Looking for intelligent signs of life in Stroudsburg...

It would be nice--but actually I am just here as an outlet. I hope to stumble into a few conversations that will be a welcome diversion from my sheep-like existence as a social worker.

 

you're a social worker? thats pretty cool. my aunt is a social worker who works with alcohol rehab and i have a cousin who's a social worker who works with autistic kids. i've been considering the field as a career. what do you do?

 

I was in stroudsburg once.

 

I work in a child mentoring program for at-risk kids...I am trying to transition into Drug and Alcohol and have a person who wants to train me. My present job is trying to block it, since I am the only person who runs my program in this county. Politics. I can't stand it. I was a teacher before this...I loved it, but again, the politics drove me nuts. I literally had coaches ask me to give kids Incompletes so that they could play in a game. I really didn't think stuff like that happened, but I guess, as usual, I am too naive and hopeful.
Where are you from?

 

im from a little town called enola, right outside harrisburg. i think my only worries about doing that kind of work would be taking it home with me. do you find that it affects your life at home a lot? i mean since it can be a more depressing job, do you find that the reward is greater than the depression you have to deal with everyday?

 

I'm in north Jersey...about 40 minutes from E. Strouds...

 

I have actually heard of Enola!! Social work is tough. I always have a tendency to feel everything passionately, so it's hard not to become personally involved with my work. I do take stuff home with me, just like I did when I was a teacher...What helps me is that I know that I am doing all I can for my clients--above and beyond. Even if it means going outside of my services to locate another service agency to assist them. That makes me feel better. That's how I balance out the depression from the satisfying aspects of the job. When I get down, I think of how whenever I am out sick or on holiday, my clients will panic and think that I have left the job because of such a high turn-over.

 

I am from Perth Amboy. Do you get up to the Poconos at all? I am sure it's a tourist trap for most people. Stroudsburg isn't too bad.

 

My boyfriend's family lives in E Stroudsburg and I go up there with him to visit whenever I can get a weekend off from work. I like it up there, I would love to live in a place like that but it's tooooooo expensive! My bf's family is paying something like $5500 a year in JUST SCHOOL TAXES The property tax and township fees are killer too...

 

yea i've been to stroudsburg many a times as my aunt used to live there til she moved back to hershey to look after my grandparents. thats pretty cool that you're that committed to your work.

 

i'm out in that area often.....

 

And you are exactly right. The cost of living is insane here. I have family back in Edison, NJ, and I really want to move back there--or to New Brunswick, but Jersey is even worse from what I am told. I pay 750 a month for a two bedroom apartment. I am in one of the most central locations in Stroudsburg. For the price--which doesn't include utilities, I get a lot of room-although one bedroom is totally unusable since the ceiling partially collapsed, and my land lord is too laid back.....And there are really annoying drunken college kids across the street, and when a big truck goes down 5th street, it will rattle the house and knock books off the shelves. So, what I am getting at, is that the price I pay is really high, considering what I have to deal with. It's hard everywhere though. We lived in South Caroline and loved it. We had an adorable house that we were renting to own-even with my horrendous credit. The only thing was, the JOB MARKET sucked.

 

What's your opinion of Stroudsburg? It's a mixed bag for me..Then again, I am jaded after living so long in the UK--I had to be pulled, kicking and screaming, out of Manchester when my work permit expired.

 

Yeah, I suppose it's not as bad to rent up there because you don't have to worry about all the taxes and such. It sounds about the same as my neck of PA as far as renting. Around here, you won't find anything better than a beat up, moldy, cramped 1 bedroom in a building riddled with code violations for less than $750/mo. I live on a pass-through street close to the main drag in my town and it's very loud and trafficky especially on the weekends.

I love visiting Stroudsburg and wouldn't mind living there if my bf and I could find guaranteed work in our fields there. That's really the only reason we haven't moved into the annex on the back of his parents' house yet, we need to stay close to our jobs for the time being. I love the way the community is set up, they are in a private lakeside community tucked away in the middle of thick woods, the closest store is about 30 mins down the hill. I love the privacy (cops are faaaar away ) and the DIY lifestyle.