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

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;51893373] I'd definitely check it out, at least! You could have found yourself a pretty amazing deal.[/QUOTE] Oh yeah, I've found some great places like that. Some real shitters too, just need to have a look to see.

Pretty important that the saying is "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" instead of "if it's too good to be true, it DEFINITELY is."

I've sent a message to the guy and see where it'll go from there, hopefully I can work something out/tour the studio to see how it is

I finally have a set graduation date. After what will essentially be like 7 years in college I'm gonna get my Bachelor's in Art at the end of Spring 2018. I flip flopped way too much early on so for people considering college please don't go until you absolutely know what you wanna do. It really wears on you and your wallet.

In regards to the studio, it's in a decent area [Plateau de Mont Royal] and the photos look good, that being said I will try to get a set time/date to take a look at it

[QUOTE=joshuadim;51895082]In regards to the studio, it's in a decent area [Plateau de Mont Royal] and the photos look good, that being said I will try to get a set time/date to take a look at it[/QUOTE] I mean if he won't let you look at it before that's such a major red flag you should run. Don't set anything before you get a full tour.

[QUOTE=Levelog;51895132]I mean if he won't let you look at it before that's such a major red flag you should run. Don't set anything before you get a full tour.[/QUOTE] Exactly this. If they won't show you the unit then there's no question in if it's a scam or not, it 100% is. It'd be like being told you couldn't look under the hood or test drive a car before buying it. Or tour a house before buying it. 100% no sell.

So I could use some opinions here. I'm struggling with whether going back to college is worth it or not. So I went to school briefly before I was really ready and went for something that I didn't want to do, that ended up about how you'd expect. A year later I went to a community college for a WAN degree but then they cancelled the major when I was halfway through it. Given the super specific nature of the courses and the fact that it was a community college 1000 miles away from where I'm at now I doubt many credits will transfer. So that leads into my current predicament. If I were to start taking part time night classes now, it'd probably take me about 6 years to finish. I'm already in a nice place in my career. Live on my own, completely financially independent, like my job, etc at 23. By the time I'd finish school I'd have ~10 years of experience in field, ~8 of which would be in a higher position that would normally be filled by someone who'd already have a degree. Only reason I'm really considering school is for future HR hiring requirements bullshit, I've got certs and have a few more on the way. I'll never be done getting certs either really. What do y'all think? I'm not overly worried about the financial burden part, more the time spent/time wasted since with 10 years experience a degree isn't worth too much.

[QUOTE=Levelog;51895533]So I could use some opinions here. I'm struggling with whether going back to college is worth it or not. So I went to school briefly before I was really ready and went for something that I didn't want to do, that ended up about how you'd expect. A year later I went to a community college for a WAN degree but then they cancelled the major when I was halfway through it. Given the super specific nature of the courses and the fact that it was a community college 1000 miles away from where I'm at now I doubt many credits will transfer. So that leads into my current predicament. If I were to start taking part time night classes now, it'd probably take me about 6 years to finish. I'm already in a nice place in my career. Live on my own, completely financially independent, like my job, etc at 23. By the time I'd finish school I'd have ~10 years of experience in field, ~8 of which would be in a higher position that would normally be filled by someone who'd already have a degree. Only reason I'm really considering school is for future HR hiring requirements bullshit, I've got certs and have a few more on the way. I'll never be done getting certs either really. What do y'all think? I'm not overly worried about the financial burden part, more the time spent/time wasted since with 10 years experience a degree isn't worth too much.[/QUOTE] Honestly, see if your work has anything for you if you go for the degree. Like if there's a ceiling because you have 10 years experience but they require the degree for x position you want to move into. I have hell of a time finding work because while I have many years operating my own actual, licensed business for enterprise and home IT as basically a side income before I left for uni. I still can't get hired on for 6 years experience as the owner and sole employee of a business that when I took over had at least 40 consistent clients from enterprise to consumer needs. I was essentially an apprentice (unpaid labour more like) for the business from the day I turned 10 to the day I took ownership when my dad didn't want to do it anymore ~four years later. So like, I'd say I have 7-8 good years in IT, I usually shorten it to 4-5 just because it's more believable for a guy in his early 20's to have 4-5 years work experience in one field on his resume. I've been told I'm over qualified for entry level so they don't want me but I can't fill an upper management position because I don't have a degree. It's this shitty spot between being overqualified and under qualified. It was kinda funny when the guy conducting my interview for a local company was a smug ass on the phone about "oh you owned your own company huh? Yeah? can you bring any paperwork to prove it?" and I asked him to call two of my references, listed a few additional ones who were also past clients of mine and then I brought a copy of my business license to my interview. Ageism is alive and well against the young mate, always have papers to back up everything when possible imo. A few night classes over the next 6 years is a security investment in your future at worst. A degree can transfer to a lot of unrelated fields where work experience won't cut it if you know how to market your self to employers as well.

Seeing welders make 3 to 4x more than me makes me wish I went to trade school.

[QUOTE=Squad1993;51899954]Seeing welders make 3 to 4x more than me makes me wish I went to trade school.[/QUOTE] Fun fact, our current prime ministers only post-high school education is welding. But i feel you, I will be finished with my degree in two years and will have a shit wage compared to my friends who got into trades. My body wont be wrecked when I'm 35 though.

[QUOTE=Squad1993;51899954]Seeing welders make 3 to 4x more than me makes me wish I went to trade school.[/QUOTE] When you're 30 and every waking hour of your life isn't a mixture of pain and then more pain when you have to move to scratch your ass because you have 3 herniated discs in your back you'll feel better about not going into a trade like welding.

[QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;51900843]When you're 30 and every waking hour of your life isn't a mixture of pain and then more pain when you have to move to scratch your ass because you have 3 herniated discs in your back you'll feel better about not going into a trade like welding.[/QUOTE] I thought about welding as a Plan B but I already have two artificial hips and chronic lower back pain so opted out on the basis of wanting a long and healthy life.

Probably asked and answered, but anyone have tips for building credit rating? I seem to have plateaued, which isn't itself bad because I'm not stuck at a particularly low number but raising it can't hurt.

[QUOTE=Squad1993;51899954]Seeing welders make 3 to 4x more than me makes me wish I went to trade school.[/QUOTE] I love my job, I really do. I can't complain about the salary - I mean, for my age it is pretty reasonable. When I see the salaries of many trade skills though, I get a bit jealous!

I guess my consolation is that in my field (financial advising) I have the opportunity to grow and my income could be limitless down the road. I just look at people in their 40s driving GTRs and I wish that could be me now but alas.

[QUOTE=Raidyr;51900889]Probably asked and answered, but anyone have tips for building credit rating? I seem to have plateaued, which isn't itself bad because I'm not stuck at a particularly low number but raising it can't hurt.[/QUOTE] I'm not sure if this is generally recommended but my friend took out a series of $500 loans for random shit and repayed them on the first payment in full and that helped his quite a bit. [editline]2nd March 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;51895886]Honestly, see if your work has anything for you if you go for the degree. Like if there's a ceiling because you have 10 years experience but they require the degree for x position you want to move into. I have hell of a time finding work because while I have many years operating my own actual, licensed business for enterprise and home IT as basically a side income before I left for uni. I still can't get hired on for 6 years experience as the owner and sole employee of a business that when I took over had at least 40 consistent clients from enterprise to consumer needs. I was essentially an apprentice (unpaid labour more like) for the business from the day I turned 10 to the day I took ownership when my dad didn't want to do it anymore ~four years later. So like, I'd say I have 7-8 good years in IT, I usually shorten it to 4-5 just because it's more believable for a guy in his early 20's to have 4-5 years work experience in one field on his resume. I've been told I'm over qualified for entry level so they don't want me but I can't fill an upper management position because I don't have a degree. It's this shitty spot between being overqualified and under qualified. It was kinda funny when the guy conducting my interview for a local company was a smug ass on the phone about "oh you owned your own company huh? Yeah? can you bring any paperwork to prove it?" and I asked him to call two of my references, listed a few additional ones who were also past clients of mine and then I brought a copy of my business license to my interview. Ageism is alive and well against the young mate, always have papers to back up everything when possible imo. A few night classes over the next 6 years is a security investment in your future at worst. A degree can transfer to a lot of unrelated fields where work experience won't cut it if you know how to market your self to employers as well.[/QUOTE] Current employer doesn't give a fuck about degrees, only skills, but that's not going to be the case always. I'm currently in an area with the tendency to hop between tech job to tech job.

[QUOTE=Levelog;51902604] Current employer doesn't give a fuck about degrees, only skills, but that's not going to be the case always. I'm currently in an area with the tendency to hop between tech job to tech job.[/QUOTE] I'd say do it just in case you come across a much better job offer down the road and that degree might just be a deciding factor between a good job and a great job. Never hurts to get the degree even if you never need it for your own field. It might make the difference 20 years later if you end up out of work and that degree is the difference between being a cashier or getting into a more comfortable job in some other random field.

Welp the guy responded and he said that it was a listing he forgot to take down because he already found someone oh well :frown:

I'm getting really frustrated at my job. Mostly because I haven't had a shift at my regular location in literally a month, and if I hadn't reached out and got myself on the roster at another location nearby I would have literally gone a month without a single shift. I hope this interview next week goes well, or I might as well be jobless until ~November, when things start picking up again.

[QUOTE=Squad1993;51899954]Seeing welders make 3 to 4x more than me makes me wish I went to trade school.[/QUOTE] I've thought about learning welding from my dad in order to make whacky metal sculptures. I'd like to start selling some art to make a little spending money but I have no idea where to start. All the online things seem scammy. Plus networking would be ehhhhhhh. :vs:

Honestly, I took a welding class in high school years ago. It was fucking easy. I dropped out of it about 2 months in because kids were playing the "burn each other and random shit with torches" game though so I didn't get further than doing oxy-acetylene and tig welding since each kind of welding was its own unit that we got put into loose groups and rotated through. You could probably easily pick it up just fucking about with a little oversight from anyone who knows how to weld. As to selling art, no clue. I hear a lot of people succeed with etsy. Shit if you film your self making them and put them on youtube you could easily link each one's listing on an ebay or etsy page and eventually you could be making money from art and a little bit extra + exposure through videos.

I'm looking if anyone has any advice for investing in Ontario. I'm coming up on some big milestones in my life and I want to start some kind of nest egg for the future and I have a decent amount of money just hanging out in my savings account. I'm also incredibly lucky to have a pretty stable job working at a small tech company so I can probably count on this income for a little while. I pop in here every so often and see lots of posts about making your money work for you rather than just hoarding it because "you need to have so much saved up in case you lose your job" Anyone have some tips?

[QUOTE=norrec181;51910746]I'm looking if anyone has any advice for investing in Ontario. I'm coming up on some big milestones in my life and I want to start some kind of nest egg for the future and I have a decent amount of money just hanging out in my savings account. I'm also incredibly lucky to have a pretty stable job working at a small tech company so I can probably count on this income for a little while. I pop in here every so often and see lots of posts about making your money work for you rather than just hoarding it because "you need to have so much saved up in case you lose your job" Anyone have some tips?[/QUOTE] If your field of employment is quite easy to job hop keep 3 months worth of bills as cash. If you're renting or living at home with the parents look at getting a property on a fixed rate mortgage. I'd advise a one bed flat for now as you'll have low running costs plus if you have a relationship and it gets serious in a few years time you'll have some capital built up / cash for a house with the opportunity to keep the flat as a rental. If you're still in the saving mode look at my previous post on index funds, just keep your money diversified in stocks and bonds. If there's a crash / recession don't panic its only a loss on paper until you sell. Dont go chasing penny stocks.

Any recommendations before I open up a bank account? I just got my first couple of paychecks in and I need to deposit them but I don't want to sign up for a bank willy-nilly, I'm doing my research but I'm just checking to hear your opinions as well. Right now I've only got a choice between Citizen's bank, BB&T, M&T, and PNC since those are the only banks in common with my current area and the town I'm about to move to. And I guess there's online banks I could use too but I don't really know anything about those.

Finally filed our taxes, owed $750 damn. The nightmare is over though.

What are the opinions on Honor Societies? I've got an invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa since my GPA surpassed 3.5.

[QUOTE=Humin;51919632]What are the opinions on Honor Societies? I've got an invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa since my GPA surpassed 3.5.[/QUOTE] I keep getting emails from that group for years. I joined one back in High School and it felt pointless. I got nowhere in there.

Having little other choice, I've had to go full steam ahead on launching my real estate business with almost no reserve money, and it's extremely stressful. The costs just keep climbing, our checking and savings accounts are tapped out, my credit cards are maxed, and I can't even tell if we're going to be salient for the month. My fiancee is finally back in work, and I've been trying to pull in at least a trickle of money from running oddjobs for my new broker (mostly helping her put together the new office -- installing computers, assembling furniture, painting, etc). I think we'll scrape by this month, just barely, but I'm very concerned about the long-term. I have no serious prospects for clients yet, and even once I do sign an agreement, it will be two to three months before I see a payout from a closed transaction. I hate that we've landed in this position, and am kicking myself so fucking hard for choosing to take that vacation. We were [B]solid[/B] before that, but made an irresponsible choice to take our dream vacation on the [I]assumption[/I] that our income would be staying constant. We'd have been perfectly fine if it had. Hell, we could have probably swallowed even just ONE of us unexpectedly losing our jobs. For [B]both[/B] of us to get unemployed within [I]one day[/I] of each other though? [I]Fuck me[/I]. I spent two years of dedicated saving and cost-cutting to build a stable foundation for starting this business with low risk, and now I'm being forced to do it with [I]nothing[/I], and I'm scared and angry as hell. I will [I]never[/I] make any assumptions about my financial situation again. I just wish this hadn't been such a hard-learned lesson. Sorry for the pity-party, but I but really want to stress the important of maintaining your emergency account. If you have any liquid income, start funneling it towards a bad day before you need it. Then, when the worst does come to pass, it won't be quite as devastating. Save and store at [I]least[/I] three months of living expenses in a separate account. Six is better, but this is far from a perfect world. Prepare for the storm before it starts building, and don't let that emergency fund burn a hole in your pocket. Never assume you'll have time to build it back up again before you'll need it.

why the fuck is it so hard just to get a basic job like some shelf stocking in a supermarket fucks sake