APPLICANT #15: Trevor Jahraus

Trevor Jay is a 20-year-old from Lacombe.

Here is Trevor's video application:

Here is Trevor's current situation:

My hometown of Lacombe is one of those towns where everybody knows your name. I was born and raised, but I'm ready for change.

I'm currently working part-time at a skateshop, where my bosses are kind enough to let me edit my videos when it's slow. I DJ weddings on the side and I've been playing bass in touring bands for the past few years.

I've been looking for steady full-time work for some time now but I'm unfortunately feeling this recession crunch much like the rest of you.

In the next couple years I plan to go to film school and work towards becoming a director. When that happens, all of these videos of mine are gonna seem silly.

Here is Trevor's blog post:

I'm a very honest person. I'm not gonna sit here in front of all of you and say that for the first time in history, our generation is on the brink of something incredible, and that I can singlehandedly change the way that Alberta's youth look at finance. Every generation has said they are better than the generations prior, and it's always going to take time and experiences to learn the value of a dollar. But if you'll let me ease that process, and provide a perfectly resonating voice for the youth of Alberta, we can have a pretty good year together.

But you'll have to try and convince me to (via voting), because I'm really not a big fan of money.

I don't know how things were where you grew up, but in my small hometown families are judged on how much money they take in. The kids with the clothes from second hand stores have always been looked at differently and even made fun of. The rumor mill never stops turning about who's losing their job, and who's struggling to pay the bills. What is this leading people to believe? The old question of money buying happiness always comes up, and though no one ever flat out says that it can, people are still acting like it's written in stone.

Money should never run your life.

Too many people I know seem to have this idea in their head that if you don't have a lot of money, you are failing. If you don't have nice things, you have nothing. Fall in with the norm, start a family asap, etc. I see people with almost no expenses, working three jobs, long hours, seven days a week. And I'm not here telling you that's a bad idea, don't get me wrong. If you are supporting a family, or saving for school or travel or something then I will be the first to tell you to start working and start saving. But if you're stressing about money and working tirelessly, so much so that spending time with your friends and family has fallen by the wayside, and you're only doing so because "it's what you're supposed to do after gradution," then you, my friend, need to give your head a shake!

I graduated from high school in '007. (I know typing '07 is proper but seriously, no one else will be the class of James Bond for another 997 years.) In the years since then, the only times that people slow down for long, and I get to see many of my old classmates is over Christmas and spring break. It never fails on those three weeks that I can't walk ten minutes without being asked "so what are you up to these days?" To which I'd answer "not a heck of a lot, workin', roamin' around here playing music when I can," which is met with more typical small talk about who's doing what, who's engaged and who's pregnant and whatnot, but also a definite awkward tone as if they feel sorry for me that I'm not on my way to a career and a family. And it annoys me, honestly, that "taking time off," after high school to truly figure out what you want to do with your life, is viewed in such a way.

No, I'm not making a ton of money. No, I'm not earning a degree. Yes, I still live in Lacombe. Yes, I'm one of the happiest people you'll meet. And what's more is that in 15 years when I'm doing whatever I'm doing with my life, I'll know that I didn't rush into things and commit to the first thing that came to mind. I took my time to make up my mind, spent time with family and friends, met new people, did things I might not have the chance to do when I'm 30+. Sometimes I had no money worries at all and could afford to do what I wanted. Other times I was living paycheque to paycheque, borrowing from my parents. That's life.

I love it all the same.

(And I'm eager to learn more about using the money that I do earn, wisely.)

Trevor