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Thanks for this post. I'm debating applying to a state University right now. Coming from a poor background (and still being poor) I find it hard to relate to a

by vcxzxcv 11y ago

Thanks for this post. I'm debating applying to a state University right now. Coming from a poor background (and still being poor) I find it hard to relate to a lot of my peers. You speak of "dropping baggage", and for me, this is next to impossible because of my poor dental health. As soon as I open my mouth people assume I must be some meth head. My mom has dementia and can barely take care of her self and my dad is struggling with COPD. I'm not going to go further into my home life because I'm not looking for pity. I'm one the best math students at my current school and calculus is fun for me. I'm the only person I know that knows how to program, none of the other students I've met are interested in computers at all. The students that are performing at the same level as I am seem (to me) to be "elites". I find my self becoming more and more cynical each day listening to complaints about having an old model of iPhone or "having to go to Paris with dad" (someone really said this), when all I have is a flip phone and I've never ridden on a plane. I told my self a few years ago I was going to learn to program because it seemed to be something that anyone could do (as long as you have a computer and internet access), seemed to be growing, and seemed to be high paying. I've gotten pretty good, but I still have a ways to go. Now I'm at the point where I can leave my disabled parents for school and let my teeth continue to decay and deal with that social stigma, or I can get a job doing tech support and hopefully help my situation a little faster. We'll see..

mathattack 11y ago
Hang in there! I don't mean to sound trite, but if your personal situation allows you to go to college, do it. It will pay off in the end. I stress personal situation. You'll always be able to fix your teeth later - after college you will be able to get a good job with good health insurance. (& that can help fix a lot of things) I'm not sure about your personal situation with your parents - I can't moralize on that. Good luck - it's tough to deal with.
- taurath 11y ago
  Also may I say, as someone in a similar situation who chose to quickly get into work - do not only look at the economic benefits, but also the social benefits. You will meet so many people just going through college that are just like you, its a wonderful way to gain friends that will improve your whole life. In college the people you meet will be friends or at least acquaintances for a lot of your life. At work the second you or their leave a company you will likely not speak very much at all. Of course, it depends on the person as well - but know that that friendships and meeting people like you is one of the biggest reasons to go to college and does factor into your decision. There aren't a lot of institutions out there where you'll be able to do that outside of a job. Of course, with student loans being as they are, I'm not quite sure whats worse.
- vcxzxcv 11y ago
  Thanks. I think no matter what I'm going to at least try to further my education. I wasn't aware of the school medical/dental benefits being mentioned in this thread, so I'll keep that in mind when applying too.
lxmorj 11y ago
Look into your prospective school's healthcare as some have dental that's reasonable.
mattmanser 11y ago
Leave your teeth to decay? Clean your fucking teeth. Grow up and do something about it. You are now in control of your destiny. You can program, so you can make money if you can figure out how to get jobs. Pretty much the whole world is crying for programmers, get over your social anxiety and meet people who will pay you. Stop being a victim.
- garbage_stain 11y ago
  Now here is some helpful and caring advice. Sigh.
- vezzy-fnord 11y ago
  Presumably there's jawline issues (overbite) and the teeth aren't properly aligned, besides the hygiene. Those invariably require long-term dental intervention, as I have personally experienced.
- patrickmclaren 11y ago
  You have stated exactly what the commenter needs to accomplish without a single consideration as to how to change their mind to do so, which in this case is likely the more pressing issue. Instead of telling someone who is doing X and failing to stop doing X and start wining, it might be more helpful to suggest a realistic next action. In this case, perhaps apply to some very local universities for a CS degree, keep family close, and research community dental clinics with affordable payment plans.
- vcxzxcv 11y ago
  I don't think cleaning them is going to make them grow back or reverse the decay that's already happened. My dental health is the result of not having dental insurance for most of my life. I brush three times a day and I quit drinking soda and eating candy a while ago. >Grow up and do something about it. Uhh.. I am. >get over your social anxiety and meet people who will pay you. I'm doing what I can. I plan on building a "resume" over the summer. Just so you're aware, even though it sounded like it, I was not complaining about my situation. I'm not looking for help, just thought I'd add my perspective to the thread. I actually don't think I would change much about my early life at all. Part of me feels that if I hadn't struggled with being poor I would not have had the motivation to become a programmer, and I enjoy programming.
mreiland 11y ago
It's worth saving up the money to fix the teeth. It's less expensive to pay for the work yourself than to avoid the cost.
dpiers 11y ago
I was in your situation 8 years ago. I decided to furlough my entrepreneurial endeavors and learn to code so I could get a high paying job with benefits and afford to get my teeth fixed. I went to a state school, hustled my way into the game industry and later the startup world, and have gotten +$40k in dental work done over the last 4 years. It's not always easy, but if you're smart and work hard, it gets better. If I could have given myself advice back then, I would've told myself not to be afraid of medical loans or dental schools. I've had ~22k in work done at a really nice dental school in SF that would have cost +50k at private practice. The sooner you get in there, the less it will cost in the long run (trust me). Also, regardless of the current state of your teeth, every day is still a battle for your oral health. Brush after meals and floss regularly. Email me (link in profile) and I'll hook you up with a Sonicare toothbrush.
- vcxzxcv 11y ago
  Thanks for the offer! I actually was able to buy a pretty nice electric toothbrush a little while ago with a coupon I found online.
- bmm6o 11y ago
  Also be aware that many employers offer flex-spending accounts for healthcare, which allows you to pay for certain health-related expenses with pre-tax money. There can be downsides (e.g. "use it or lose it"), but for planned procedures it can reduce the bottom-line impact by quite a bit. (Probably not relevant in GP's position, but hopefully someone finds it useful)
duckingtest 11y ago
I think you should try medical tourism. The price of travel and accomodation is insignificant compared to the savings. Also, don't put it off. You can literally die from ignoring cavities. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06/09/318212444/a-reason-to-smile-mexican-town-is-a-destination-for-dental-tourism http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06/09/318212444/a-reaso...

by vcxzxcv 11y ago

mathattack 11y ago

Hang in there! I don't mean to sound trite, but if your personal situation allows you to go to college, do it. It will pay off in the end. I stress personal situation. You'll always be able to fix your teeth later - after college you will be able to get a good job with good health insurance. (& that can help fix a lot of things) I'm not sure about your personal situation with your parents - I can't moralize on that. Good luck - it's tough to deal with.

taurath 11y ago
Also may I say, as someone in a similar situation who chose to quickly get into work - do not only look at the economic benefits, but also the social benefits. You will meet so many people just going through college that are just like you, its a wonderful way to gain friends that will improve your whole life. In college the people you meet will be friends or at least acquaintances for a lot of your life. At work the second you or their leave a company you will likely not speak very much at all. Of course, it depends on the person as well - but know that that friendships and meeting people like you is one of the biggest reasons to go to college and does factor into your decision. There aren't a lot of institutions out there where you'll be able to do that outside of a job. Of course, with student loans being as they are, I'm not quite sure whats worse.
vcxzxcv 11y ago
Thanks. I think no matter what I'm going to at least try to further my education. I wasn't aware of the school medical/dental benefits being mentioned in this thread, so I'll keep that in mind when applying too.

lxmorj 11y ago

Look into your prospective school's healthcare as some have dental that's reasonable.

mattmanser 11y ago

Leave your teeth to decay? Clean your fucking teeth. Grow up and do something about it. You are now in control of your destiny. You can program, so you can make money if you can figure out how to get jobs. Pretty much the whole world is crying for programmers, get over your social anxiety and meet people who will pay you. Stop being a victim.

garbage_stain 11y ago
Now here is some helpful and caring advice. Sigh.
vezzy-fnord 11y ago
Presumably there's jawline issues (overbite) and the teeth aren't properly aligned, besides the hygiene. Those invariably require long-term dental intervention, as I have personally experienced.
patrickmclaren 11y ago
You have stated exactly what the commenter needs to accomplish without a single consideration as to how to change their mind to do so, which in this case is likely the more pressing issue. Instead of telling someone who is doing X and failing to stop doing X and start wining, it might be more helpful to suggest a realistic next action. In this case, perhaps apply to some very local universities for a CS degree, keep family close, and research community dental clinics with affordable payment plans.
vcxzxcv 11y ago
I don't think cleaning them is going to make them grow back or reverse the decay that's already happened. My dental health is the result of not having dental insurance for most of my life. I brush three times a day and I quit drinking soda and eating candy a while ago. >Grow up and do something about it. Uhh.. I am. >get over your social anxiety and meet people who will pay you. I'm doing what I can. I plan on building a "resume" over the summer. Just so you're aware, even though it sounded like it, I was not complaining about my situation. I'm not looking for help, just thought I'd add my perspective to the thread. I actually don't think I would change much about my early life at all. Part of me feels that if I hadn't struggled with being poor I would not have had the motivation to become a programmer, and I enjoy programming.

mreiland 11y ago

It's worth saving up the money to fix the teeth. It's less expensive to pay for the work yourself than to avoid the cost.

dpiers 11y ago

I was in your situation 8 years ago. I decided to furlough my entrepreneurial endeavors and learn to code so I could get a high paying job with benefits and afford to get my teeth fixed. I went to a state school, hustled my way into the game industry and later the startup world, and have gotten +$40k in dental work done over the last 4 years. It's not always easy, but if you're smart and work hard, it gets better. If I could have given myself advice back then, I would've told myself not to be afraid of medical loans or dental schools. I've had ~22k in work done at a really nice dental school in SF that would have cost +50k at private practice. The sooner you get in there, the less it will cost in the long run (trust me). Also, regardless of the current state of your teeth, every day is still a battle for your oral health. Brush after meals and floss regularly. Email me (link in profile) and I'll hook you up with a Sonicare toothbrush.

vcxzxcv 11y ago
Thanks for the offer! I actually was able to buy a pretty nice electric toothbrush a little while ago with a coupon I found online.
bmm6o 11y ago
Also be aware that many employers offer flex-spending accounts for healthcare, which allows you to pay for certain health-related expenses with pre-tax money. There can be downsides (e.g. "use it or lose it"), but for planned procedures it can reduce the bottom-line impact by quite a bit. (Probably not relevant in GP's position, but hopefully someone finds it useful)

duckingtest 11y ago

I think you should try medical tourism. The price of travel and accomodation is insignificant compared to the savings. Also, don't put it off. You can literally die from ignoring cavities. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06/09/318212444/a-reason-to-smile-mexican-town-is-a-destination-for-dental-tourism http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/06/09/318212444/a-reaso...