General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

[QUOTE=pith_;50895760]What about something that doesn't require 2+ years of training? Not to sound ungrateful for your reply, or anything...[/QUOTE] Production line or warehouse work usually starts you out at $10-$15 an hour.

You know the feeling during your first day on your very first job? Feels like that everyday for me and its been like that for four years now. Sucks ass

Closing on our house next week, pretty hyped. New job has been good so far, definitely more of a learning curve then my first full time one, but it's good. Still working my second job 10-20 hours a week for extra cash while my wife got her full time job. Things are looking up!

[QUOTE=pith_;50895760]What about something that doesn't require 2+ years of training? Not to sound ungrateful for your reply, or anything...[/QUOTE] Foodservice for sure. You can walk into any restaurant washing dishes and cleaning toilets which any retard can do, and there is a clear and direct and very real path from that dish pit straight to ownership of your own business, or a fantastic salary at a top position as a chef, just based on on-the-job training and experience. Skilled trades are great for that.

[QUOTE=pith_;50895760]What about something that doesn't require 2+ years of training? Not to sound ungrateful for your reply, or anything...[/QUOTE] Actually, these are on the job training, and you'll generally start off in the $12+/hour range. You just have to work your way up after you start. You won't be connecting wires as an entry level electrician, you'll mostly be pulling wire and running conduit. With carpentry, you generally start doing basic work, and move up to actually building things. Welding, you can start out as a pipefitter or tacker, and learn to weld through work or after work. QA/QC inspection is usually on the job training. All of these fields have unskilled starting positions.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50897740]Actually, these are on the job training, and you'll generally start off in the $12+/hour range. You just have to work your way up after you start. You won't be connecting wires as an entry level electrician, you'll mostly be pulling wire and running conduit. With carpentry, you generally start doing basic work, and move up to actually building things. Welding, you can start out as a pipefitter or tacker, and learn to weld through work or after work. QA/QC inspection is usually on the job training. All of these fields have unskilled starting positions.[/QUOTE] Aren't trade jobs generally learned through work-apprenticeships? Like, you spend X years under a skilled tradesman, earning certifications along the way, until you eventually earn a journeyman status? I looked into carpentry briefly, but was a little confused about how the whole process worked. Looked like a mix of classword and on-the-job training?

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50897923]Aren't trade jobs generally learned through work-apprenticeships? Like, you spend X years under a skilled tradesman, earning certifications along the way, until you eventually earn a journeyman status? I looked into carpentry briefly, but was a little confused about how the whole process worked. Looked like a mix of classword and on-the-job training?[/QUOTE] This is what I thought as well. I'm not sure if I want to commit to a trade for life. I just need something to get by while I do school, I guess. [editline]16th August 2016[/editline] Though, the lack of debt of the trades is pretty enticing...

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50897923]Aren't trade jobs generally learned through work-apprenticeships? Like, you spend X years under a skilled tradesman, earning certifications along the way, until you eventually earn a journeyman status? I looked into carpentry briefly, but was a little confused about how the whole process worked. Looked like a mix of classword and on-the-job training?[/QUOTE] Depends on if it's union or not. Non union is basically just all on the job training for things like carpentry. In unions, yes, you start out as an apprentice then move up. For electricians, you do have to take some schooling after you've started working to get licensed. For welding, you do have to go get certified after you've learned in order to become a full fledged welder. But they all have entry level starter positions. [QUOTE=pith_;50898070]This is what I thought as well. I'm not sure if I want to commit to a trade for life. I just need something to get by while I do school, I guess. [editline]16th August 2016[/editline] Though, the lack of debt of the trades is pretty enticing...[/QUOTE] If you're already a full time student, then a trade might not be best. However, if you need a full time job and plan on doing part time or night school, then it could be a very viable option.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50900772]If you're already a full time student, then a trade might not be best. However, if you need a full time job and plan on doing part time or night school, then it could be a very viable option.[/QUOTE] i dunno man, that seems like a lot to bite off and chew. feels like most people do one or the other, not both. if it's actually doable, i might, but it just seems a bit... improbable. [editline]18th August 2016[/editline] if i could do school online or at night while making a living wage, enough to afford my own apartment and some nice things, without draining myself absolutely, that's honestly all i can ask for

I'm curious as to the ratio of you monthly pay should go toward your rent. I live in NJ and its rough finding an affordable place for one person so I'll probably share a 2 bedroom with a friend. Just wondering a percentage or range that would be appropriate to dump on just renting.

1/3, last I did research. So if your monthly rent is $700, you should be making about $2100 a month.

A third is what they tell you and what a mortgage loan originator will probably recommend to you but honestly bro I recommend a quarter. That works really well for me personally. Most people get paid weekly or biweekly so your month is already in blocks of two or four, so it makes sense to me to consider one week dedicated to the rent, as opposed to a week and some change to make up the 33%. That change adds up. Let's say you lose a day or two of work due to being sick; if you need a third of your pay for rent, those lost days will really have you struggling, whereas if you only need a week of pay, you might not struggle so hard.

So, I've got kind of an interesting opportunity, and I'm not sure whether or not I should bite. My broker and her team told me that their marketing director was very impressed with the plan I submitted, and that they want to start incorporating some of it as training for new agents, and I made a good enough impression that they are considering trying something a little unconventional for bringing me in. I don't have my license, and thus cannot play a role in the real estate transaction process, and still have two or three months of classes left before I'm done. However, they told me over the phone that they are considering bringing me on to the team in a paid marketing position, where I could get some hands-on experience in a critically important aspect of the real estate business. They would teach me their standards, their scripts, give me access to their database, etc. We are having a meeting about the specifics, including the pay, next week. However, on the phone they told me that I would be being paid by the lead. So, for every lead I drum up for Stephanie and her team, I would get a finder's fee. As great as an opportunity as the rest of this sounds, this aspect is a little bit concerning for me. I know full-well that once I jump into real estate full time as an agent, my income will be irregular until I've got my own lead generation system up and running. I'm preparing for that now. I reached my minimum goal of six months of our current expenses in reserves, but don't yet have my "comfort zone" goal of an additional $3000 for unexpected emergency expenses, such as vet bills or car breakdowns. As great as the rest of this opportunity is, I'm hesitant to leave my current job, sacrificing my reliable paycheck (and health insurance, cell phone, and company car) at this moment in time. I was expecting to have another two to three months of reliable income ahead of me. Leaving this far ahead of schedule and accepting the irregular pay that would come from my new position (as well as the increased expenses of private health insurance, cell phone, and increased mileage on my personal vehicle) would leave me feeling very vulnerable. I'm stressing over this, a little bit. It's a great opportunity, but it leaves me somewhat vulnerable. Do I take the risk, or play it safe? [editline]19th August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Cpn Crunch21;50910274]I'm curious as to the ratio of you monthly pay should go toward your rent. I live in NJ and its rough finding an affordable place for one person so I'll probably share a 2 bedroom with a friend. Just wondering a percentage or range that would be appropriate to dump on just renting.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Pascall;50910419]1/3, last I did research. So if your monthly rent is $700, you should be making about $2100 a month.[/QUOTE] Ye, spot on. Your housing allowance should be approximately 30% of your income or less in order to be financially secure in your position. Obviously, this can be a bit tricky to pull off as a young person with low income, especially if you're living in an area with an inflated rental market. Depending on your circumstances, you might be best served living with a roommate for a while.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/u4sBFci.jpg[/IMG] Can I have your opinions on this image?

It is large.

I didn't know there was a "D" in roman numerals, based on context I assume it equals 500.

Update on my move-in- everything went great, and I got a pretty chill roommate who's in the same program I am- plus, free net that's better than anything at home. :smile:

I'm torn between deciding what I want to do. Before, I was adamant that I wanted to get a career in computer science, but right now, I'm not too sure. I've really stopped enjoying programming and pretty much never do it anymore. On the other hand, music imo fits me well and I'd love to study composition and songwriting and make my career off that. Which you would recommend I go for? Music and what I predict to be happiness, but maybe less income vs. programming with a higher amount of income, but probably less happiness?

[QUOTE=HumbleTH;50926634]I'm torn between deciding what I want to do. Before, I was adamant that I wanted to get a career in computer science, but right now, I'm not too sure. I've really stopped enjoying programming and pretty much never do it anymore. On the other hand, music imo fits me well and I'd love to study composition and songwriting and make my career off that. Which you would recommend I go for? Music and what I predict to be happiness, but maybe less income vs. programming with a higher amount of income, but probably less happiness?[/QUOTE] I can't tell you which way to go with your life, but I can at least tell you that what you're going through right now is something that damn near [I]everybody[/I] goes through as they prepare for, and settle into, their adult lives. So, try not to stress about it too much. You've got your whole your life ahead of you, and you still probably have a lot to learn about yourself. As long as you keep asking yourself what it is you really want out of life, you'll find it. You'll probably hit some dead ends, make some mistakes, and waste some time, but that's normal. Christ, if you knew how many dang times I went through that... You'll be alright, man. This time of your life is about figuring out who you really are, and you'll never really know without having moments like this.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50913475]Ye, spot on. Your housing allowance should be approximately 30% of your income or less in order to be financially secure in your position. Obviously, this can be a bit tricky to pull off as a young person with low income, especially if you're living in an area with an inflated rental market. Depending on your circumstances, you might be best served living with a roommate for a while.[/QUOTE] This sounds kind of crazy to me. I started working two jobs recently, all 7 days of the week, hoping this would finally get me enough to move into an apartment, no matter how cheap. So if I go by this system, I need to find a place that costs about $3-400 a month. And if I'm to believe what I'm seeing on craigslist, no such place exists. But that brings me to why I clicked on this thread in the first place. Is there some better way to look for apartments? I'm sure there must be, but I've never looked for an apartment before, so I'm not sure what the best method is.

[QUOTE=Loofiloo;50938159]This sounds kind of crazy to me. I started working two jobs recently, all 7 days of the week, hoping this would finally get me enough to move into an apartment, no matter how cheap. So if I go by this system, I need to find a place that costs about $3-400 a month. And if I'm to believe what I'm seeing on craigslist, no such place exists. But that brings me to why I clicked on this thread in the first place. Is there some better way to look for apartments? I'm sure there must be, but I've never looked for an apartment before, so I'm not sure what the best method is.[/QUOTE] Unfortunately, getting a private apartment within your very limited budget may not be possible within your housing market. If your approximate monthly income is only $1000-1300/month, then I might recommend trying to avoid moving out of your parents/relatives' homes at all if it's an option. You're likely to struggle quite a bit. If living with family is not an option, then you may have to settle for subletting a room within somebody else's home or apartment in order to stay within your safe budget for the time being. In extremely inflated housing markets, you might even have to share a single room with a literal [I]room[/I]mate. If this is the case, I would first recommend reaching out through your social media channels to friends, and friends and friends. If that fails, then you could potentially check local colleges, as sometimes people will advertise rooms for rent to students. You can also check for local Renter's Facebook groups or Buy/Sell/Trade groups to looks for connections. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're probably going to be stuck cruising sites like Craigslist.

I don't know how people do it. My oldest brother, immediately after finishing college, was able to get himself an apartment while working a single retail job. Not even as a manager or anything like that. Had a place all to himself. He's only 8 years older than me, could things really have changed that much since then? Because for me, working two jobs, over 40 hours a week, EVERY day of the week still places me far short of the ability to live ANYwhere. The jobs aren't even minimum wage, I get like $9/hr at each, obviously not great, and still far below what I need. And the fact that I get no benefits from them (of course) and the fact that I'm still paying off my car mean that I have basically no hope. I used to work in a warehouse. The pay was slightly better and I had benefits, but the conditions of the work seriously made me feel like I wanted to die. At this point I have to think about going back to that kind of work, and maybe taking on a part-time job additionally. It's been 3-4 years since I quit that job, so maybe now I'm mentally and emotionally healthy enough that it wouldn't make me [I]suicidal[/I] this time around. Oh I tried the temp agency thing too. I got signed up with A LOT of temp agencies. And all they had to offer was warehouse work. I told them I'd love to get any kind of office work, but every one of them told me straight up that I have pretty much no chance of doing that (no matter how "entry level" it is) without prior experience. I would like to say I'm fine staying with my dad, but I hate it. He's an extremely emotionally manipulative, even abusive person, hands-down the single greatest source of stress and general bad feelings in my life, and I'm dying for a way out. But right now it's the only place I can live.

[QUOTE=Loofiloo;50938358]I don't know how people do it. My oldest brother, immediately after finishing college, was able to get himself an apartment while working a single retail job. Not even as a manager or anything like that. Had a place all to himself. He's only 8 years older than me, could things really have changed that much since then? Because for me, working two jobs, over 40 hours a week, EVERY day of the week still places me far short of the ability to live ANYwhere. The jobs aren't even minimum wage, I get like $9/hr at each, obviously not great, and still far below what I need. And the fact that I get no benefits from them (of course) and the fact that I'm still paying off my car mean that I have basically no hope. I used to work in a warehouse. The pay was slightly better and I had benefits, but the conditions of the work seriously made me feel like I wanted to die. At this point I have to think about going back to that kind of work, and maybe taking on a part-time job additionally. It's been 3-4 years since I quit that job, so maybe now I'm mentally and emotionally healthy enough that it wouldn't make me [I]suicidal[/I] this time around. Oh I tried the temp agency thing too. I got signed up with A LOT of temp agencies. And all they had to offer was warehouse work. I told them I'd love to get any kind of office work, but every one of them told me straight up that I have pretty much no chance of doing that (no matter how "entry level" it is) without prior experience. I would like to say I'm fine staying with my dad, but I hate it. He's an extremely emotionally manipulative, even abusive person, hands-down the single greatest source of stress and general bad feelings in my life, and I'm dying for a way out. But right now it's the only place I can live.[/QUOTE] This is about how hard the housing market feels in Seattle, so I feel you dude. I got lucky enough that my parents saw how bad housing prices were and elected to give me some monthly rent assistance money, since I couldn't afford a place otherwise. I've been trying to adult with my whole "get a dog" thing but its turned so stressful. He was clearly heavily abused by a male, and has some sort of chronic pain issues - it seems somewhat arthritic in nature. My dog has extremely low muscle mass, is easily fatigued, drools and pants most of the time, and is easily made to yelp and whine by touching him in the wrong places or trying to get him up when he's laying down Because dog medical costs can snowball, I've been taking 10% of my monthly income and putting it in a savings account as my emergency medical fund. I've also started pet insurance that reimburses 80% of his vet fees past the $500 deductible. However, this coverage doesn't start until the 3rd. I've just started my savings plan, and have only ahd two months of checks and half my grant money to seed it with. If I get him checked out immediately and its something severe, good we caught something two weeks earlier than I would have and can start treatment buuuuut I'm using my credit card to pay for his medical expenses. If its nothing at all, or just malnourishment from being a stray / being in a foster, then I've wasted money. If I wait two weeks and it is something severe and/or easily treatable, yeah I've saved money but I feel like shit. If its mundane and I've waited two weeks, than it's all good. I'm really stressed. Taking care of this dog has been draining me, and it feels so unfair (in a petulant way) that I have to do all this shit because some asshole neglected him. And then, if he is sick with some chronic illness, the cookie crumbled in the worst damn way at just the worst damn time. ugh. he is adorable though. he won't chew on nylabones I buy for him (but insists upon laying on them), and he doesn't seem to know how to play with most toys (usual thing for abused dogs to have) [t]http://i.imgur.com/UBE2sNU.jpg[/t][t]http://i.imgur.com/nhiTJc1.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50913475]Ye, spot on. Your housing allowance should be approximately 30% of your income or less in order to be financially secure in your position. Obviously, this can be a bit tricky to pull off as a young person with low income, especially if you're living in an area with an inflated rental market. Depending on your circumstances, you might be best served living with a roommate for a while.[/QUOTE] Should the 30% for rent include utilities or are they typically extra in this breakdown? I moved out into my first apartment and I'm paying about 38% of my monthly income in rent, but the rent is all inclusive of heat, A/C, electricity, water, internet, cable, and I have my own washer and dryer and a parking space. I love my place and I'm not planning on moving any time soon (I signed a year lease and intend to renew it), but in the event I do move should I try to get something closer to 30%?

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50913475] Ye, spot on. Your housing allowance should be approximately 30% of your income or less in order to be financially secure in your position. Obviously, this can be a bit tricky to pull off as a young person with low income, especially if you're living in an area with an inflated rental market. Depending on your circumstances, you might be best served living with a roommate for a while.[/QUOTE] London is absolutely fucked. The majority of people I know here spend [b]at least[/b] 60% of their income on rent. [editline]24th August 2016[/editline] Ooh, literally just googled this exactly "60% on income on rent in london" and the first 2 articles: [url]http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-tenants-spend-60-of-wages-on-rent-10395553.html[/url] [url]https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jul/16/tenants-in-england-spend-half-their-pay-on-rent[/url]

Anyone, els getting sick of most jobs ( I know alot them do put in the rate but still ) won't tell you the rate

[QUOTE=norrec181;50940292]Should the 30% for rent include utilities or are they typically extra in this breakdown? I moved out into my first apartment and I'm paying about 38% of my monthly income in rent, but the rent is all inclusive of heat, A/C, electricity, water, internet, cable, and I have my own washer and dryer and a parking space. I love my place and I'm not planning on moving any time soon (I signed a year lease and intend to renew it), but in the event I do move should I try to get something closer to 30%?[/QUOTE] That rule of thumb is generally just for rent, not rent+utilities. It's also just a [I]rule of thumb,[/I] so your results may vary depending on your total level of income, what country you reside in, and the housing market you're looking at. It's a great goal to aim for, but it may not be possible (or necessary) in certain situations. [editline]24th August 2016[/editline] Well, I accepted the marketing position with my broker. I'm very nervous, but also quite optimistic. The pay scale is based on the number of leads I generate, and could be incredibly meager or quite impressive when compared to what I'm earning now. I hadn't planned on switching over to an irregular income quite this quickly, but the opportunity is too good to pass up. Once I finish getting my real estate license, I'll transition directly into a sales position as a buyer's agent, retaining access to the leads I've generated as a result of my marketing work, which is a [I]huge[/I] head start on my actual real estate career. I was planning on another two to three months of regular income from my dayjob, which is the root of my nervousness here. I did, at least, reach my minimum savings goal. So, I'm not totally freaking out-- just mildly freaking out. Here's hoping there are no major catastrophes over the next couple months, and that as I'm as good at marketing as my marketing plan made them think I could be!

[QUOTE=theevilldeadII;50940804]Anyone, els getting sick of most jobs ( I know alot them do put in the rate but still ) won't tell you the rate[/QUOTE] Shit drives me up the wall, honestly. I at least want a good range of what they might pay for the position instead of having to force me to go through the arduous application/interview process before figuring out it pays like $8/hr and me having to tell them that I'm not interested which makes ME look like the asshole. It's dumb. Put your pay rate in your ad. Aaaa.

i guess i have it easy. any job thats willing to hire me is only going to give me minimum wage, so i always know what im walking in to :v:

I don't think I can handle my current job for another year. Shit's burning me out so fast. I can apply for college in the winter and go in the fall, but I'm definitely not working through the summer again. That shit was fucking dumb. Literally worked two months straight, putting in roughly 14 hours each day, sometimes more. And I mean literally two months, sunday through saturday. One day I clocked in 23 hours. I was only able to get one day off because I threw out my back from working so much and I could barely lift anything or bend over. Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice. Just wanted to rant. Next year couldn't come any sooner.