Life Question

[KingSigy]

I have a quick question for you guys:

Should I return to school?

For the past two years, my main goal has been saving up money to move out of my parents house. I am almost 25 and have had enough of feeling like a child. With only 3 weeks left before my planned move, I began to search for jobs and housing in my preferred state and came upon a realization: I need a job that will pay me $15 an hour minimum to sustain my living.

The problem is that the only degree I have is an Associate's in Communication. I cannot find a job in the field I am trained for and there doesn't seem to be anything else that will provide enough salary for me to live. I can't just go to another state and expect the best, especially considering my life has already been pretty awful so far.

So, back to my original question, should I take the savings I have earned from work and head back to school? I clearly cannot pay the tuition by myself, but I can use these funds to buy a car and maybe an apartment away from home. If I get accepted, I suppose my damn life will be on hold for another 2-4 years, but would it make more sense then leaving the state and failing?

I am pretty damn certain that either action is not going to end well, but is there a clear better choice in this matter? If you want to know how much I actually have saved, I can detail that to you personally. Regardless, I wanted to move for so long and have so many people expecting me to do so. I feel like I would be letting everyone down if I back out now. What is the better answer, here?

[Tarvu]

What would you go back to study?

[Bulkmailer]

[QUOTE=KingSigy;1142591]I have a quick question for you guys:

Should I return to school?

For the past two years, my main goal has been saving up money to move out of my parents house. I am almost 25 and have had enough of feeling like a child. With only 3 weeks left before my planned move, I began to search for jobs and housing in my preferred state and came upon a realization: I need a job that will pay me $15 an hour minimum to sustain my living.

Shrink that down to $8.50 an hour to maybe $10.00. Entry level time.

[KingSigy]

What would you go back to study?

I don't really know. There isn't much that I like. I suppose something in the IT field, but I just have no idea.

Shrink that down to $8.50 an hour to maybe $10.00. Entry level time.

I don't think you understand what I meant. I'm not being lofty with my expectations. I calculated out that my monthly living costs are around $2000. I'm being a bit unreasonable on a few fronts (food and insurance) because I don't know the true cost until I go. Regardless, at $2000 a month, I cannot live on a job that pays $10 an hour. That would only net me $1600 a month, at best, and I'd be bankrupt in a few months.

[thymeparadox]

People always overestimate shit when they decide to move out. I've lived below the poverty line my whole life, you always find a way. I know it's not much of a good life, but if you know how to live off canned beans, the rest is easy. I wouldn't bother getting back into education until you're sure you know what you want to do though, I know people who have gone back to college just because and it rarely ends well. For what it's worth I'm probably going to college next year, I'll be 31 by the time I graduate but it's better than being 21 with a degree in something I don't even care about. You should be thinking about the rest of your life, not the next few years.

[PhilKenSebben]

People always overestimate shit when they decide to move out. I've lived below the poverty line my whole life, you always find a way. I know it's not much of a good life, but if you know how to live off canned beans, the rest is easy...

As a fellow resourceful mother fucker (who was poor), mad respect for going to school.

EDIT: King, don't waste money on school, when you don't even know what you really want. Move out, stand on your own, experience the world. No job is beneath anyone imo. Explore whats out there, take the best you can get and then examine your situation and make plans according to moving up from there. That's how I've run my whole life man. I take the best I can, make the most out of it and plan to move up from there. Then I fucking act on it. Nothing comes for free and life is not fucking easy. Gotta be tenacious.

[Mighty Hatman]

I hope you figure out what you want to study, man. Once you do I'd say go for it.

[KingSigy]

I'm interested in IT work. That's honestly all I can come up with. I'm not smart enough to do much else. My friend works at a hospital in Sebring and is trying to pull strings to get me in, but I don't have any kind of degree or experience. It's pretty much all for naught on his part. If I can get the education, maybe I'd be able to join him.

I never meant to imply anything was beanth me, either. I've done shitty jobs before. Nothing is paying me what I need, though. I cannot make a living off of $9 an hour. It just will not work out. No apartments are cheap enough for me to do so.

[Mighty Hatman]

The first thing you should do is stop belittling yourself. There's enough people in the world who will do that for you.

[Revuhlooshun]

$2,000 a month? Where did you get that figure from? Are you moving to LA or NYC? God damn.

Go to school if you're going to learn a trade or a skill, like IT work. The growth of the IT field is going nowhere but up, and it's a field that requires education and experience. Don't go to school for shit like creative writing or physical fitness. Even some liberal arts are iffy if you don't have a specific path for them.

Don't rush into moving out if you think that you can't sustain. If staying at home and going to school up there is a better alternative, just suck up your pride and do what's best. What's worse to you: Staying at home, or moving out and coming back home after only a few months?

[KingSigy]

People always overestimate shit when they decide to move out. I've lived below the poverty line my whole life, you always find a way. I know it's not much of a good life, but if you know how to live off canned beans, the rest is easy. I wouldn't bother getting back into education until you're sure you know what you want to do though, I know people who have gone back to college just because and it rarely ends well. For what it's worth I'm probably going to college next year, I'll be 31 by the time I graduate but it's better than being 21 with a degree in something I don't even care about. You should be thinking about the rest of your life, not the next few years.

How am I not thinking about my future? While my question effects me right at this moment, what else am I supposed to do? I have no skills, I'm not qualified in anything and I don't really know what I should do to keep myself independent. Going back to school might solve that, but it may also just delay the inevitable realization that I am worthless. Who knows?

Regardless, what else should I be doing? There is no other thought than the here and now. I don't want anything out of life other than to help people. I don't want a family. I don't want a large house. Hell, I don't even really want a fuck ton of friends. I just want to be independent. I can't really do that without money to sustain my living, though.

[KingSigy]

$2,000 a month? Where did you get that figure from? Are you moving to LA or NYC? God damn.

Go to school if you're going to learn a trade or a skill, like IT work. The growth of the IT field is going nowhere but up, and it's a field that requires education and experience. Don't go to school for shit like creative writing or physical fitness. Even some liberal arts are iffy if you don't have a specific path for them.

Don't rush into moving out if you think that you can't sustain. If staying at home and going to school up there is a better alternative, just suck up your pride and do what's best. What's worse to you: Staying at home, or moving out and coming back home after only a few months?

I live in the Northeast, so everything is fucking expensive. Regardless, you made a lot of sense in the last sentence. The worse thing, to me, would be to fail after moving out and having to return home. I'd rather put a bullet in my head.

As for the figure, it's a detailing of a few of my expenses right now, coupled with "gernerous" estimations for the sake of having a plan. The cheapest apartment I can find is around $520. So, I just round that to $500 for the sake of making the math easy. Then I have to add food expenses, which I grossly overestimate at around $400 a month.

Now we have to add in car insurance. I have no idea how much that will cost, but I'll guess $500 a month. That sounds stupid since I know you can get plans for around $250, but no one will tell me how much their insurance rate is, so what am I supposed to do? This is also after I pay for a car, which would be $7000 out of the $15,000 I have saved.

Then it comes to gym membership. While I most certainly could just stop the plan I have and not attend the gym, I'm stuck in a damn contract for personal training. I can't quit that or else I'd have to drop $3000 for no damn reason. I'm stuck with it at $150 a month for a good 8 months.

Then comes to the utilities I would have to pay. Most apartments don't cover that in their cost, so I'd guess around $100-150 for that. I really have no idea as, again, no one will tell me their figure. Add in internet at $30 and gas costs at possibly $450 a month and I'm fucked. The total is around $2150. I cannot sustain that for very long.

Since I'd have to put a down payment on the apartment, which is usually $200, along with paying off a few months (some places actually don't require this), I'd be out close to $8000 just from the move itself. This would leave me with $7000 to find a job and keep myself going. I could easily spend 3 months by myself, but if I didn't get something that paid more than my monthly expenses, obviously I'd be fucked.

Moving out where I live is no good, either. The cheapest apartments I can find here are about $850 a month. That just isn't going to cut it. I'm not working two jobs again just so I can say I live on my own. When I was stuck in that mess, I didn't even have the strength to do anything else. There is no point to living at that stage.

[King Süshi]

You should itemize the things that make up that $2000 and decide what you can do without. Probably look up some online guides for cheap living, too.

I would reccomend getting a roomate, but that never turned out well for me.

[Revuhlooshun]

Now we have to add in car insurance. I have no idea how much that will cost, but I'll guess $500 a month. That sounds stupid since I know you can get plans for around $250, but no one will tell me how much their insurance rate is, so what am I supposed to do? This is also after I pay for a car, which would be $7000 out of the $15,000 I have saved.

That is unusually high for car insurance. There are plenty of places where you can get quotes. I lived in South Florida near one of the most dangerous roads in the United States (Pines Boulevard and Flamingo Road), and I was paying about $200~ a month as a new driver. Granted, I drive a beater (a '97 Altima), so I'm sure that the theft risk and cost of repairs is low. But $500 blows my mind. Get some quotes.

As for your car: Dude, that is mighty damn high. I got mine for $2.5k, and while it is not a looker, the shit is reliable. You might want to drive a shitty car until you're in a more reliable financial situation.

gas costs at possibly $450 a month and I'm fucked

Also seems abnormally high. Is your plan to live in one state and drive to another day-to-day? What exactly is the reason that you feel that this cost would be so high?

$400 a month

Man, you can eat on $40-50 a week and still eat comfortably. Just realize that your days of eating out are going to be few.

[usedtabe]

I don't think you understand what I meant. I'm not being lofty with my expectations. I calculated out that my monthly living costs are around $2000. I'm being a bit unreasonable on a few fronts (food and insurance) because I don't know the true cost until I go. Regardless, at $2000 a month, I cannot live on a job that pays $10 an hour. That would only net me $1600 a month, at best, and I'd be bankrupt in a few months.

I think he was trying to tell you what to expect to get paid at entry level, not what you need or would like to get paid.

[Revuhlooshun]

It depends on his experience and what he's going for though. Maybe $15 isn't out of reasonable expectations (though I have a hunch that it is). However, I live by one rule: Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

[Aaron Mxy Yost]

$500 a month for car insurance? I pay less than that for a entire year of auto and renter's insurance. If you're 25 or over you should be getting an automatic discount, assuming you have a decent driving record. How is nobody telling you their rates?

Do you have any trustworthy friends you'd consider getting a place with? That'd cut utilities/rent in half or more. Also, you might want to think about waiting for your personal trainer contract to expire, and work on streamlining expenses and continue saving up for a bit longer. Don't go back to school unless you know what you want to do, otherwise you're just wasting time and money. Have a goal first. Some jobs will even help reimburse you for classes if they're work related.

[KingSigy]

$500 a month for car insurance? I pay less than that for a entire year of auto and renter's insurance. If you're 25 or over you should be getting an automatic discount, assuming you have a decent driving record. How is nobody telling you their rates?

Do you have any trustworthy friends you'd consider getting a place with? That'd cut utilities/rent in half or more. Also, you might want to think about waiting for your personal trainer contract to expire, and work on streamlining expenses and continue saving up for a bit longer. Don't go back to school unless you know what you want to do, otherwise you're just wasting time and money. Have a goal first. Some jobs will even help reimburse you for classes if they're work related.

I know about the last part (reimbursement), but I can't even find a job willing to do that. Most require at least a Bacherlor's Degree or 3-5 years of experience in the field. I'm not even picking jobs based on salary. I saw a damn Waiter position that required 5 years of table service.

I also had a friend that was going to come with me, but then he got a full-time position. Since he makes $25 an hour, I figured it would be stupid for him to work there for 6 months and then just quit. I told him to stay, since he's working at something semi-related to his field of study (Film Editing). Otherwise, I don't know anyone else. All my friends that are currently in Florida either have high paying jobs with apartments well over my budget or are married.

- - - Updated - - -

You should itemize the things that make up that $2000 and decide what you can do without. Probably look up some online guides for cheap living, too.

I would reccomend getting a roomate, but that never turned out well for me.

I just gave you a list of essential things. The only thing I could cut would be the gym membership, but as I stated, I'm locked in a fucking contract. If I didn't have that, I could shave off $200 a month. Since I can't quit without dropping $3000, I don't see the point in even thinking about it right now. It'd be easier to somehow figure out a way to keep the expense then just lose an 1/8th of my funds.

[KingSigy]

That is unusually high for car insurance. There are plenty of places where you can get quotes. I lived in South Florida near one of the most dangerous roads in the United States (Pines Boulevard and Flamingo Road), and I was paying about $200~ a month as a new driver. Granted, I drive a beater (a '97 Altima), so I'm sure that the theft risk and cost of repairs is low. But $500 blows my mind. Get some quotes.

As for your car: Dude, that is mighty damn high. I got mine for $2.5k, and while it is not a looker, the shit is reliable. You might want to drive a shitty car until you're in a more reliable financial situation.



Also seems abnormally high. Is your plan to live in one state and drive to another day-to-day? What exactly is the reason that you feel that this cost would be so high?



Man, you can eat on $40-50 a week and still eat comfortably. Just realize that your days of eating out are going to be few.

I can't find anything under $7000. I even go back to around 2004 and cars are still going for that price. I refuse to buy something with over 100k miles on it as that's just pointless. I'm also not going to get a 10 year old car as most cars last around 15-20 years. The car could die tomorrow, for all I know, and I'd be out of a vehicle. I also know about the food budget. I could probably feed myself on $200 a month, but I just placed it at the average family size level for the sake of preparedness. There is no point in assuming I'll spend $50 a month and end up quintupling that amount.

[Revuhlooshun]

I just gave you a list of essential things.

He probably didn't see it. His post was 2 minutes after yours, and he probably hadn't refreshed the page while reading through the posts. It happens.

Most require at least a Bacherlor's Degree or 3-5 years of experience in the field. I'm not even picking jobs based on salary. I saw a damn Waiter position that required 5 years of table service.

For $15, yeah, you're going to need some experience. You can find plenty of jobs that require less experience for less money though ($10-$12, even). What you need to do is get a car quote, pare your food budget down to $200 a month, and figure out why your gas bill is so damn high. A more reasonable amount would be $150-$200 for a job that's 15-20 minutes away (unless your car has a MPG of 8).

Also, really consider staying at home until you finish school for a field that you want to be in. Your gym contract will expire by then too. Don't rush into something foolish just so you can save face.