The Decision

"In this fall, I am going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat"

With those words,LeBron James broke the hearts of fans in Cleveland on national television. While I believe he should have told the team in person, he had every right to exercise his right to leave for what he thought was a better opportunity. Like LeBron James, we also possess the right to leave in search of better opportunities.

After getting threatened with eviction again, I notified my employer and told them that I was having housing difficulties. They were good people so they offered to help me look for apartments in the area that were in my price range. In the mean time, I would have to drive back and fourth from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to work. I searched all over for a place to stay in New Orleans, but most places were out of my price range. The places that were in my price range required you to make three times the amount of rent, which I did not make. After two weeks of hard work and very little progress, I was ready to put in my two weeks notice, but I received some good news.

"Congratulations! It is my pleasure to inform that you have been accepted to The University of New Orleans Pre-MBA Program!" the letter read. I was happy that I got accepted to the program, but still uncertain about what to do about my housing issue.
Driving back and fourth was beginning to become too much of a burden; my car broke down on side of the road in New Orleans. My dad came to the rescue and helped me pull it to a shop in Baton Rouge so it could be fixed. According to Murphy's law, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." This seemed to be the case here; everything seemed to be going wrong at once. The option of moving back home started to become more appealing. However, like Peter, I was still afraid to walk on water.

Many people would think you are crazy if you told them you were leaving your job in the middle of a recession. "You, Fool! Why would you leave this job when most people cannot find jobs right now?" some would wonder. I chose to take the "foolish" path and move back home to search for better opportunities. Currently, I am working with Ikon Office Solutions and hoping to find a way to advance within the company. If that does not work out, then I'll have to jump off the boat and walk on water again, this time confident that I will no drown! Many people would say that LeBron James decision to leave Cleveland was foolish. While I personally think the Lakers will 3peat next year, only time will tell.

Back to the Crib?

"We don't know that we're going back to the crib. Back to the crib, No!!!"

After you get your college degree, the last place you would like to go is back to the crib. You want the independence and responsibility that comes with having your own place and becoming an adult. However, the harsh reality is that many of us with college degrees have to move back home because we cannot find a career job or we have suffered a misfortune. Have you had to move back to the crib? If so, why? This is my story...

For me, it was moreso the latter; I had my own place at one point, but my roommate failed to pay his share of the rent and we we were evicted last Thanksgiving. It was a very stressful time for me because I was working two jobs and attending school full time (21 hours). Luckily, I had two true friends, Jori and Barry, to let me stay with them so I could finish my last semester of undergrad. It was a cool arrangement; we co-existed peacefully for three months.

I graduated in December with a degree in Business Management and a degree in Business Administration. With no job prospects, I decided to stay in New Orleans because I still had a job working at Dixieland Music and Gifts in New Orleans, where I was responsible for selecting and packaging orders. I hated the job; it was a dead-end job with no opportunities for advancement, vacation time, sick time, etc. Fear of not finding another job and a blind sense of loyalty were the only two things that kept me there. There would come a time where this loyalty would be tested.

At the beginning of March, Jori found a note on his door that said something to this affect: "We have reason to believe that you are housing an alien. If you do not remove this guest within five days, legal action will be taken against you..."

To be continued...