I'm not a big Kanye West fan and have even despised some of his work. This one particular verse from Graduation Day, an interlude on his debut album, The College Dropout, speaks to me. I've never liked school, aside from art and always felt it was a waste of my time. As a high school student, I couldn't relate to how those hundreds of thousands of pages I was required to read would help me become a well rounded person and a candidate for a high powered, good paying job. I feel the same about college. The text contained between the covers of those books have been consumed soley for my entertainmet. I certainly don't feel any smarter. I don't see the reasoning for paying 30k for a piece of paper. I'm struggling to get a job. My degreed friends are struggling to get a job. Who is benefiting from a college degree?

Two weeks ago I decided to take an alternate route to the Metro station. Walking along, something caught my eye. It was house, similar in style to mine, all boarded up. It's a nice house and with some work it could be a beautiful home. For a week I'd admire it and keep walking. Last week I couldn't keep passing this house and decided to take a closer look. It's raggedy and worn down but there's something very nostalgic about it and I'm not sure what it is. When ever I walk by it, I'm left with a longing. I want that house.

How am I gonna get it?

I have no money and shoddy credit. Broke. Young. Black. Female. I'm not a person a bank wants to loan money to. With some perseverance and a second job, I should be able to get financially stable. With the credit problem partially solved, I'm faced with another issue of getting money for a down payment. I need a plan.

Yes? No? Not sure how concrete that plan is. Real estate is where it's at. Everybody wants to buy a house. Nobody wants a house they have to put a lot of work into. How hard can this be?

Simple, right? If it were that simple, wouldn't more people be doing it? I'm scared to death and have no idea where to start. Goodbye college. Hello real world.

Word to your mother.