My story
In 2009, a newspaper article about high-paying engineering jobs changed the direction of my life. I studied engineering and started my first job in 2013 — with no real-world experience and no one to guide me. My first experience in a new city was a job scam that cost me money. Soon after, a company gave me a real chance, trained me, and helped me build a career.
Coming from a simple family, I started supporting my parents and siblings early, often borrowing money to do it. I found it very hard to say no to anyone who needed help, especially my father — who himself had borrowed money he didn't have to pay for my engineering degree.
I got married in 2017, already carrying debt. Soon after, my wife and I discovered she had a medical condition delaying pregnancy, and I paid for her treatment for years. Our son was born in 2019, and our daughter in 2022. Caring for them — especially my daughter, who struggled from birth — meant stepping away from full-time work for two years. My income dropped just as my responsibilities grew.
To stay afloat, I took small loans from lending apps, a credit card, and my own younger brother, who has never once asked for it back. Today I owe close to $4,590 in total, and I urgently need $1,550 to repay people who have waited far too long.
"I don't know anymore whose mistake it was. I just know I want to make things right — for my family, and for myself."
Four months after my wedding, I moved to a new job in my hometown. The salary was lower, and I kept paying off debt slowly. Some time after the wedding, my wife and I found out she wasn't conceiving. Medical tests showed she had a cyst, and I paid for her treatment out of my salary for years — I still have those medical reports today.
In January 2019, my wife got a job offer far from home. On the very day she was supposed to join, we found out she was pregnant. I moved with her so we could stay together, and switched to work-from-home — my salary dropped further, but I told myself things would work out. Our son was born that same year.
After a while, my wife had to go back to her school job, so I stayed home to care for our son. That worked for some time. Then in December 2022, our daughter was born. She cried a lot from the very beginning, and I wasn't able to calm her the way I wanted to. I left my job for two years to take care of her.
I never told my family how deep my debts had gotten. Meanwhile, more needs kept coming — my brother's wedding, fixing up the house, my father's retirement expenses — and I still couldn't say no. I started taking loans from lending apps, doing bits of freelance work in between to manage, but never enough to really get ahead. Small credit card bills piled up. My bank account went into the negative.
Last month, I built a business website for a client using leads I found on Google Maps — after it was done, they told me they didn't need it anymore.
Today, I'm at home caring for my 3-year-7-month-old daughter. I feel ashamed writing this. My friends can't help anymore, work isn't coming in, and I have no one left to turn to. My younger brother has never once asked me for the money I owe him, but I carry that weight every time I see him. In total, I owe close to $4,590 across a few people, loan apps, and a credit card — and right now, I urgently need $1,550 to repay the people who have waited the longest.
I keep thinking about my father — a man who didn't have the money, but still borrowed and paid for my engineering degree because he believed, like I later believed for myself, that an engineer's salary would be enough to fix everything. I don't know anymore whose mistake it was. I just know I want to make things right, for my family and for myself.
If anyone reading this has work they need done — a website, a landing page, a Google Business profile set up, social media posts designed — I would be even happier to help you in exchange for your support. I'm capable, and I want to earn what I receive, not just be given it. That would mean even more to me than a direct contribution.
