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Scared of my future after high school

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by MissRanger, Aug 26, 2014.

  1. MissRanger

    MissRanger Guest

    I'm not sure if this thread fits in this category but I'll just post it here anyways. I hoped I'm not violating any rules :grin:

    Back to my question, I know I am still young but this question has been bugging me. 3 years from now I'll have to go to college and possibly move out. I am terrified to be honest because I don't know what skills I have to know to be independent. I'm unsure of how I'm going to manage my financial bills and college. Since I'll most likely won't be able to afford full price of my college I'll have to do loans. I am afraid of loans. What if I couldn't find a job that can pay off my debt? What if I have this massive debt that's going to eat off my pay-checks? Or what if it would take me an eternity to pay it off? For those who are/were 18, how did you managed all these obstacles? What can you advise this 'callow' teenager? I realized how time ticks fast and without a thought I'm off to set to college. I want to be prepared when this time comes.
     
  2. Monraffe

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    The economic system creates ways to make things work so you can bet there will be opportunity for a college grad to make ends meet in the future. If not we are all in big trouble. You already have a big advantage in that you are looking ahead. Most people your age don't worry about such things. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. But too much planning and worrying isn't good either. The world always needs good people, in fact it is always desperate for them, so have faith in your abilities and allow yourself the freedom of optimism.
     
  3. black-cat

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    Your school *should* teach you a lot of this stuff, and so should your parents. They will probably educate you about how to go about all of the above, and do it safely. :slight_smile:

    I am also kinda nervous about "growing up", but I understand that worrying at the moment will do no good, I am learning how to do all of the things you mentioned, too. We will deal with it all when the time comes, so try not to worry. *hugs*
     
  4. MissRanger

    MissRanger Guest

    ^^^Thanks Monraffe and black-cat
    You are right that I have to be positive about it :grin:.
     
  5. Jwis

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    My advice? Start planning and saving some now, but don't fret to much about it. Keep a budget and stick to it. I think it is safe to assume that you don't have many bills at your age and most of your income is disposable.

    Do you have a job? If so put a percentage away from each paycheck say 30%, don't even count it as income. You will have several years to save up some money for school. While I wish I could say it would be enough to cover it chances are it won't be - but it will help.

    Ask for help! There are resources out there - especially when you do get to college that will help you with these issues. That is what they are paid to do. They won't judge you in fact quite the opposite you are admitting that you need help and you are getting it!

    I can think of MANY of my friends through college that would have done themselves a huge favor by going to these services.

    While school loans do suck, they are a fact of life for many young people now. I am in the process of paying mine off now. While I did get a decent job - I am still living pretty cheaply. No expensive cars, no expensive vacations, etc etc. I am making extra payments to loans each month. They will be paid off years in advance.
     
  6. AKTodd

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    Well, let's see here. Some of what follows comes from personal experience, some from observing the experiences of others...In no particular order.

    a) Learn to cook - You don't need to try to be a gourmet chef, but you should be able to do better than ramen, mac&cheese, and pizza delivery. Once I moved off campus, I generally ate much better than my roommates and friends because I actually knew how to do basic cooking. You can get a fair bit of food for a small amount of money if you shop carefully, keep an eye out for specials and coupons, and are willing to buy stuff that requires a bit of preparation. Never underestimate the power of the oven and/or the crockpot. Also, store brands or generic brands are often just as good, or better, than the more expensive name brands.

    While my housemates were standing over a frying pan or boiling pot of noodles, I was having baked chicken leg quarters with spices and mushrooms stuffed under the skin. 20min of prep and an hour in the oven (while I went and did something else) and I had 2-3 days worth of meals to their one.:thumbsup:

    b) Learn to do your own laundry - my freshmen year in college, I had to teach at least 3 different guys how to operate a washing machine since their mom's had always handled that stuff.

    c) Learn to change a tire on a car - really learn it - have someone show you, including actually doing the hands on portion of getting the jack out, placing it, jacking up the car, and removing the tire and putting on the spare. Plan to get your hands dirty. It's a pain, but you never know when you might need this particular skill.

    d) When looking at college education, look into the community college option for your freshman (sometimes even sophomore) classes. Often the community colleges around a major university will teach the same introductory courses for a fraction of the price and the credits will transfer fully and seamlessly because the schools have that sort of arrangement. Often the CC will do a better job of teaching the classes as well since they aren't trying to use them as 'weed out' courses or the like.

    You might also see if similar credit transfer arrangements exist between your preferred (expensive) school and other (cheaper) colleges in the same general part of the country. You could potentially go to a cheaper school for part of your education and then transfer to the 'premier' school for the remainder of your education where it really shines.

    e) Get a job and save money - not just before college, but during. I worked in the university library for most of my time in college. It gave me some spending money, had flexible hours (you could schedule in one hour blocks up to 29hrs/wk per and set your schedule at the start of each semester IIRC), and didn't involve anything like the tasks of most college student jobs (would you like fries with that?). Conventional wisdom used to be that you should always save at least 10% of your salary and aim to have 6 mos of salary in savings once you hit the working world.

    f) Plan ahead and explore your route - When I've got a job interview, an appointment, or something else that requires me to travel to an unfamiliar location and get there on time, I will often go there the weekend before or the like so that I don't have to hunt around for it on the day I actually need to be there on time.

    g) Once you get a job after college, find a good financial adviser ASAP (maybe someone you trust can recommend one) and start working with them to secure a good retirement. Yes, you're young and do you really need to worry about retirement already? Yes, yes you do:slight_smile: When you can look at having literally millions of dollars in the bank when you retire, or maybe being able to retire early, and being able to do things you've always wanted to do (either after retirement or maybe even before), all that boring savings stuff suddenly seems a lot less boring.

    h) When looking to buy stuff, shop around and find the best deal. Use Consumer Reports or equivalent resources to read reviews about different brands and such to get the best deal for your money.

    Ok, I think that about covers it.

    Hope this helps:slight_smile:

    Todd
     
    #6 AKTodd, Aug 27, 2014
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2014
  7. mobrien1993

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    I actually lived with my parents while I went to college, this cut down on my bills a lot! However for the bills I did have, such as phone, gas, school, pets, etc, I got a part time job. By doing that I was able to save money for anything I needed as well as pay for some bills.
     
  8. MissRanger

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    Thanks AKTodd that's actually informative :grin: I do plan on pursuing my studies in a community college for awhile and then finishing my bachelor at a university. But I've always had the fear that the quality of learning isn't the same at a university but it's refreshing to know that that doesn't seem to be the case. :grin: