i've been i guess what would be considered "upper middle class".
i've never been a professional. i was an assistant manager in a new york department store beauty salon. i was an administrative assistant in a large ad agency. i've also been a bartender.
i went to school in my late 30s to learn computer programming -- got a few certificates in computer languages and systems design, but never took a job doing either. i did word processing in the legal department of new york telephone company for 9 years. i was a "temp" or "outside consultant". i made great money with the overtime and all the attorneys liked me. when NYT started cutting back i got a permanent job with a famous new york law firm. during those 11 or so years i made between $50 and $60,000 a year but that was with a lot of overtime. we left ny in late '89 and i never worked again because of health problems. sometimes i think some of the health problems came from working the hours i did in closed in buildings with recycled air.
i was a single mom for 3-1/2 years. the most i ever made was $150 a week. i got $40.00 a week in child support and alimony when he paid it. i owned a car -- actually paid one off and bought a new one, but i lived in a dump of an apartment. fortunately my grandmother took care of my son so i didn't have to pay for child care. i wasn't able to save much. my first time on a plane was in '69 when i guy i was dating took me to puerto rico. i couldn't afford a vacation on my own.
my first few years with john were a struggle. he had child support, alimony and $5,000 in his ex wife's charge cards. we stayed in my dump of an apartment for a few years.
i'm ranting on here. anyway he worked for IBM and was able to work his way up. so every year we did a little better. we bought our first house in '89 when we moved to phoenix. i was 48. there was no way we could afford anything in new york.
around the time i hit 60-62 i started to feel like we were financially secure. i'm 72 now -- i've been widowed for almost 18 months and financially i'm okay. i'm collecting john's pension and his 401k and social security survivor benefits. before john died we had an income of approximately $180,000 a year. that's why i said "upper middle class". phoenix has gotten more expensive but it's still affordable. the real estate taxes are low. my friend in ny laughs when i complain about how much i paid for something. she said "it's like we live in 2 different worlds". she pays $3,000 rent for a 1 bedroom apartment -- no doorman -- no amenities.
had i not met john i probably would have pursued more of a career, but what the hell i didn't have all that responsibility doing word processing and i was making good money.
anyway li, you're still in your 40s. don't give up. follow your dream. if it doesn't come true, at least you tried.
i forgot to mention the poor part. when my son was 22 months old my POS ex husband got into trouble with the law. he went to prison for 2-1/2 years and i was on public assistance.
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