Hey, long time no see! I’ve decided to use this quarantine period to get back into journaling and blogging, sharing my thoughts with you and hopefully keeping both of us entertained. If it feels like you’ve missed out, don’t worry—I’ll try to catch you up along the way. In the meantime, stay safe and remember to wash your hands!
Here we are on Day 55. I took some time today to reflect on what I’ve accomplished during these nearly two months of lockdown, and honestly, it isn’t much. But hey, I’ve managed to stay alive and healthy, along with my dogs and husband. Most days, I put on a bra before noon and consumed alcohol in reasonable amounts—let’s count that as a win.
Recently, I learned that immigration might reopen in the first week of June, which got me thinking about my future plans. Then, out of nowhere, I came across an opportunity to apply for a fellowship to train as a financial counselor. This role is like a health coach, but for finances—you create financial plans for families based on their goals without pushing unnecessary products for commission.
Military bases already have financial counselors, but I’m not thrilled with the ones here. Instead of just complaining, I figured why not take their job? The fellowship covers the $2,000 study cost and requires 1,000 hours of practice, which can be either paid or unpaid.
Right now, since I’m still waiting for my green card and don’t have a work permit, I’m only allowed to study. Once I get the permit, I could find a company willing to pay me, which would be better than an unpaid internship. There’s even a possibility to reduce the 1,000 practice hours to 400 if you have relevant experience. Between this blog and some financial coaching I’ve done for friends, family, and readers, I hope to qualify for that reduction.
The goal is for this credential to help military families improve their financial well-being. Financial literacy is something I’m passionate about, and it’s tough to see families struggling when they don’t have to. Military life comes with many free benefits—housing, healthcare, food allowances, and more—so there’s no reason for anyone to live paycheck to paycheck, even with lower salaries compared to the private sector.
Unfortunately, many junior members make poor financial decisions, like going into debt for a brand-new car or maxing out credit cards, which takes years to fix. My plan is to offer guidance to younger service members before they make these mistakes and help senior members transition back to civilian life with a solid financial foundation.
If I land a job on base, my services would be free, which is fantastic. It’s much like how I run this blog: the content is free, and advertisers cover my costs. Alternatively, I could freelance with flexible hours and potentially higher rates, but my main goal is to give back to the community, meet new people, and maybe eventually qualify for a mortgage and get into real estate here.
So, I’ve applied for the fellowship, and I’ll hear back by early July. Fingers crossed!