LarryMertz
New member
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2026
- Messages
- 7
When I was looking for jobs, I had two offers: one in Dallas, good pay, city life, all my friends. The other was in a tiny rural town you've never heard of, population 3,000, hours from anywhere.
The rural job came with a loan forgiveness program. Work here for four years, and they pay off a chunk of my loans. So I chose the rural life.
It's been a year now, and I'm still not sure if I made the right call.
The good: My loan balance is going down. Slowly, but it's happening. The cost of living is so cheap that my paycheck actually goes further. I bought a house. A whole house! My friends in Dallas can't even afford a studio. The community is tight—everyone knows everyone, and they've been so welcoming.
The hard: I'm lonely. There's no dating scene. The nearest Target is an hour away. I miss my friends. I miss concerts and restaurants and just... being around people my age. Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my 20s in the middle of nowhere.
Four years feels long. But the idea of being debt-free at 26? That feels like a dream.
Anyone else done a rural forgiveness program? Does it get easier? Tell me I made the right choice.
The rural job came with a loan forgiveness program. Work here for four years, and they pay off a chunk of my loans. So I chose the rural life.
It's been a year now, and I'm still not sure if I made the right call.
The good: My loan balance is going down. Slowly, but it's happening. The cost of living is so cheap that my paycheck actually goes further. I bought a house. A whole house! My friends in Dallas can't even afford a studio. The community is tight—everyone knows everyone, and they've been so welcoming.
The hard: I'm lonely. There's no dating scene. The nearest Target is an hour away. I miss my friends. I miss concerts and restaurants and just... being around people my age. Sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my 20s in the middle of nowhere.
Four years feels long. But the idea of being debt-free at 26? That feels like a dream.
Anyone else done a rural forgiveness program? Does it get easier? Tell me I made the right choice.