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

I've been pursuing a degree I'm certain I have no interest in anymore. Thing is, I still don't know what is actually worth the college hurdle since anything I want to do I could likely teach myself or use the internet. Most of my professors have been absolutely abysmal and I have been teaching myself in my own time anyway. I'm some ways into getting an AA in general sciences for a uni transfer, but finishing that up even feels like a waste. I just want instant gratification 'cause I'm so tired of living under my parents' roof. Can't get scholarships 'cause parent earns too much. No work around here is sufficient enough to let me afford to move out so I can claim independence, and I really don't want to rent again. Dear FP, this shit sucks. What do.

[QUOTE=Vilous;50009350]I've been pursuing a degree I'm certain I have no interest in anymore. Thing is, I still don't know what is actually worth the college hurdle since anything I want to do I could likely teach myself or use the internet. Most of my professors have been absolutely abysmal and I have been teaching myself in my own time anyway. I'm some ways into getting an AA in general sciences for a uni transfer, but finishing that up even feels like a waste. I just want instant gratification 'cause I'm so tired of living under my parents' roof. Can't get scholarships 'cause parent earns too much. No work around here is sufficient enough to let me afford to move out so I can claim independence, and I really don't want to rent again. Dear FP, this shit sucks. What do.[/QUOTE] About 80% of university students end up changing their major at least once, so don't feel too dang bad about that. As far as your disillusionment with college as a whole? Well, I can relate. I think my advice on the subject would probably differ from the majority's, though. I spent years trying to find my place with college and careers. Changed course over and over. [I]Maybe I want to be an architect? No, I actually hate this. Maybe I want to do Computer Aided Design/Drafting? Nah, this bites too. Maybe I want to be an engineer? Yikes, nope. I know! I want to be an oceanographer! Explore the seas with my trusty unmanned submersible! Well... Maybe not. Business? I could be an entrepeneur![/I] Everything I thought I wanted to do I ended up disliking, or it ended up interfering too heavily with the kind of life I wanted to live. Oceanography, for example, was thrilling, but it was also an entire lifestyle. It would have entailed moving halfway across the country, spending many years studying, then working a schedule that has me away from home for weeks, even months at a time. While that sounded fun and romantic at first, ss I started thinking seriously about family and the future, it just didn't jive with what I really wanted. I finally hit a chord with business. It spoke to me, lined up with everything I wanted in life, gave me the flexibility to do just about anything, go anywhere. Three grueling semesters of school later, I started to realize that I was learning more on my own time reading books I had gotten myself than I ever had in class, and at a [I]much[/I] faster rate. Already disillusioned with college, I dropped it completely and dedicated myself to self-study. I have learned so much more than I ever would have been able to in school, and the path that I chose for my life doesn't require a degree. All you need to become a realtor, which is the first major step in my overall career goals, is a simple license that can be acquired within a few months of studying. While everything I want to accomplish does demand education, it does not require a degree. I can learn everything I will need to succeed, and then some, through dedicated self-study. I may very well go back one day to take my education to the next level, but for the time being I would rather focus on achieving my financial goals. I guess the point of this windy post is just to say that college is not for everybody. While the conventional course is to go spend 4-6 years getting a degree and then finding a nice job to settle into, this is not the [I]only[/I] course. The alternative is riskier and more limiting, but not necessarily worse. I'm not going to tell you to put your head down and get your degree, or to drop out and take your chances. Suggesting either for you would be irresponsible. Instead, I'd just advise you to take some time to seriously contemplate your life goals and determine whether that degree is necessary for you to accomplish them. In most cases, it probably will be, but not [I]always.[/I]

so I set up a simple in/out excel sheet with some graphs etc, have set up a chart for standard income/necessary expenses then 'other income, other expenses' because I do a bit of ebay selling and whatever, I treat it on a month-to-month basis, this was my first month going with it, as in the past i've always lived pay check to pay check, then whatever's leftover at the end of the month goes into the next month's 'rollover' income, that way I consider it as paying myself to not spend, if that makes sense it's worked out quite well, this month's coming to an end, I have enough money left over to pay my next month's bills feels good, really good what feels better is realizing I made some mistakes in my accounting, somewhere, IDK where, but that I actually had more money total when I added up my accounts and on hand cash than I had accounted for after expenses in the spreadsheet; despite tracking every expense, I must have doubled up on something somewhere, was a nice little surprise due to needing to buy something specific I'm loving budgeting ahead, it feels so much more secure and gives me so much more time to deal with financial things, I really, really don't know why I didn't bother sooner it's such a nice feeling being in a positive state financially considering I used to be in debt nearly all the time now I just need to cut way back on the alcohol expenditure, gonna stop drinking again, I go through phases with it every now and then but money wise I really don't like the hole it burns in my pocket, even where it's not bringing me into financial trouble, I just look at the few hundred I spent on it this month and can't help but think how much better off i'd be if I just... didn't

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50009433]quote[/QUOTE] I see. As I cannot rate, a thank-you post will have to suffice, so thank you. Glad to see you're also learning a lot on your own time; that's very good. I really do like the thought of the accomplishment of acquiring a high-level degree, but I can't help but feel that's an irresponsible way to spend 4+ years of my life if it's just for bragging rights. I see you also relate to seeing just how dramatic a career choice can be on a lifestyle... that's what I'm most afraid of, I guess. Commitment isn't for me! I guess I'll skip the summer semester and be honest with myself, and hopefully figure out what I ought to do.

On the topic of credit cards, I keep getting declined for insufficient credit history. I have yet to own one, so no shit I have no credit history. Any advice?

[QUOTE=RIPBILLYMAYS;50006522]Do adults get vacations? I realized I only have the summer of 2017 left unplanned for any fun adventures I want to go on, anytime after that I would be working.[/QUOTE] I get 3 months off at the end of the year. Which I work landscaping which you don't really do much in the winter outside of snow removal. Depending on who you work for and if they will approve it you can request vacation time without pay. Not sure on the laws in America on it though so you may want to look into it. [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Firefox42;50010086]On the topic of credit cards, I keep getting declined for insufficient credit history. I have yet to own one, so no shit I have no credit history. Any advice?[/QUOTE] If you're at a bank see if you can't get one through them. You can also take out a loan then pay it off the next day. If you have a phone bill and you have a good payment history you can take that into the bank. They just want to make sure you're gonna pay the bill.

So I got accepted to my #1 university (The University of Texas at Austin for those curious) which I've wanted to go to for years. I still haven't heard back from financial aid, but since I'm an out-of-state student and it's a public state university, I'm not expecting much. There is no doubt in my mind that I will go to this school. The only problem is that, before scholarships and financial aid, I will be in the hole $200,000 for an undergraduate degree (tuition is $35k/year and other expenses bring it up to around $50k/year total). My #2 school (Savannah College of Art and Design) is looking to be the more affordable option, as even though it's about the same price per year, they've offered me a total scholarship package of ~$52,000 (~$13,000/year, working out to essentially one free year). Aside from applying to as many scholarships as I can (which I am already doing), what can I do to lessen this financial assblasting?

[QUOTE=Flicky;50010270]So I got accepted to my #1 university (The University of Texas at Austin for those curious) which I've wanted to go to for years. I still haven't heard back from financial aid, but since I'm an out-of-state student and it's a public state university, I'm not expecting much. There is no doubt in my mind that I will go to this school. The only problem is that, before scholarships and financial aid, I will be in the hole $200,000 for an undergraduate degree (tuition is $35k/year and other expenses bring it up to around $50k/year total). My #2 school (Savannah College of Art and Design) is looking to be the more affordable option, as even though it's about the same price per year, they've offered me a total scholarship package of ~$52,000 (~$13,000/year, working out to essentially one free year). Aside from applying to as many scholarships as I can (which I am already doing), what can I do to lessen this financial assblasting?[/QUOTE] I hope you have done the research on your career path. Many people never recover from this kind of debt, and end up being worse off than if they had picked more sensible options. Unless you're going to be a doctor or petroleum engineer, more than 100k in debt is a ridiculous amount.

[QUOTE=DanTehMan;50010740]I hope you have done the research on your career path. Many people never recover from this kind of debt, and end up being worse off than if they had picked more sensible options. Unless you're going to be a doctor or petroleum engineer, more than 100k in debt is a ridiculous amount.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty confident with how my career will go from college. I'm planning on spending a big chunk of my free time all 4 years volunteering at city and college functions relating to my career path, as well as looking for a summer internship at some point in my college career. From there, I hope I'd be a pretty attractive candidate straight out of college.

[QUOTE=Firefox42;50010086]On the topic of credit cards, I keep getting declined for insufficient credit history. I have yet to own one, so no shit I have no credit history. Any advice?[/QUOTE] Yeah, this was a bitch for me too. Nobody wants to lend you money until you have a good credit profile, but you can't build a credit profile until somebody lends you money. Catch-22, yo. Many banks offered secured credit cards. Essentially, you give the bank money to hold onto, and they give you a card with that limit on it. If you are responsible with the card for X number of months, they release the money back to you and usually upgrade your limit. The annoying part about all this is that the second you have enough of a credit history to calculate a score, you won't [I]stop[/I] getting credit card offers. I get one almost every damn day now. Before I couldn't find anybody who would give me one, and now I have so many people asking me to open one that I'm getting irritated! [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Flicky;50010270]So I got accepted to my #1 university (The University of Texas at Austin for those curious) which I've wanted to go to for years. I still haven't heard back from financial aid, but since I'm an out-of-state student and it's a public state university, I'm not expecting much. There is no doubt in my mind that I will go to this school. The only problem is that, before scholarships and financial aid, I will be in the hole $200,000 for an undergraduate degree (tuition is $35k/year and other expenses bring it up to around $50k/year total). My #2 school (Savannah College of Art and Design) is looking to be the more affordable option, as even though it's about the same price per year, they've offered me a total scholarship package of ~$52,000 (~$13,000/year, working out to essentially one free year). Aside from applying to as many scholarships as I can (which I am already doing), what can I do to lessen this financial assblasting?[/QUOTE] I want to cry a little bit every time I see other Americans quoting college prices. The rest of the world must think we're insane (and they're probably right).

[QUOTE=Flicky;50010270]So I got accepted to my #1 university (The University of Texas at Austin for those curious) which I've wanted to go to for years. I still haven't heard back from financial aid, but since I'm an out-of-state student and it's a public state university, I'm not expecting much. There is no doubt in my mind that I will go to this school. The only problem is that, before scholarships and financial aid, I will be in the hole $200,000 for an undergraduate degree (tuition is $35k/year and other expenses bring it up to around $50k/year total). My #2 school (Savannah College of Art and Design) is looking to be the more affordable option, as even though it's about the same price per year, they've offered me a total scholarship package of ~$52,000 (~$13,000/year, working out to essentially one free year). Aside from applying to as many scholarships as I can (which I am already doing), what can I do to lessen this financial assblasting?[/QUOTE] Have you applied to any in-state schools? They're so much cheaper, and depending what you're going for it makes little to no difference which school you attend. When I was applying, I applied to 3 out of state schools for aerospace engineering, and one in-state backup for mechanical engineering (all public schools). One of the out-of-state schools offered me something like $20,000/year of scholarships, but I still would have needed like $15k/year in loans. But I got 12k/year from the in-state school and with the [I]much[/I] lower tuition, I just have to pay ~$3000/year (technicalities with financial aid means I never end up using my full scholarship, but if I could use it all then I'd be paying almost nothing). I commute too so my tuition+fees is like 16k/year, less than half of the out-of-state schools I applied to. tl;dr - in-state schools are much more affordable, even without scholarships. [editline]a[/editline] Also, that reminds me, watch out for the fine print with scholarships. I'm getting a 12k/year scholarship from my school but it can only be applied to tuition, and not the $3000/year of fees, and if I get a NJ Tuition Aid Grant then that grant will be applied in full (again to only tuition) and my scholarship award will be reduced accordingly. So they may say you get X dollars of scholarship money, but you may not be able to use it all.

[QUOTE=Pelf;50011573]Have you applied to any in-state schools? They're so much cheaper, and depending what you're going for it makes little to no difference which school you attend. When I was applying, I applied to 3 out of state schools for aerospace engineering, and one in-state backup for mechanical engineering (all public schools). One of the out-of-state schools offered me something like $20,000/year of scholarships, but I still would have needed like $15k/year in loans. But I got 12k/year from the in-state school and with the [I]much[/I] lower tuition, I just have to pay ~$3000/year (technicalities with financial aid means I never end up using my full scholarship, but if I could use it all then I'd be paying almost nothing). I commute too so my tuition+fees is like 16k/year, less than half of the out-of-state schools I applied to. tl;dr - in-state schools are much more affordable, even without scholarships.[/QUOTE] I have applied to two in-state schools, but I've decided against going to both after realizing they both don't have what would be required for me to have my foot in the door in the industry I want to get into. By the way, that industry is film. Yes, I'm planning on digging myself probably $100k+ in debt for a film degree, but UT is one of the best schools in the country for it and has plenty of ways for me to get the experience required for me to get a good industry job straight out from graduation. [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] I ought to mention my parents will probably help me to pay about 50% of my loans, but I really want to limit the total for all of us.

[QUOTE=Flicky;50011678]I have applied to two in-state schools, but I've decided against going to both after realizing they both don't have what would be required for me to have my foot in the door in the industry I want to get into. By the way, that industry is film. Yes, I'm planning on digging myself probably $100k+ in debt for a film degree, but UT is one of the best schools in the country for it and has plenty of ways for me to get the experience required for me to get a good industry job straight out from graduation. [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] I ought to mention my parents will probably help me to pay about 50% of my loans, but I really want to limit the total for all of us.[/QUOTE] What aspect of film do you hope to be a part of? There are many different 'ins' to the film industry besides a 'film degree'.

[QUOTE=DanTehMan;50012239]What aspect of film do you hope to be a part of? There are many different 'ins' to the film industry besides a 'film degree'.[/QUOTE] To be honest, I'm really not sure. That's partially why I want to go to college, to learn what exactly I want to do. I have some ideas but I'm not sure if I want to pursue them for life, and I'm hoping taking proper film courses will show me what I want to do.

[QUOTE=Flicky;50012265]To be honest, I'm really not sure. That's partially why I want to go to college, to learn what exactly I want to do. I have some ideas but I'm not sure if I want to pursue them for life, and I'm hoping taking proper film courses will show me what I want to do.[/QUOTE] If you don't know, I would look into taking community college courses while you figure it out. If you don't want to go to a state school, try to find a community college with a film program which will start you off interacting with the field, and then after you've taken some classes go ahead and switch over to a more specialized major at a large university (if that's what you still feel is best.) Putting yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to further your career in something you aren't even positive you fully understand is not a good idea. This is literally life change amounts of money, for a field that won't net you a very large paycheck unless you strike it extremely lucky (which most people don't). You mentioned your parents will be paying about 50% of your loans for you, in this case your parents would be able to supplement $100,000 and have no problems doing that? That seems pretty extreme, and a good discussion to have before you start looking into more programs.

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;50013369]I've done my best to graduate debt free, and I think I'll actually manage to do so in a year and a half from now. College is NOT worth that sort of debt, just go for tech or trade school. 100k+ in debt is just.. that's just ridiculous. You could do SO MUCH with that money, I would not throw it at college.[/QUOTE] Theoretically, that debt is small potatoes compared to the earning potential a college degree is supposed to be worth. Either way, as expensive as college is, it ain't fair to say it's simply not worth it. Outside of skilled trades and business, you won't get too far without a degree, and we still need doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists, teachers, and all the other highly educated folks who keep things going.

Maybe I'm just disillusioned with higher education in America, but that seems like a lot of money for an extra line on your resume when we have the ability to learn so much on our own thanks to the access to huge swaths of information that the internet provides [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] I would say especially in the tech sector, with how fast technology moves

uni is so much more than that. you have the opportunity to connect with very educated people, work on research, obtain internships and co-ops, acquire skills that may require tools that you couldn't obtain on your own, etc learning on your own is a valuable tool as well, but the internet can't replace a degree [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] if the only thing that's added to your resume from uni is your degree, you've done something terribly wrong

[QUOTE=TrafficMan;50013536]Maybe I'm just disillusioned with higher education in America, but that seems like a lot of money for an extra line on your resume when we have the ability to learn so much on our own thanks to the access to huge swaths of information that the internet provides [editline]26th March 2016[/editline] I would say especially in the tech sector, with how fast technology moves[/QUOTE] If you can prove you know what you know then it works out fine. Only in specialised jobs is there really a need for a degree. In the tech world a porfilio looks way better than any degree unless it's actual computer science.

I've been in college for almost 6 years trying to get my Bachelor's degree so I can teach. It's definitely not worth the debt just to get a certificate that says I can do what I've already been doing, just after school. But without it, I can't teach during the school day so.. It's kinda balls. And what makes it worse is that if I really want a shot at a higher paid position and influence in education, I'm gonna have to get my PhD. Which is nice in theory and I'm excited to get to that point but the debt alone may cut that dream short before it goes anywhere. So idk. I guess just make sure you have a plan and be smart with college loans. Only borrow what you need, take advantage of scholarships or grants via financial aid.

I knew that going to college was gonna put me pretty deep in the hole and I also thought what's the point in the age of free, instant information? If you want to learn things feel free to do that on your own. Read history books, write papers or entries for online sites, produce your own content and upload it to youtube or someplace similar. A lot of jobs or careers that are appealing to young people (business, e-celeb, ...) don't need as much formal education, rather you just have to make yourself successful or you need proof of success to be hired. In my case, I wanted to learn more about nuclear power because I think its probably the only reasonable option we have for clean, large scale power. Nuclear Engineering pays [URL="http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/majors-that-pay-you-back/bachelors"]really well[/URL] so as long as I land a job in the field I can pay off my debt, and I'll be able to apply what I've enjoyed learning to make what I see as an improvement in energy development. I don't think anyone would trust a self-taught Nuclear Engineer since the consequences of making a mistake are incredible. I would say the same case for other branches of engineering as well as medical professions.

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but does anyone here work in any tech fields? If so, what's actually the chance of getting a job like? I see so many mixed opinions, some people say there are more jobs than there are qualified people, others say everyone is just outsourcing.

[QUOTE=Anderan;50018048]I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but does anyone here work in any tech fields? If so, what's actually the chance of getting a job like? I see so many mixed opinions, some people say there are more jobs than there are qualified people, others say everyone is just outsourcing.[/QUOTE] I've only held a temporary tech job, doing tech support for a computer-based standardized test, but what I can tell you is that while there seems to be no shortage of jobs near me, 99.98% of them want some kind of experience, usually no less than one year. Even supposedly entry level positions, hell even internships pull that. Because of that, you need to have a combination of education, certifications, and connections. As a result, I've stopped trying to look for a job in that field and am focusing on my degree.

[QUOTE=Anderan;50018048]I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but does anyone here work in any tech fields? If so, what's actually the chance of getting a job like? I see so many mixed opinions, some people say there are more jobs than there are qualified people, others say everyone is just outsourcing.[/QUOTE] Jobs are a tough thing to gauge. People who get hired and stay hired will say there's no problems. People who have trouble finding a job or lose their jobs will say there are problems. Yes outsourcing and h1b1s are massive problems. But that doesn't mean there isn't employment available in the States in tech. Also "the tech fields" is really, really vague.

I probably should have been more specific. I'd say either programming or network administration are what I'm concerned with.

My gripe with the tech industry is that even many very basic entry level tech positions at established companies list having a degree as a prerequisite, despite a degree being largely irrelevant in determining whether you know your stuff and have the ethics and professionalism needed to excel in that position. I'd even argue that these companies are actually blocking out some of the most highly qualified people, since many folks in the tech industry were self-taught from a young age due to a natural passion for the work.

The best tech people I know started learning the trade while in diapers. If anything you'd probably be better off canvasing high school seniors or college freshmen. Though I think a lot of it is they're looking for those few [I]exemplary[/I] students. You know the ones. [I]"I maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout college while taking 17 hours a semester, being an active member of 4 clubs, 2 volunteering groups, did research in the campus lab, and interned at Google 3 times over the summers, and also worked part time the whole time in."[/I] Basically they cut out probably some of the best, so they can search for the needle in haystack that is their [I]perceived[/I] best.

I'm only a semi adult but i need some adult advice. How do I go about applying to University in the United Kingdom? What sort of things should I do to make myself stand out? How should I prepare myself for things like interviews? What do I put on a CV? I don't think my school has done a good job of answering these questions so if anyone here could answer anything it'd be greatly appreciated.

[QUOTE=Purple Gecko;50020434]I'm only a semi adult but i need some adult advice. How do I go about applying to University in the United Kingdom? What sort of things should I do to make myself stand out? How should I prepare myself for things like interviews? What do I put on a CV? I don't think my school has done a good job of answering these questions so if anyone here could answer anything it'd be greatly appreciated.[/QUOTE] I'm not sure how ya'll do it over in GB but don't you guys have guidance counselors? I'd see if you can find anything out from them if you do have them.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50020378]My gripe with the tech industry is that even many very basic entry level tech positions at established companies list having a degree as a prerequisite, despite a degree being largely irrelevant in determining whether you know your stuff and have the ethics and professionalism needed to excel in that position. I'd even argue that these companies are actually blocking out some of the most highly qualified people, since many folks in the tech industry were self-taught from a young age due to a natural passion for the work.[/QUOTE] Totally agree. I got two associates degrees, sysadmin and netadmin, and used them to get me an entry level job at my company, then 6 months later, got into my sweet UNIX admin job. After talking with other people here, I found that only around half of them have it degrees, most of them have stuff like business degrees, and a lot of the app support people have medical degrees.