SoFi Blog

Thinking of buying a home this year? With interest rates, rents and housing prices all on the rise, this could be an opportune time to make it happen – and an interest-only mortgage loan might be the thing that makes it possible.

Most companies today wouldn’t think of operating without a thoughtfully crafted mission statement. But when it comes to running our own careers, too many of us skip this crucial step.

A mission statement is a declaration of the organization’s core purpose, usually encompassing what the business does, how it does it and who it does it for. It’s brief, focused, and serves as a guiding principle for the company’s employees.

For example, Amazon’s mission statement is: “To be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” Sounds about right, doesn’t it?

For young professionals today, there’s been a “good news, bad news” financial scenario developing for a while now.

Good news first: The unemployment rate for college grads, ages 22-27, is finally on the decline. Recent data from the New York Fed outlines a 7.1 percent unemployment rate in March 2011 and a 4.9 percent in 2015.

The bad news? Despite the fact that there are more jobs available for younger workers, widespread wage stagnation and decline has made it hard for 20- and 30-somethings to play financial catch up. Add to that a record volume of student loan debt, and you’ve got an entire generation suffering from a generational “wealth gap.”

Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I’d be happy at work if only I got a promotion/made more money/did something I’m more passionate about”?

Or maybe you read stories about people who are getting paid to pursue their dreams and think, “Why can’t that be me?”

Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re certainly not alone. Total career happiness is hard to come by.

So what gives? Are some of us just doomed to be unhappy at work forever?

Name: Joe Lakier

Locale: Brooklyn, NY

Alma Maters: Wayne State University Law School (JD); University of Florida (LLM)

By Day: Manager/Fraud Investigator at EY

SoFi Member Since: 2015

Total independence isn’t easy. But for Joe Lakier, a law school grad and solo backpacking junkie, self-sufficiency has always been essential. So when he found himself strapped with six figures worth of student loan debt, Joe sought a solution to free up his finances. See how SoFi partnered up with his company to make sure he was back in control.