I Gambled with My College Fees and Almost Ruined My Life
This is the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. Even though I quit gambling years ago, I still remember its effects and some of the accomplishments I would have achieved if I didn’t practice it. I’ve never really opened up about it. So, I’m trying this out for the first time.
How It Happened
I was in my second year of studies in college. The first year had not been so good. Having spent most of my life as an introvert (I still am), living and interacting with people was one of my biggest challenges. Upkeep was also an issue, but I kept myself busy with studying and working out since the gyms were free around the campus.
Once we went for the holidays after the first year, I swore to myself to get a job to make sure upkeep wasn’t a problem when we went back for the second year. But that didn’t happen since we had to help out my parents on the farm. So, after three months, I had saved nothing, and we had to go back to school.
Unlike the other times where my parents paid the tuition fees before we reported for school, this time, I had to report without the college fees and wait for it to be sent to me. To generate some money for upkeep, I used to do construction and other menial jobs when there were no classes, as I waited for my parents to send the fees.
A month or so into the Semester, my parents sent the fees. Now, I was in a dilemma. I was broke as hell, cohabiting with friends and under pressure to contribute to the daily expenses, and under peer pressure to get at least a smartphone so as to “fit in” with the rest. So, instead of paying the college fees immediately, I bought a cheap second-hand cell phone and contributed to some expenses for at least a week. And that’s when all hell broke loose.
What Happened?
It started with the smartphone. What happened is, it didn’t last two days before it stopped working. As such, I couldn’t give it back and get a refund and pay what was left of the college fees. Secondly, classes were active, and I couldn’t do construction jobs anymore. And thirdly, I had spent at least 30% of the school fees.
By then, I had resorted to betting on sports, mainly soccer (EPL, Bundesliga, French League, etc.) I wasn’t good at it, though, but I was depressed and thought I didn’t have any other option. So, I deposited what was left of the college fees to a betting account and decided to try my luck. Worst mistake I made!
The Aftermath
I don’t know if it was greed, confusion, or just utter ignorance. I just picked random teams, bet on them with 80% of what was left, and waited to see if I could triple my money. Well, that didn’t happen. I watched the team I had placed a bet on losing the game.
And by then, it dawned on me that I had just lost what was meant to pay for my college fees for that whole Semester. I have never been so scared, angry, confused, and anxious at the same time. I didn’t eat for almost a week.
I didn’t talk. I was in utter shock. What do I do? How do I tell my parents that the money they sacrificed their salaries for for a few months is all gone?
After about a week, I dusted myself and kept attending classes like nothing had happened. I didn’t tell my parents because it would have broken their hearts. Instead, I started looking for ways to repay it. But it was not easy. What made it worse was that I didn’t stop betting. I thought I could recover all I lost.
Time To Do the Exams
As you probably already know, you can’t do your exams without paying the college fees. Back then, the college I studied in used an old-school system to keep track of students’ payment details. I have to admit, I almost gave up and quit school. My options were to tell my parents and have them send more money, but I knew that was next to impossible.
Another option was to defer and resume studies when I had raised the fees. And my last option was to try and talk to the dean and do the exams without paying a cent. I chose the last option. The dean couldn’t allow me, though, since that’s against the school policies.
So, what did I do? I used to sneak into the exam rooms and do the exams. Like I mentioned earlier, even after screwing up, I kept attending classes and kept everything to myself. I managed to do 90% of the exams. I was also caught a few times and was kicked out of the exam room.
The Second Semester
Everything I just explained happened in the First Semester of the second year. After breaking for about two weeks, we were back for the second Semester. Again, I didn’t report with the college fees, and it had to be sent later.
I still tried construction and other jobs and raised money for upkeep for a few days, but gambling was still a problem. My parents eventually sent the payment. And the stupid me did the same thing I did in the first Semester expecting different results. So, by now, I had wasted college fees worth two semesters. And when it was time to do the exams, I sneaked and managed to do some of the papers.
My Third Year of Studies
By the time I got to the third year, I had realized the effects gambling was having. So, this time, I paid all the fees. But remember, I still have a balance for a whole academic year. But due to the outdated system, I still managed to study through the entire third year.
This time, even though I wasn’t gambling that much, I was getting good at it, and it was helping me survive in campus. By then, I had also learned how to work online. So, I used to earn a few dollars and pay the balance to offset the arrears I accumulated in my betting spree.
My Turning Point
After miraculously surviving through the third year with the fees balance, I officially quit gambling and did any job that I could find to raise money to clear the fees. Of course, I couldn’t get any meaningful employment, and online work had reduced.
We were on holiday for at least nine months, and I had raised at least 70% of the balance. When we went back to school, I used my free time to do some online work (freelance writing and transcription), which paid off.
I finally cleared the school fees balance, studied through my fourth year peacefully, and spent a few months after the fourth year doing the exams I missed in the second year of my studies.
Present Day
After all that, I was still able to graduate with my fellow classmates, though none of them knew what was really happening, even my parents. A part of me believes maybe things would have been better if I had asked for help. But I had this feeling that I had to take responsibility for all I did, and it was by the grace of God that I got through it.
The skills I learned when trying to raise money for the fees (freelance writing and transcription) are the skills still playing my bills today as I figure out how to best utilize my college degree.
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