Swimming in the Mainstream

I wonder sometimes if I am a moocher. I am 29 years old and recently had to move in with my parents after leaving a troubled relationship. I broke up with my Ex Girlfriend who I was living with in charlotte at the time and could not afford to support myself on the income I was earning at Lions Services, where I previously worked and lived. So I decided to move back in with my parents in their home town temporarily to save money and to pursue other job opportunities which will provide me with a substantial enough income essential for one’s survival. I do pay rent and contribute a portion of my SSI and SSDI checks towards the household expenses, though I would like to get off of public assistance some day and be able to afford to get my own place and pay my own way.
Let me also mention to you, my situation is fairly unique in comparison with my peers within the average sighted population, though very common among members of the Blindness Community of which I am also a member. Presently, I hold a masters degree in public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. In fact, the topic for my thesis required for completing my masters was on Employment Of People With Disabilities, With Emphasis On The Blind. . In my thesis, I discussed relevant issues and statistics which contribute to the 70% unemployment rate of legally Blind and Visually Impaired People in the United States of working ages between 18 and 65(to read this thesis you can visit my blog at employtheblind.blogspot.com). Let me add further that I also have trouble with not becoming yet another statistic. Trying to acquire a decent job wen you are visually impaired is extremely difficult if not almost impossible. Though I possess the formal education, I still lack much needed experience in my field of study and expertise where I can get my foot in the door. However I will not give up, but I am afraid I may not be headed in the right direction in order for me to get where I believe I need to be at this point in my life.
I am signed up with my state Voc Rehab agency(The North Carolina Devision Of Services for The Blind), though they are not as supportive of me and my dreams to start a successful career as I would like for them to be. Getting help from them sometimes is like pulling teeth and I for one cannot go on living this way for another 20 years, because it would be a waste of precious time. So I am trying to take action myself and at this point I believe I am achieving slow progress. Most of my former class mates already have jobs in their profession, though I am still “plauding along” as they say.
I did apply for a management trainee position with the National Industries for The Blind and I am presently waiting on their decision. I should know something by mid or late September 2005 as to whether or not I was selected for the position. To find out more about the Fellowship for Leadership Development Program visit http://www.nib.org. If I am fortunate enough to have been selected, I will start on January 5, 2006, and prove successful in acomplishing all of the objectives and assignments required of me. this would be a great opportunity for me if I get it and an answer to my prayers. However if I am not selected, I have to start over at Square 1 once again.
Believe me everyone reading this post; I do want to work as well as to become a productive citizen. I tried Usana Health Sciences, which is a MLM and it did not produce the results I was hoping for when I spent close to $1,000.00 on the investment of my Usana Business. Fortunately I was able to project before the end of the 30 day free trial that this was going to do nothing for me, but assist me with emptying what’s left of my bank account. So I’m getting my money back and going to try something else.
Another interest of mine is to pursue a career in Real-Estate Investing, though I would need a little more capital and to work on improving my credit. However, I do not want to make any more serious financial mistakes trying to get wealthy. Can you help me? If you can, I would love to hear your responses. Please feel free to send me an email, because I would love to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Mike