Question regarding Background

[RedandBlue84]

I have a concern and I needed some advise as to what I should do about my situation. I have never been arrested i have an excellent driving record and great attitude. Here is where the dilemma comes in at, I went through a terrible divorce with my now x-wife. Everything was great with my credit up until that point now I might be forced into bankruptcy due to me not being able to pay the amount of debt that was created. I have not filed yet but my credit score is not so great because of it and I really just don't know what to do. I don't want to mess my chances up of getting into a dept. and I don't want to think that I'm a complete waste of time.

[mcsap]

A bankruptcy will be a noticeable bruise. I would talk to them IN PERSON and see what if anything you can do to avoid the BR.

Get a PT job, sell off your toys etc.

[RedandBlue84]

I know that B.R. is really bad and they look down upon that, but...honestly does that really make a person not qualified. I mean I have kept a perfect record making sure that I stayed out of paths that would ultimately ruin my chances. Not everything can be blamed entirely on one person but...the mere fact is she burnt me bad.

[Piggy]

It doesn't make you a bad person, but historically it makes a person more likely to take bribes and do dishonest things. Nobody is saying you would do that but the percentages are working against you.

You're better off doing debt consolidation, consumer counseling, and working with your creditors to get stuff paid off. It'll be the longer more difficult road but you'll be better off in the long run.

[mcsap]

I know that B.R. is really bad and they look down upon that, but...honestly does that really make a person not qualified. I mean I have kept a perfect record making sure that I stayed out of paths that would ultimately ruin my chances. Not everything can be blamed entirely on one person but...the mere fact is she burnt me bad.

Fixing something that may not be your fault , but legally is at least partially your repsonsibility ( you were married) , shows character and perserverence. Both are excellent qualities to disply.

1. You can say that your ex ran up a bunch of bills and you weren't really repsonsible for them and " couldn't affford to pay them off" so you went bankrupt.

OR

2. Your ex ran up a bunch of bills that you ended up being 1/2 responsible for. You didn't wnat your credit life to be ruined so you sold your new truck , your boat , gave up satellite TV , took a part-time job and lived like a hermit to pay off what you legally owed. It wasn't easy and it may have been unfair but you took care of business and now have walked away smelling like a rose. Now your credit is better, your name is good and your app and interview will reflect someone who took life head on and won.

[RedandBlue84]

I agree with the responsibility part as much as I want to blame my "X" it's just as much my fault. With that said all I can do is try and I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

Thanks for all the help and I don't take what any of you said personal, I do realize that its going to be a huge hurdle to over come. I'm an honest person with great morals so... all I can do is be honest and let them judge.

[1depd]

Legally the departments you are interested in can not take bankruptcy into consideration when deciding to hire you. They can take your actions leading to the bankruptcy into consideration. So if you were out parting every night, buying new cars every other day and living the high life then it looks bad. If, however your spouse was diagnosed with some rare form of cancer that cost millions of dollars to cure, resulting in bankruptcy, it is looked at much differently. You can see the difference in circumstances and how one would look much worse than the other.

I declared bankruptcy several years ago and since then have obtained two respected jobs requiring a federal security clearance, one within law enforcement. Both jobs were obtained within two years of the discharge.

Only you know your situation and what is best for you. You can live the life of a hermit, or you can choose to file bankruptcy and have a healthy life. You can still cut your cable, cell phone and all of the other extras and still file bankruptcy. Personally I chose chapter 13, so I had to pay back at least a portion of what I owed. There is nothing barring you from paying extra, but it is not required and I would consult a lawyer before doing anything.