conversation: User (throe342): "I went to college and graduated but went to prison soon after about 18 months ago.  I just got out on parole and am looking at the aftermath of my finances.  I'm getting so many letters and calls from so many different companies I don't where to even begin... \n\nI know I had 3 credit cards, two from wells fargo and one from capital one.  Apparently capital one sold off my debt a while back but wells fargo still has mine? Student loans are all over the place. I know I took out some personal loans through discover but I'm lost as who are all the companies (or just one company) that holds all my regular student debt from the university.  I know at some point my loans started coming through another federal company cause of some changes in law but I'm completely lost. I just got a big ol pink letter saying my student loans are about to default.\n\nWhile I was in prison, some student loan company found me and sent me a letter and I was able to defer it for a year but that time has passed a few months ago. Right now I'm jobless and am crashing at a friend's house but I'm aware of how serious a student loan default is. \n\nThis is all beyond what I'm mentally capable of handling right now. I just went through a stock pile of letters that were saved in the past year and am too overwhelmed to even know what to do first.  What can I even do? Even if I had some crappy job (I'm engineering by education...) my first concern is a roof over my head and food. I don't even know what to tell these people when I figure out the mess of who the hell a actually owe and what. Please help me... I stayed out of trouble in prison and continued studying and try to study programming to maybe get a web dev job on the side. I want to do the right thing and get out of this endless black hole.\n\n----\n\nEDIT: I spent the last hour reading through every comment here and I think getting a free credit report to see who I owe since I haven't really had an address or phone would be a good first step. I should have said my debt is mainly student loans (80k public, 20k private...best guess...) and my credit card debt is about $6-7k so I'm really iffy about declaring bankruptcy but I will at least talk to a lawyer and learn more about the best route to take.\n\nLastly, I got a lot of positive PMs and comments and even that small boost from a message from an internet stranger gives me hope when I let something like this bring me down. I hope one day I can post an update saying I got a great job, beat the statistics, and give hope to other felons who are trying to do the right thing. It was definitely a life changing experience and has changed my views about the prison system in general. Thank you very much."
  Self: "Forget about the bills. I don't say that often, but your first priority is getting stable employment, shelter, food, and lights. The accounts are in collection already, many of which have been discharged. Your credit is likely poor already. There is no sense in stressing out about this AT THIS POINT IN TIME. It will only hinder you."
  litecoinminer123 (litecoinminer123): "100%. Get a job and roof over your head. Without those there is literally zero point in worrying about whether Discover will get paid or not - they can wait. The most important thing is getting your life back in order and getting back into normal life so you don't end up back in prison. Good luck, OP!"
  YorkieBabyDaddy (YorkieBabyDaddy): "It will be hard considering he has a criminal record and destroyed credit. Any employer doing a background check will immediately turn him away. How is he even supposed to get a job...?"
  wearedustinthewind (wearedustinthewind): "Kinda irrelevant but here it is. One of my major goals is to be in a position where I am self-employed and have a business that provides a net positive impact on the local community. I define this as hiring parolees, individuals trying to get out of the homeless cycle, and/or assisting with childcare in low income areas and providing a fair wage. \n\nI am confident that I am not unique. "
  HugeMisfit (HugeMisfit): "You're not."
  