Welcome to Part II. If you haven’t read part I, head back to the previous post and catch up. It’s a good story. It’s always good when it’s real. I am telling you guys about my latest attempt to afford a $500 a month film program that was supposed to help me get into the film industry. Well I’m just gonna continue with the story. Finishing my last thought from the previous post: I just saw me losing a lot of money and it didn’t seem right. Me suffering financially until I had enough experience to get professional film work.
I had to think about rent, bills, and any unforeseen circumstances. I thought about my savings and if this would be a good investment in myself and my future. I wanted so badly to stay in the program but I had to weigh my options. I work from 7am to 3:30 each day so I would miss the live calls in the morning. I don’t have the weekends off so I would miss the weekends conferences. Me being sick for those two and I half weeks I was missing information, I just felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my money and if I’m being honest, I was giving my rent money to the program and I wasn’t going to be able to continue that way. I was working over time at my job when it was being offered but it still wasn’t enough to get back $500.
My apartment lease is up at the end of June and so I had to also find an apartment or a roommate and I knew if I decided to live on my own, that would just pile on even more stress because I would be looking for apartments then I would definitely have to have a second job to afford my own place. I started to feel very lost and overwhelmed and one of my friends wanted to be my roommate but she said that I made her nervous wanting to stay in the program because it cost so much and she wanted to be sure I would be able to afford my part of the rent and bills each month. That’s when I realized that this just wasn’t the time to have more expenses or possibly get into debt. I can’t have it all right now, I just need to take it one step at a time. Something that I’m realizing the older I get, life is nothing but choices and when you believe in the decisions that you make, nothing else matters.
Of course they have me a hard time for quitting the program. My final decision was made after they charged my debit card again this month without my permission. They apparently kept my card on file and did not disclose that they were storing my card for automatic payments. I called and emailed them right away asking to reverse the transaction and that I wasn’t informed they were keeping my card information on file. I received a lengthy email basically stating that I was gonna regret leaving the program and that I was past the refund period and they didn’t want to give me my money back and I already knew that if they refused, it would turn into a legal issue really quickly because the one thing you don’t do to a black woman is mess with her money.
I spoke with my bank for clarity on all my options in case the “merchant” would not refund me, so I was ready for whatever may have happened. I was refunded a couple days ago and now that it’s over, I really don’t regret my decision. You don’t hold on to people’s card number and not tell them or even give them the option to remove it. You don’t tell someone that they may not get their refund because it was past the refund period when that was never disclosed before starting the program. The way I see it, they were robbing people of their money. $500/month is absolutely ridiculous and if I’m paying someone that much, the least they could do is get me hired on for paid work in the film industry. I should at least be getting connected.
Everything happens for a reason and at least now I can say that I would do anything for my dreams. I would pay a lot of money and work very hard to get there. The good news is I have a new roommate so we will be moving into our new home in a little over a month from now. The place is absolutely gorgeous, I am so excited. It will be the biggest apartment that I’ve ever had in a super nice area. I already started researching the area to see what film opportunities are available and if there is any acting workshops or lessons.
I know I made the right decision by not continuing the program and I made it for me. I’m still hustling and networking to find more creative individuals like me. Taking the advice of one creative that I spoke with, he wished me good luck with the program but he also said to me that these days you can make your dreams come true with hard work and the internet. So that’s what is up next for me. A lot of planning and execution but I’m gonna do everything I can to make it happen for myself. I still have a lot of goals for this year and it’s time to keep moving forward. Entering and leaving the program is a stepping stone. I learned a lot and now it’s time for my next move. This is the year of progress, growth, and abundance. Let’s get it!
Until next time,
Xo,
Nina.
The nina diaries 
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