I offer no guarantees, as bad stuff does happen and things don't always go according to plan. In particular, what to do if you become the victim of an accident, crime or natural disaster is beyond the scope of my previous post.

All I wanted to do is to give a few tips on how not to fall on the debt trap by yourself, things that are within your reach.

I've been in my current job for 15 years. Before this, I had two other jobs, none of them lasted a whole year. In the first one, I was laid off because I was stupid and didn't do well enough. In the second one, I quit because I didn't like my new position.

I stayed at my current job mainly out of patience and usefulness. I learned a lot while at this job, and I weathered plenty of awful moments, and I also helped build a legacy that's still in use today. I've seen a lot of other people come and go, we're always looking for new personnel but most applications are quite unsatisfactory.

I learned about apprenticeships while I was wasting my time at University, but unfortunately this is something that you find out by chance; they don't really talk enough about the chances you could have at your disposal to further your career while you're pursuing undergraduate studies. Maybe they want students to look for those chances themselves. I'm sad to see that you missed it out.

They specifically want students because they're perceived as more malleable and trainable and less overqualified for the job than graduates. As you're already graduated, they expect you to be ready for the kind of position a graduate can do, they want you to already have built that experience. as I've never been in your position, there are other people that can give you better advice.

Oh, I forgot to say. I got my current job specifically because my hobbies seemed unusual and interesting while still related to my field. Think about what else have you achieved so far besides your degree, maybe if you include that in your resume you will be considered in your next job.

As the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, I'll bite:

"How not to fall into the debt trap", a few tips from a formerly heavily-indebted loser:

- Things can and will go wrong. It's better to prepared than to borrow money for an emergency.
- Never spend more than what you can earn.
- Pay all of your debts before you borrow again.
- A breather today is a greater burden tomorrow. Don't make it a permanent issue.
- Never pay a debt with another debt.
- Never lose your job while indebted.
- Borrow only to pay for variable expenses, never to pay for fixed expenses.
- Borrow as a last resort in case of an emergency, or as an investment. Never for pleasure.
- Sometimes you must realize that what you really need is a better paycheck.
- Forget about attempting to give the appearance of a social standing and quality of life that you can't actually afford.
- Mind your priorities.

"Why being educated is actually worth some effort so you don't end up on welfare", a few seeming obvious things that never cross the mind of most adolescents.

- You're not going to live off your parents forever. Think about the kind of adult life you want to lead and how much it'll cost you.
- You'll always be expected to have a minimum level of knowledge before being accepted at a job. Said minimum is very different from job to job.
- The more you know and the more useful your skills, the better your job and your paycheck.
- Maybe today you just want to have fun, but someday you'll want your own place, family and kids, and you need to start building your future right now.
- A measure of success is to be able to live the life you want to live while working at something you like.
- Let's face it, a lot of the things we like to do aren't really useful in the workplace. Many jobs don't pay well or are in little demand.
- You must learn how much things actually cost. The easiest things are also the least valuable, and the widest roads are the most crowded.
- Education is a good start but it's not everything. Most of what you need to learn to get a good job position are things you can only learn by working at a lesser job position.
- How about looking for an apprenticeship? How about a part-time job while you learn? Start low, start early, grow up in the way.
- If you don't have your own place, you're not ready to start a family. If you're not ready to have children, you're not ready to have sex. Condoms do break from time to time. Don't ruin your life.
- Don't have more kids than you can afford to raise properly. Be responsible about your kids.

0. Avoid fame at all costs. It ruined Notch's, Nguyen Hà Dông's, and many others' life.
1. Buy a large-enough plot of land and anonymously transfer its ownership to my mother.
2. Tell them that I got a job abroad in [insert developed country name that's *not* the U.S.] so they finally leave me alone.
3. Fix my teeth.
4. Learn that country's language.
5. Actually find a job there.
6. Buy a decent house there.
7. Become a citizen there.
8. Find a lonely single woman. Date her. Marry her.
9. Donate anonymously, mainly to educational non-profit projects in my country. Never disclose my identity.
10. Spend the rest of my days as a writer, cartoonist and hobbyist.

15 years here too. I've felt tempted to quit many times, but looking for another job would be too much of a hassle. Also, I've grown a bit attached to this place... and, in my current economic situation, I'd rather play safe.

I guess that you must be stuck to a specific version of Internet Explorer. I know of some large organizations that are still standardized on Internet Explorer 6. *cringe*

Are you from South Korea?