Hi everyone. My name is Jen and I'm 26 years old. Going back in time a bit...I met my husband while I was studying abroad in college, and moved to Chicago to be with him. I turned down two job offers, believing that the real world wasn't as scary as people made it out to be. Well, I was wrong...

I lived on campus all four years of college and had never seen a rent contract before. The deposit came as a huge shock in addition to the reality of how much everything costs (why don't schools offer personal finance 101 classes?) It didn't help that my roommates assumed I'd get a job immediately and signed up for the most expensive cable/internet package, bought a huge flat screen TV (again, assuming I'd be fine with splitting the cost), etc. etc. Well, I'd saved every nickel and dime I've ever made until that point so I could be independent of my parents and boy was I shocked when my 7-month lifeline turned into 3.

I was forced to take the most life-sucking job I could imagine. I became a personal assistant to a 72-year-old health care executive who was mostly deaf, blind, superstitious, verbally abusive, impossible to please, and had no soul. The hourly contractor job (with no benefits) lasted several awful months and the whole time, nobody (including my husband) understood why I *wanted* to be someone's slave, especially with a college degree from reputable institution. If only I had had the guts to yell out, "I'm just trying to make fertilizer out of sh*t!" (love your signature, Chuck) Thankfully I landed a much better job after that and had a chance to regain my sanity/grow professionally.

Then we had to relocate to San Francisco 7 months ago in order to accommodate my husband's job and again, I find myself job searching. The worst part is that he completely doesn't understand what I'm going through because he's never been in my shoes--he got an internship in college, was offered a permanent position and held on to it ever since. I find myself shrinking away from him fearing that he'll impatiently ask, "How's the job search going?" Well, we live together. Shouldn't he know I'm having a tough time? Asking for an update 2-3 times per day isn't exactly a form of encouragement...

Sorry--my self introduction has turned into a bit of a rant, but I just wanted to share the truth with all of you. Our friends and family don't know the strain all of this is putting on our marriage. We just smile and pretend everything is okay.

I recently found a part-time, hourly gig that I hope will lead to permanent employment soon. Just trying to keep one foot in front of the other...