In A Dorm Room, Far Far Away…
Prior to beginning my professional doctorate in TCM, I had a money-averse attitude that was borne out of a mindset centered upon not having enough and being fearful of running out of the little resources I had. When I entered graduate school, I had to take out student loans to cover the cost of school as well as the cost of living in a high cost of living area. These loans were the most money I had seen at any one time and I gladly created a simple budget so that I could stuff away as much of the loans into my savings as I could. I was unaware of the growing debt I was quickly accumulating as I had adopted the attitude towards student loans that had been modeled for me, ‘just take them and they’ll get paid back eventually.’ At first, I thought this was the only way to acquire a graduate degree. However, throughout the program I met several classmates who worked full-time and only took classes as they could afford them, thereby avoiding student loan debt. This realization immedia