Money has never been something me or my family could ignore. When my mom lost her job last year and had to take a lower- income paying one, everything in my life changed so fast. Now she’s working two jobs just to keep us afloat. My dad doesn’t really have the ability to help much since they are divorced, so it’s not like someone we can go to as a backup. Because of that, I’ve been working 30 hour weeks while still in school helping play bills, and covering what I can to help out. It’s not an option it’s just what has to happen. That’s honestly where most of my financial “education” has come from. It’s not from a class, but from watching what happens when income goes away and the bills don’t. I’ve had to actually think about every paycheck, how much I’m making, what gets taken out, and what’s left after helping at home. There’s not any space to waste money when you know your family needs it. I’ve learned to be more careful, but also aware of how easy it is to fall behind. One thing can throw off anything. At the same time, there is a difference between working just for money and actually understanding how money works. Right now, I’m doing what I can to help, but I don’t want to stay in a cycle where I’m always trying to catch up. I understand how things work like credit, saving, and how to actually build something long term instead of just having to get through each week. Going forward, I plan to use what I learn to not end up in the same problem. That means making smarter choices with money, finishing school, setting myself ip for a career that actually pays enough to live and not survive. I don’t want my mom to have to work two jobs forever. I don’t want to feel like one bad situation could mess everything up. I want to be able to help her in a real way, not just a little her and there. I also want to prove to myself that I’m stuck in this situation just because I started here. The fact of the matter is, dealing with money problems like this, this early forces you to grow up fast. But it also shows you exactly what you don’t want your future to look like. For me financial education isn’t about knowing how it works are just passing the class, it’s about getting to a point to know where I’m in control, not having to get worried about what’s coming next.