year and then i had um you know i started paying things down and whatnot because I know where Andy's thing is you got to get current before you can you know start the snowball from my understanding um then I had surgery in November and then I was out till February and then I got laid off in April and then was laid off and didn't have a job for a couple months and so we fell behind on things again and so I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do to get back on track. Like, we're to a point now where we're almost caught back up. But I just, I'm kind of stuck in a pickle.

You're rotating your language a little bit. You said I, you said I, and then you said we. So who's I and we? I'm sorry, my fiancé and I. Your fiancé. Okay, so are you all working together on this plan? Are you all sharing plans, or how are you all managing this together? Yeah, we've sat down quite a few times and worked out the budget and everything.

She's currently a stay-at-home mom. We have two boys, and so obviously that hinders how fast things can be accomplished. What do you mean specifically when you say we've got to get caught up first before we work the baby steps? I'm a little fuzzy on what you mean. So because I had gotten laid off, we had fallen behind on utilities and rent and things like that. Okay, I got it. So did you just not pay? Did you have to get a credit card out?

Did you just go into a 90 days behind your bills? Where are you? As of now, because I have started working again, so I've been working for about three months now again, and we're caught up on everything except for our water, and it's only a month or two months behind now. Okay. And so... Are you guys living beans and rice? everything except for our water and it's only a month or two months behind now okay and so are you guys living beans and rice are y'all cutting out all the nonsense to get caught up

on this because these aren't frivolous things these are four walls things these are basic necessities brother you got to have water just want to make sure that you're getting the gravity of this one yeah yeah no we've we've cut out all the extra spending and everything like that already very cool so what's your what's your big question sounds like you guys hit a hit a pothole Yeah. Yeah, no, we've cut out all the extra spending and everything like that already. Very cool. So what's your big question? Sounds like you guys hit a pothole. You got a job. You're kicking butt.

You're getting back on it. Are you just getting frustrated and worn out and exhausted? I guess my biggest question is, and where I don't know what to do, is we had bought a 2020 Chevy Trax, and we had paid off our other vehicle with the tax return. So we had one vehicle that didn't have anything. Our other vehicle had a bunch of problems, and so we traded it in and ended up carrying money over to the Trax.

And so that's a $30,000 loan, which is more than what the vehicle is worth. So I guess the biggest question is to get us started is is do we sell it for what we can get out of it which is roughly $20,000 just to make math easy and then have just a $10,000 loan to make payments on and buy two cheaper vehicles or a cheaper vehicle because I actually already have one that's completely paid off. Well, before we get to that, how long before you're going to get caught up on the water bill

um hopefully october 9th it should be completely caught and you both are working now no just you yes and she's got the little guys the little the little folks at home so she's got to take care of the kiddos. Yeah. How long has she been your fiancé? We've been engaged for about a year and a half now. What are we waiting on? Money. Yeah.

Okay, so is it possible, do you have friends and family in your area that might be able to step up for the short term and watch the children for her to work at least 20 hours a week? Is that even an option? Have you looked at that? So she starts school again on October 19th. How is she paying for school? She has student loans. Okay. What is she going to school for um nursing okay so who's watching the kids while she's going to school uh her mother okay um how much does she have left

in the nursing degree or the program how much time time? Just a year. Just a year. Okay. And okay, John, here's the deal. I'm working through, here's the deal. This, we can't overcomplicate this. You're only working one job. Is that right? Yes. You need another job because what you have got to do is we've got to get current and we've got to get not just current, but we've got to get enough income coming in for you to not just get current on the water, but to very quickly get that baby step one taken care of, which is $1,000, just to cover your garden variety emergency. Do you understand what I'm saying? All right? And then everything else is attacking that debt. And then, yes, once you get Baby Step 1 taken care of, we start taking the smallest debts and we attack them.

What else besides the $30,000 van or whatever it is, do you have? It's mostly the rest of it's all school loans between her and i okay she's got roughly 50 because she was at ku that was before i we had got together and then i think i have uh 18 000 in total okay so blake i want to take a step back even further than what ken to ken ken's well hold on before we get i'm going to be very quick so So here's the deal, Blake. So what you need to do is you do the $1,000. You need a second job, maybe even a third job. You got family there to help with the kids. This is all in, man, going absolutely bananas, gazelle intense. $1,000 in emergency fund. And then what I want you to do is, yes, I would sell that car. And so now you create a $10,000 loan and an 18 and a 50,

and you attack the 10. So, yes, that's what I want you to do. John, go ahead. Blake, I want you to see what happened for what it was, okay? You hit an ice patch, and you almost went completely over the side to the point that you have two little kids, a fiancé. You're completely untethered, trying to hold 50 different plates spinning at once,

and you guys almost went over the edge. You were about another 30 days from going over the edge, weren't you? Mm-hmm. Right. I want you to recognize this for the cosmic gift that it was. You're living a plan-free life, a vision-free life, and I understand what it's like to all of a sudden you wake up, you got two kids, things are spinning. You and your fiance have to get off the track for a second and come up with a plan together. It's going to 100% include

what Ken's talking about, but you cannot live untethered anymore, brother. It's going to push you over the edge. You're one more mistake from letting it happen. Three jobs, get on a plane, start cracking down, get married, get it right. Yeah, and no more debt. No more. Ever. And put a ring on it.

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Welcome back, America. This is the Dave Ramsey Show, where we talk about your life. We talk about your money. We talk about your career, purpose in your work. We talk about your relationships. We talk about mental and emotional health. I'm Ken Coleman, joined by Dr. John Deloney, as we take you through this hour of the Dave Ramsey Show. 888-825-5225.

That's 888-825-5225. Let's go to, I never know on this one, John. I think it is Lima, Ohio. We'll see. Brooke is there. Yeah, Brooke, how can we help? Hi, can you hear me? Yes.

Is it Lima or Lima? It's Lima. Oh, I got it right. Wow. I would have gone with Lima. Good work. Very exciting. Very exciting.

Brooke, we're off to a good start here. Yeah. How can we help today? Thanks for taking my call. So my question is, my husband and I are on baby step number two, and we have some in our savings. We have our first baby on the way. So my question is if you have, like, a suggested amount that people should save,

because I know that Dave always says to pile up all your extra money, like, from your debt until you have your baby. When's your baby due? March. Can we just stop and say congratulations? Yay! That's so cool. Is this baby number one? Baby number one, Brooke? Yeah, baby number one. Are you guys excited, nervous? What are you

feeling? Yeah, yeah, we're really excited. I'm actually like, yeah, I have to go to the doctor pretty soon here, but yeah, I'm really excited. All right, so let's walk through the basic checklist, and I'm'm assuming do you have your mom or maybe your mother-in-law helping or some girlfriends that have babies are they involved in all this and you're gonna have the showers you got somebody there that that has had a baby recently do you have that around you yeah i definitely have my mom and my mother-in-law and my best friend just had a baby so so i want you to rest in the fact that they are wonderful resources of information. And I think you create a checklist.

I think you create a list of, okay, what are the things that I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get in my baby showers, right? And then what are some things that we can't count on that in the showers? And we're going to have to buy these things. That could be everything from a crib to, you know, the, the, the, whatever else the, the, the, if you want to put a humidifier in or whatever it is that you want to do. And so you, you just kind of get a game plan for all the things that you're going to need. And then you need to look at, all right, what are my monthly costs going

to be for baby? So we know diapers, right? We know that. And you just, you sit down with, you know, and you just think through all. And you just, you sit down with, you know, and you just think through all that and you go, all right, realistically, how many diapers am I going to have to, you know, you look at a box and you go, okay, I'm going to roughly go through two, three boxes or whatever it is a month. John, it's been a while. And I honestly just kind of deleted that from my memory, but that's how you brain helps you out that way. Right? Yeah. But that's how you come up with that number in it. And you're really wanting to make sure that you get to the monthly, whatever you're going to have to spend on that, you want to get that in your budget. But to kind of soften that blow, you're wanting to save up money for

the things, the big expenditures, some of the things that you're going to need, maybe some of those early doctor's appointments, things like that. You just want to create that list, and that's going to help you come up with that number. Brooke, do you have a bunch of other debt in Baby Step 2? So I have, my husband and I have two student loans combined, and then we have a car. So right now we've been really aggressive in paying off the car. We're trying to get that done before the baby, and I think we'll have it paid off by November 1st. How much do you have left on that car? We have about $4,700.

Okay. So you're ending up each month with about $2,300 left over? Yeah. Yep. We've been putting an extra $2, dollars on debt every month and i'll be going for the car right now um and then so we have eleven thousand dollars saved for the baby as of right now but i just i don't know like if that's supposed to be after the baby or so here's the deal brooke you're in great shape yeah brooke you're not gonna hurt anything if you i understand getting that car is just a burn your soul right now. If you all knock that out November 1, and that's going to give you four more months just to put stuff in an account for come what may with that baby, that's not going to hurt anybody for pausing your baby step two. Are you in a health care situation? I mean, are you going to have a copay, or is there a certain amount that you can do some research on on just the hospital costs for having the baby?

That's what I would be looking at. But I think if there's not some big number there because of maybe a kind of a tough insurance type policy that you've got, your health care coverage, I think $11,000, I think you're in great shape given the discipline that you all have.

Okay. Well, that's good to hear. And again, nothing. If you go from December through March and you don't throw extra, of course you're making your minimum payments towards your remaining two student loans, nothing's going to hurt if the baby's born, you have a great shower, your friends and family come through for you, you've got the stuff, and then you're just going to write a big check to your student loans on April 1st. Nothing's going to be harmed by that, right?

That's right. And you're going to pay that car off. So you've got the wiggle room. You've got more than enough room to, as you're learning the new baby budget, you've got plenty to cash flow that. But again, do what I told you to do. And I think you're going to see that you've got more than enough cash for baby entering your lives. And we're so happy for you. Your baby is going to be born into a wonderful, wonderful financial situation because you guys are already on purpose and you are making some great strides. And pretty soon, you're going to be debt-free. So I hope you consider calling in or coming to see us here in Nashville and doing that debt-free screen with that little baby. That's going to be fun. Okay. Thank you.

You bet, Brooke. Thank you for the call. I love that. That is so good. Let's go now to Washington, D.C., where Wellesley is on the line. Wellesley, how can we help? Hello, gentlemen. Thank you for your time. My question is, so my boyfriend and I broke up two weeks ago, and my question is, if possibly I could have earned a simple compromise to address the issue of the different future goals that he and I have

instead of breaking up with him. How long did y'all date? Five years. Five years. Hey Wellesley, see if you can move that phone a little bit closer to your mouth to see if we can hear you a little bit better. Much better? Much better, yeah. So after five years, you pulled the trigger and said no more. What was the disconnect in values that made you take that step? Okay, so for example, I am a homebody, and I'm close to my family, and my friends and social circle are in close proximity to me but he wanted to move away from our family and live the island life move away to some Caribbean island and enjoy that kind of lifestyle and I want I'm following the Ramsey baby steps

and want to have a comfortable living situation, and his motto is living life for the experiences, not for the paycheck. What did you love about him that kept you all together for five years? So that's the thing. So emotionally and relationally, he and I connect really well. And we weren't serious about our commitment. But it was just clear that he and I just don't have a common vision for our future. So, yes, emotionally, I guess, he and I connected well.

And I'm a very patient person so I guess that also is um I just went along with it for a while the differences I'm just quickly curious here because we've only got about a minute uh did you I'm assuming you guys discussed this and did you ever kind of say hey if, I can't live that life? Did he ever say, well, I'm willing to change? Or did he say, well, I'm out? What happened? Who broke up with who?

I did the breaking up. So he was not willing to compromise? Yes, we were willing to compromise, but I think the issue was we didn't know where to compromise. Wellesley, did you and him ever go sit down and talk to a pre-marriage counselor together? No. Did you have a big blow-up fight, or did you just slowly, did the air just leave this relationship? Slowly, the air just left the relationship.

So there's something bigger going on here. You can have different beliefs. Your values can shift and move over time if you co-create a vision together. And sometimes getting a professional to help you walk that is important to help you ask hard questions and do things like that together. But there's something else going on here, Wellesley. If you think you made the wrong decision, call him back. Yeah, but go sit down with a professional and give it one more shot where you get an independent voice so you can really see what's on the table. Good advice, Dr. John Delaney. Hey, don't move.

More Dave Ramsey Show. I'm Ken Coleman, joined by my colleague, Dr. John Deloney, as we take your calls this hour about life, money, your job, advancing to the dream job, getting clear on how your work and purpose can come together, getting healthy in your relationships, mental and emotional health. That's what we're talking about here. 888-825-5225.

888-825-5225. 888-825-5225. Blinds.com. 100% satisfaction guarantee means even if you mismeasure or pick the wrong color, they'll remake your blinds for free. John, that's important because I'm the guy that mismeasures. Every time I screw up. Yes. Yeah, you'll get the free samples, free shipping,

and with the new promos they run every month, you'll save even more. Use the promo code RAMSY to get the best deal rules and restrictions apply all right so today's question comes from patricia in kentucky she visits daveramsey.com to ask prior to raising my kids i was an executive assistant i chose to be a stay-at-home mom for 20 years my kids are now adults and i'd like to return to work but but I'm not qualified for an administrative assistant position according to the job postings I see online. My computer skills are lacking even though I'm very comfortable using a computer. A lot has changed in how business is conducted in the last 20 years. Can you offer some guidance

on what I could do for a job? I've thought of taking classes in Excel, HubSpot, Google Suite, as these are some of the qualifications required, but this takes money and time. Do you have any advice? Yeah, my first advice is to call the Ken Coleman Show, Patricia, so I can find out what type of work you really love to do. But I think it's kind of clear here, John, even in this question submitted via DaveRamsey.com, that she'd like to go back into being an administrative assistant, but she has had the classic thought, oh gosh, I've been out of the workplace for 20 years, I'm irrelevant, and time has passed me by. The thought that she needs to have is, what made me a great administrative assistant 20 years ago makes me a great administrative assistant today.

What is that? That is the talent of being detail-oriented, a person who is naturally organized and has the talent to organize and spin multiple plates, which, by the way, as a stay-at-home mom, you got even better. You got even better. And so you're actually really, really qualified. What she's looking at is, well, now there are some new computer softwares out there. There are new office suites of things you've got to use. And she's already answered her own question because she simply says, hey, I can take some classes online, Excel helps write Google Suite. But this takes money and time. Well, guess what?

Save up the money. It's not a lot of money. We're not talking about going back to school here. It's not that much money, and it won't take as much time. Go ahead and commit to this. She is in stage two of my seven stages to meaningful work and that is get qualified. And so she's already figured out what she needs to do. She's figured out how much it's going to cost. And then she's figured out how long it's going to take her based on her budget. Go ahead and commit. But in the meantime, I would look into the marketplace for maybe some part-time jobs to get your toes back in the water, to wade back in the water, maybe in some roles that don't require all these specific administrative assistant qualifications, and just go help people.

Or go help a small business friend who just needs an office manager. You can do that with your eyes closed. You raised kids, for crying out loud. You have been the CEO, the COO, the office manager of a family. You're qualified. Go ahead and get in. And that part-time job or maybe full-time job is just some type of administrative help. We'll give you the money you need to get all those fancy qualifications to get that big-time administrative assistant job. So there's my answer. Here's a secret that I'm being vulnerable and telling for the first time. Oh, I like this.

When I got my second big-time job at a college, my responsibilities went from a few people and a few million dollars to a number of people and a lots of billion dollars. And I'll never forget the time I turned in a performer on a Word document to our president, and he looked at me as though I had just handed him a plate of moldy bread and said, enjoy. And he looked at it and turned it over, and I'll never forget his face. He's a good friend of mine. He said, what is this?

And I remember thinking, that's probably not what you're looking for. So I got a college student that snuck into my office at 4 o'clock on Wednesdays and taught me Excel. And it wasn't as complicated as I thought. That's right. It wasn't as fearful as I thought. And the kid was about 15 years younger than me at the time. And he helped me pretty quick. And so even if you've got kids in college that can help you begin to learn some of these things,

for me it was about swallowing my pride and saying, there's something I've got to know, and I've got to go find some way to help me do it. That's right. She can get there, and so can you. 888-825-5225. That's the number to jump in to the conversation. 888-825-5225. Let's go to Johnson City, Tennessee, east of us.

And Josh is there. Josh, how can we help? Hey, Ken. Hey, John. How are you guys doing today? We are living the dream. How can we help you? So I'm going to try and keep this brief, a little backstory to the situation. I've got a pretty nice car that the motor blew up in the thing. So I had to replace the motor and then on the way, jackknifed, bumped the bumper. So i had to replace the motor and then on the way jackknifed bumped the bumper so i got to replace the bumper um at this point i i owe money on it but at this point

at this point your car is not very nice anymore right well actually we're extremely blessed um we were able to cash flow the entire thing um so we did use the Baby Step 1. We used the emergency fund, but we're starting to put back into that. At this point, I'm trying to sell it. So I guess I can see one of three options is to finish out what we've got left of Baby Step 2 after we finish up baby step one again, and then kind of ignore paying off the car because we're already planning on selling it. The second option is do baby step two like you normally would,

and then whatever we sell the car for, we use that residual amount to get a new car, or just kind of make a set amount that we get out of this car towards the next car and then use the rest of the money that we would have towards the rest of the baby step three and everything. But the kicker in all this is my wife and I are thinking about trying to have another kid soon, very soon. So I'm just kind of trying to figure out a good path to take on all this. How much money do you owe in debt, including the car? Like just under $15,000.

All right, so we'll say $15,000 is what you owe, and how much is the car worth? How much is the car worth? It's worth like anywhere from $17,500 to $18,500. All right. Let's split the difference there. And so how much do you owe on the car? Just under $14,000. Oh, so the only debt. Okay. So I'm catching up now. The only debt is the car. Yeah. We got a student loan with like $1,000 left. That's going to be paid off in a couple weeks. Okay, great. So if we sell the car for $1,705, you owe $1,400 on it, so you walk away with $3,500. Is that right, or did I get the math wrong? It's like $3,700.

I owe like $1,388, so $3,700. All right. So you walk away with $3,700, and so you could take that $3,700 and you get a $3,500, $3,700 car. And now all of a sudden you are debt-free, brother. Debt-free. And now you're getting that emergency fund built up pretty quickly, and now you're moving on to Baby Step 3 and you're putting the money away. And I think you're fine with the baby.

And you're overcomplicating things, Josh. The baby doesn't figure into this at all. I think you sell the car today. You put it, you list it, you get it ready to go. Yeah, so I think you sell it and listen, you can get a reliable car. I'd go find some cars.

Go do your homework on these cars that are really reliable, high miles cars. Alright? And so I'd get one of those. It may not look great, but some cars, you know, go do your homework on these cars that are really reliable, high miles cars. All right. And so I'd get one of those. It may not look great, but as long as it runs really well, this is for a season. You're going to be pretty quickly in a place where you can cash flow a car. But yeah, get the debt out of your life, man. I think this car is kind of sending you a message.

Sell me. Sell me. Yeah, I was struggling with it about a year ago, trying to figure out if I should or shouldn't, and then I decided not to, and then everything happened. So I'm like, you know what? I'm done. But, you know, let me ask you a really quick question, okay? We only got about 40 seconds here.

If you did not sell the car, how long would it take you to pay it off? What's your projection? Now, after tax returns and everything, probably next summer. Sell the car. Yeah, I still want you to sell it. Still sell it. All right, that's good. next summer. Sell the car. Yeah, I still want you to sell it. Still sell it. All right, that's good. Hey, thanks for the call.

Congrats on the baby. You're going to be debt-free very soon. That is always worth it. By the way, that older car with higher miles, it's still going to feel really good because you know you paid cash for it. That's right. And you have freedom, financial freedom, in your future. This is the Dave Ramsey Show.

Welcome back. welcome back you are listening to the dave ramsey show i'm ken coleman joined by dr john deloney as we take you through this hour thrilled to have you with us triple eight eight two five five two two five we're talking about your life we're talking about your money we're talking about your work are you doing work you love? Are you miserable on Mondays? How are you doing in your relationships? Struggling with anxiety? What's going on? We're here for you. 888-825-5225.

888-825-5225. Let's go to Battle Creek, Michigan. And that's where Jeff joins us. Jeff, how can we help? Hi there. Nice to talk to you. Good to talk to you. My question is, for the last 21 years, I've been working at a low-paying retail job. Next fall, I have the opportunity to go to trade school, which I've really been looking forward to.

The only problem is I'm going to have to quit my current job to go to trade school. And then, you know, that security blanket is going away. How long is trade school? How long is trade school? Nine months. Okay. And what's the schedule like? 8 to 4.30. And then two days a week, I would be going from four in the evening till 8.30 at night. Okay. And is this a trade school where eventually you get to actually get paid or is it nine months that entire thing you're paying, you're not getting paid? It's nine months. I do not get paid. It's just straight up trade school, but it would actually be free. Okay. Oh, so you're not paying at all?

No, I wouldn't be paying at all. It's totally free. All right. Are you married, single? What's your relationship status? Married with two children. Okay. Does your wife work in the home or outside the home?

She works outside the home. Okay. And this is all about you saying, Ken, I know what I want to do. I know why I want to do it, but I've got to figure out how to financially float through that nine months. Exactly. Yeah. Do you have any debt? The only thing I have is my wife's student debt.

How much? $50,000. Whoa. Okay. And are you guys aggressively attacking that right now? Not right now. We basically paid off all our debt, and my house is paid off. Ah, very good. That's the only thing we have left.

So beyond the money, it sounds like you're worried about leaving retail as much as you don't want to say that. Is that right? Are you nervous to leave something that you've been doing for 21 years? Yeah. You know, I've been doing it for so long. I feel like that's one of the only things I know how to do. Oh, hold on a second, Jeff. Now, listen, how excited are you about taking on this trade? Even though you've got some nerves about

leaving that, this actual work itself, where do you want to end up in this? You're taking trade school to go somewhere. Where is that going? Oh, I want to eventually, maybe even towards the end, owning my own business. Yeah, but what's the work itself? What trade? HVAC. Yeah, and do you like problem solving? I love problem solving. I like being able to travel and go to different places. Yeah, are you good at problem solving?

I am very good at problem solving. Yeah, when you think about showing up at somebody's house in the middle of summer and their hvac system has gone to the craps and they're dying and you knock on the door and they see how happy you see how happy they are to see you and you go in there and fix it and then when it's all done you say hey you're all set you should be cooling off here in a couple hours. And they react with that unbelievable joy and appreciation. How does that make you feel as you think about that desired future? Oh, that makes me feel ecstatic. I know I've been in that place before, and I would love to give that to other people. Yeah.

Are you going to feel that if you stay in retail? Not at all. Actually, for the last couple years I've been pretty miserable. Yeah, I know you're miserable. So what's your holdup, Jeff? Oh, he's worried about the money. So here's the deal.

Let's attack this. So what do you have to save up to be able to do the nine months of the trade school and not be super, super tight

or even go backwards financially? What's that number? About $18,000. Save up to $18,000. Work a second job right now. Work a third job. Sell something. Get $18,000 in the bank, and that's when you start the trade school. It's that simple. It's a math thing. And I appreciate what John's asking about you being nervous, but I took you towards your desired future so you could see how bad you want it. You could taste it, can't you?

I can taste it. So let me ask you this, Jeff. If I gave you $18,000 right now, how quickly would you sign up for the trade school? I'd be there tomorrow. Yeah, you'd break your leg trying to get out the door. Yes. So it's $18,000. Save it up.

Find a way to figure or cut your expenses. Do something to where you can get yourself through that nine months. And coming out of that nine months, you're going to get hired, and you're going to make really good money doing something you love. So that's the answer. That's all you've got to do. Come up with, how am I going to cash flow or support my family? How do we get through that nine months of commitment and

coming out on the other side of that? We got the future we want. Do you understand what I'm saying? I sure do. You can do it, can't you, Jeff? I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I want you to write 18,000 on your fridge, on your mirror at home, on your car dashboard. You stare at that number. You hear me? That is your focus. That's the key to you moving forward. You got it? Yeah. Yeah, I got it.

I believe in you. You can do it. You can do it. You absolutely can do it. All right, let's go next to Mankato, Minnesota, where Jeannie joins us. Jeannie, how can we help? So currently I'm a mechanical engineer, and I had a son about a year ago that was a really rough pregnancy. He was one of triplets that we lost the two in the beginning of the pregnancy and then we almost lost him at birth.

I was very happy in my job until that happened. And in the last year, I am no longer happy in my position. I don't feel valued. I don't feel like I'm contributing. I've convinced my husband that we need to go debt-free. And I think after we're debt-free, I think I want to become a financial advisor. But in the meantime, I'm looking at, do I stay where I'm at until we complete that where I think I'm being underpaid and undervalued and do freelancing on the side? or do I try to go to a better position somewhere? I also have an older son who goes to a lot of therapies, and my job

does give me the flexibility to get him to those. See, that's a very interesting wrinkle. I'm glad you shared that at the end. I think you look at option B, which is, can you get into a place where you feel valued doing the same work of being a mechanical engineer? You've got tremendous experience. I would at least look at that because you're not committing to that, Jeannie. You're just going to look and you're going to see, does that give me the flexibility that I need? So that's the caveat. So yes, I look at B first, option B, finding another place, a better place where I can make more money and I'm more valued. But we've got to come up with a plan if they don't give you that convenience that helps you with your son's stuff. And so either somebody else would have to come in and step in, or you have to stay where you are and get that side gig for that extra money until you're ready to walk.

So I think you've got two really good options. I look for B first, but I'm okay with A, John, because I know it's short term and it's giving me the flexibility. I can get the extra money from the side gig, but I'm still taking care of my kiddos. Jeannie, you mentioned that after your baby was born is when you started feeling undervalued and underappreciated. What changed at work? One of my co-workers left, which he really, I thought he was a pain when he was there, but I think he made his, the interactions with him made me feel more valued. I also found out what some of my male co-workers were making compared to what I was making. And I had this baby at home while I was there that I could either, that I could be at home with or I could be there and I want to make sure that my time away from them, I'm getting

the most for them if I am going to be away from them. Yeah. I think you got some great options here, Jeannie. But I will say this, this is, I'm glad John them. Yeah. I think you've got some great options here, Jeannie. But I will say this. I'm glad John asked that question because I think that if you weren't kind of relying on that difficult co-worker to make you feel valuable and you didn't know what your male co-workers were making, I wonder if you'd still enjoy the work of being a mechanical engineer. My homework assignment for you is to say, if those things had not happened, would I still love the work of being an engineer? Now, if the answer is no, I still, my heart is telling me to go the direction of financial advising, then fantastic.

But don't fully commit to that until you really take those two negatives there that really tainted your view of where you work. I want to figure out, do you love the work? And if we change the location, change the circumstances, it gets better. All right. I want to thank our producer, James Childs, our associate producer, Kelly Daniel, my co-worker, my friend, my colleague, Dr. John Deloney. And most importantly, we want to thank you, America. Thanks for hanging out with us. This is The Dave Ramsey Show. heard about an event, product, or service and didn't have a chance to write it down, don't worry. We list everything you've heard about during this episode in the podcast show notes or head to DaveRamsey.com. Thanks for listening.