Yes, absolutely. I was lucky enough to file back when you could still discharge private student loans; unloaded $3k from a particularly evil company (that still called and threatened my family years later!) The one thing to say for government loans is that there's a lot of options for relief, particularly IBR and…

It's probably worth noting here that student loan debts aren't usually forgiven in bankruptcy. But these are interesting points...I've never really considered this side of it.

You missed the biggest Debt trap: Credit cards.

I once had an old farmer say "Pay as you go, then you don't owe."

Wisest words ever.

I'm a huge fan of bankruptcy. Weird thing to say I guess. I filed for bankruptcy when I was young, after getting in trouble with credit cards. I learned my lesson, was still punished by it at the time, got my fresh start, and now it's 10 years later, my credit score is awesome and I have a huge amount in savings. I'm…

I never did one of those payday loans but I've had myself deep into credit card debt in my younger years. About $30,000 to be exact. Mostly from buying dumb crap that is long gone now. Now I'm debt free, except for the mortgage. I went to my credit union and took out a consolidation loan to merge all of my…

With regards to Payday loans, note that not all of them are created equal. Internet Payday lenders are often foreign, unregulated, and do not follow many state laws. Brink & Mortar lenders are almost always regulated and follow state laws about their lending practices.

If you're trapped by payday loans or considering attempting settlement because you can't afford to pay off your debt, consider bankruptcy. It's a relatively quick process that can eliminate most debts and in the long run your credit may be rebuilt faster than by continuing to struggle with paying debts you can't…

A long, long time avo my baby died.in utero. Your excellent piece of writing made me cry, yet feel at peace with letting the hospital cremate her. After 32 years, I finally know what happened to her and I am at peace with it. Thank you for thus.

Actually, I am lost out on opportunities for NOT listing prior jobs on a resume. They considered it fraudulent

If you are buckshoting by sending resumes to a lot of HR departments you are doing it wrong. HR doesn't actually hire, they are just for cutting down the sheer numbers of applicants to a manageable level. Typically around 3 to 5. And every HR poag has their own criteria for what they pass on. If you take the time to…

Hey! You forgot the scented resume' paper!!

If you're just starting out and trying to get experience and internships, then you might have no choice but to put down "irrelevant" work experience and to show the relevant skills you learned there. I know that's what I have to do on mine.
Just a point.

What about the online Taleo databases that we are all required to retype our information into? How should one handle these?

Funny I've been told now that my resume was to long and to short by two different HR people in IT.

For every job I send a resume to, I send - at this point - thirty-eight resumes at a time. Well, now, make that thirty-nine, because I've been given thirty-nine different opinions on the "right" and/or "best" way to do this including this post.

So, you're saying I should print my resume on origami?

Thank god Google is now releasing tips on how to make us all EVEN MORE like cogs that they can just shove into their soulless corporate machine. Awesome

rule 1: cosmic sans

Cover letters are also important. My favorite bad one? A photo copy of a hand written letter that said, "I'm sure you'll understand that since I'm captain of the field hockey team, I don't have time to write individual cover letters." I understood that field hockey was more important than getting a job at our company.…

They're called reading glasses because you use them to read standard sized copy. If it were too small to be reasonable, you need a magnifying glass. 12 point text in most typefaces looks like you lack the experience to adequately fill a page or you're applying for a position in hospice care. Horsey text doesn't look…