"Liam*, 29
I was 24 when I got my first job in finance and I was desperate to fit in. My colleagues wore expensive suits and seemed to have endless funds for weekends away and posh dinners out. It was nothing like the charity sector where I’d started my career - where wages are low but people really care about the work. This was the opposite - a really laddy, competitive environment, and suddenly I was surrounded by people who’d obviously come from family wealth.
I worked in sales, and there was a lot of pressure to socialise and get to know other people in the industry. Before long, I was going out four nights a week, and the bars near the office were far from cheap. Sometimes, I could expense these evenings, but often I couldn’t. I’d head to the bar to buy a round of drinks for my colleagues and I'd sweat as I waited to see if my credit card would be approved. I couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than admitting that I couldn’t afford to pay my own way."
Source: ‘I’m 29 and I’m in GBP60k of credit card debt…’ - BBC Three
I was 24 when I got my first job in finance and I was desperate to fit in. My colleagues wore expensive suits and seemed to have endless funds for weekends away and posh dinners out. It was nothing like the charity sector where I’d started my career - where wages are low but people really care about the work. This was the opposite - a really laddy, competitive environment, and suddenly I was surrounded by people who’d obviously come from family wealth.
I worked in sales, and there was a lot of pressure to socialise and get to know other people in the industry. Before long, I was going out four nights a week, and the bars near the office were far from cheap. Sometimes, I could expense these evenings, but often I couldn’t. I’d head to the bar to buy a round of drinks for my colleagues and I'd sweat as I waited to see if my credit card would be approved. I couldn’t think of anything more humiliating than admitting that I couldn’t afford to pay my own way."
Source: ‘I’m 29 and I’m in GBP60k of credit card debt…’ - BBC Three
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