Changing times (college, etc.)

[Cdubyah]

Having a degree isn't jack shit without some type of drive and motivation.

+1

[Bad324]

I don't know how people do it. After living on my own in college from 18-23 and then moving back to CLE and with the parents I couldn't last 8 months before I had to get the hell back out again. And its not like I couldn't really come or go as I please or that my parents made me pay rent or didn't want me there. I had just been independent for so long that I needed my freedom

Plus the older I/they got the harder it was to get chicks to hook up in my parents house which was my main motivation really

[flounder]

"good" pay? your age. "pretty darn good" pay? double it. "really good/great" pay? triple+ it. again, just my $0.022 worth.

Am I understanding this right. good pay is whatever your age it. i.e. 24yr+$24/hr or $24K/year

darn good pay would be 24yrs=$48/hr or 48K a year?

This may work with hourly jobs but goes straight out the window with salary positions. Did I understand you right?

[Bad324]

When you all say you got lucky and got a good job what does that mean to you? You like your job? Paid well? Both? What is your definition of good pay 40k, 60k, 100k,

I think "good pay" is dependent on an individual basis. It comes down to a persons situation, expenses and how they live. With my salary I can comfortably pay my mortgage, utilities and living expenses without having to sacrifice long term savings or hobbies.

Knowing some of the extra responsibilities I have to take on sometimes I wish I was paid more but I have to factor in the amount of benefits I get. For example, my truck, insurance and gas are all covered by the company so those alone save me A LOT of money

[TheBrown57]

When you all say you got lucky and got a good job what does that mean to you? You like your job? Paid well? Both? What is your definition of good pay 40k, 60k, 100k,

My Uncle works over me an let me know about the opening here. Good to me is decent pay but they also treat me very well. I enjoy my job. This job has allowed me to get a new (to me) car an bike. I do have multiple jobs but that is due to my own mistakes that I am working to resolve. I have been on my own since I was 19 (23). I have had a job since I was 13 and have worked hard for everything I own.

[jblosser]

Am I understanding this right. good pay is whatever your age it. i.e. 24yr+$24/hr or $24K/year

darn good pay would be 24yrs=$48/hr or 48K a year?

This may work with hourly jobs but goes straight out the window with salary positions. Did I understand you right?

my general thought was if you make annually what your age is, you can probably live on that as a single person, e.g. a 30 year old could live on $30k/year. Wouldn't have brand new car, or a large house, but could have a couple year old car, a modest house, and a toy or two.

If you're 30 and making $60k/year, you're doing pretty well - a house, car, motorcycle (if wanted) should be easily doable.

[OsuMj]

My baby sister is in college now. She lives on campus, but I've started questioning the need for that as well. It used to be that you went away to college because there were no colleges within reasonable commuting distance. How many of us can say that now?

I had planned to stay home and attend the local OSU branch in Mansfield both to save money and to help take care of the family. I honestly wanted to move away because I was tired of the town and frustrated with how things were going in my life, but I applied to OSU Mansfield anyway. My acceptance letter said something like "congrats you've been accepted to columbus"... I just went with it.

After I worked my ass off to get my undergrad degree while having at least 1 (sometimes 2 or 3) part time job at all times, I worked for 5 months (had them keep me as intern status so that I could work flexible hours ~35/week) and decided I wanted a master's degree to bump up my pay grade. I originally decided to go to business school, had the appropriate test scores etc, they told me they were putting me on the wait list because I didn't have any "full time" work experience. So I'm thinking, I can either sit on a wait list to go to business school and PAY $42K to go over 2 years or I can apply to engineering school and GET PAID.... hmmm, hard decision .

Anyway, looking back at it all, I'm glad that I left home when I was 18. I didn't move far away or put myself in a bad financial situation, I didn't leave my family completely, but I allowed myself to start growing - being independent and whatnot early. I think its a great idea to stay on campus your first year if you can afford it. You build a social network, start learning more about yourself than you do at home, I also think it makes a less distracted lifestyle available to study and learn what you're at college to learn.

[flounder]

MJ is from mansfield area? I grew up in Crestline.

[redkow97]

1 of my best friends in high school has been going to college for 5 years now and still hasn't figured out his major, he just keeps getting free money from the gov to go to school.

do YOU think it's free money, or does he?

Because I've got news for one of you, that shit comes back to bite you in the ass.

Matt (Imprez55) isn't the type of scenario I have a problem with. Having a career plan and moving back in with your parents to pay off education debt and/or save a bit before moving out is not an issue in my mind.

Your buddy is. 5 years of school, with no real plan or reason. That's wasted money. Shame on the government for letting him borrow it, but shame on him for accepting it as well... How much debt has he racked up, for no real reason?

I'm looking at $76k in student loans that are already accruing interest, and I have to start paying down July 12, 2013. I'm not thrilled with that, but considering I have a Juris Doctorate, a career plan, decent job prospects, and an aggressive repayment plan for the debt that stands to save me tens of thousands in interest, I feel it was worth it.

then again, I also planned on having $80-$90k in debt by the time I graduated, and have a contingency plan for if I can't find a job in the legal field... man do I feel like I sound old for 29.

[redkow97]

my general thought was if you make annually what your age is, you can probably live on that as a single person, e.g. a 30 year old could live on $30k/year. Wouldn't have brand new car, or a large house, but could have a couple year old car, a modest house, and a toy or two.

If you're 30 and making $60k/year, you're doing pretty well - a house, car, motorcycle (if wanted) should be easily doable.

Not a bad metric.

Granted, we had help from student loans last year, but my wife and I survived on $42,000 in 2012.

I am probably being far too judgmental, but I really question how some people spend their money. I know people who make more than my wife and I did COMBINED last year, and somehow they have massive credit card debt, and no assets to show for it... That just boggles my mind.

[shittygsxr]

Not a bad metric.

Granted, we had help from student loans last year, but my wife and I survived on $42,000 in 2012.

I am probably being far too judgmental, but I really question how some people spend their money. I know people who make more than my wife and I did COMBINED last year, and somehow they have massive credit card debt, and no assets to show for it... That just boggles my mind.

Don't assume.

[OsuMj]

MJ is from mansfield area? I grew up in Crestline.

I'm from Monroeville originally, but part of my family moved to Shelby after i graduated, so some of my stuff went there too... I worked at the YMCA there for a little while too.

[Tpoppa]

I've always been a believer that spending habits are a bigger factor than income in the ability to live comfortably. Needs and wants are completely different things. It drives me absolutely crazy when people get in the habit of spending money everyday on unnecessary things like energy drinks, pop, coffee, cigarettes, & lottery tickets. I cut most of that BS out years ago and used the $$ to pay off a 30 year mortgage way early. And that didn't even interfere with my motorcycle buying ADD.

Living within your means (whatever yours are), with a cushion is they key to living comfortably. I've known many people that earn well into six figures that live paycheck to paycheck. I also know people with a nice nest egg that earn much less.

Remember NFL players getting loans to survive the lockout? There is no excuse for earning that kind of money and not having a financial cushion http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-players-high-interest-loans-2011-4

Spending everything you earn is a terrible habit, regardless of income. Living off credit (spending money you haven't earned yet) is even worse. My rule has always been to have 6 months of TOTAL living expenses in a savings account then put money into 401k until it hurts. If you have a 6 month cushion you can handle just about any financial interuption that comes your way.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Tpoppa

[Hailwood]

I've always been a believer that spending habits are a bigger factor than income in the ability to live comfortably. Needs and wants are completely different things. It drives me absolutely crazy when people get in the habit of spending money everyday on unnecessary things like energy drinks, pop, coffee, cigarettes, & lottery tickets. I cut most of that BS out years ago and used the $$ to pay off a 30 year mortgage way early. And that didn't even interfere with my motorcycle buying ADD.

Living within your means (whatever yours are), with a cushion is they key to living comfortably. I've known many people that earn well into six figures that live paycheck to paycheck. I also know people with a nice nest egg that earn much less.

Remember NFL players getting loans to survive the lockout? There is no excuse for earning that kind of money and not having a financial cushion http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-players-high-interest-loans-2011-4

Spending everything you earn is a terrible habit, regardless of income. Living off credit (spending money you haven't earned yet) is even worse. My rule has always been to have 6 months of TOTAL living expenses in a savings account then put money into 401k until it hurts. If you have a 6 month cushion you can handle just about any financial interuption that comes your way.

This is great advice that seems like it would be common sense, but apparently isn't.

Relative to the education, I feel that it's important for getting a foot in the door, but attitude and motivation are so much more important for long-term career success. I work with many people that are 'educated' and credentialed out the ass, but don't ever accomplish anything and are passed-over for opportunities because they have terrible attitudes.

My sense is that employers (or at least my company) are starting to value capability over credentials, which I think is a great thing for people aren't allergic to a little work.

[Tpoppa]

This is great advice that seems like it would be common sense, but apparently isn't.

Relative to the education, I feel that it's important for getting a foot in the door, but attitude and motivation are so much more important for long-term career success. I work with many people that are 'educated' and credentialed out the ass, but don't ever accomplish anything and are passed-over for opportunities because they have terrible attitudes.

My sense is that employers (or at least my company) are starting to value capability over credentials, which I think is a great thing for people aren't allergic to a little work.

Ahh...someone who can relate to my motorcycle buying ADD

[jblosser]

...Spending everything you earn is a terrible habit, regardless of income. Living off credit (spending money you haven't earned yet) is even worse. ..

Good thing we (The U.S. of A.) don't do that...

[tyler524]

When you all say you got lucky and got a good job what does that mean to you? You like your job? Paid well? Both? What is your definition of good pay 40k, 60k, 100k,

I say I have a good job but I enjoy what I do and get a great sense of accomplishment when I see one of my projects on the shop floor running or better yet, in a big automotive plant. I also am lucky enough to be making triple my age and having the possibility of making upwards of 120k in my position if I stick around long enough. I have a very stressful job but it is also very rewarding at the same time.

[JStump]

I don't know how people do it. After living on my own in college from 18-23 and then moving back to CLE and with the parents I couldn't last 8 months before I had to get the hell back out again. And its not like I couldn't really come or go as I please or that my parents made me pay rent or didn't want me there. I had just been independent for so long that I needed my freedom

Plus the older I/they got the harder it was to get chicks to hook up in my parents house which was my main motivation really

This is exactly why I could not live at home. Its not that I dont like my family and they would never make me pay rent, I just like my independence too much to go back. I moved back home from college and spent a a year there and boy was I ready to get out when I found a roommate to go in with on a place. I could not justify moving out on my own because it was free room and board at home, but splitting with someone is definitely worth it. I probably have a better relationship with my parents now then I did when I lived at home because I dont see them every day.

do YOU think it's free money, or does he?

Because I've got news for one of you, that shit comes back to bite you in the ass.

Matt (Imprez55) isn't the type of scenario I have a problem with. Having a career plan and moving back in with your parents to pay off education debt and/or save a bit before moving out is not an issue in my mind.

Your buddy is. 5 years of school, with no real plan or reason. That's wasted money. Shame on the government for letting him borrow it, but shame on him for accepting it as well... How much debt has he racked up, for no real reason?

No no no, I dont consider it free money trust me, I am working on paying off $25k in loans. He goes to community college and gets grants every year so to him it is free money since he doesnt have to pay it back. I also forgot to mention he asks his parents for money to go to the bar, so them doing that is not helping in the slightest either.

[redkow97]

if my parents were paying my bar tabs, I might not have moved out either!