Career advice?

[Alex DeLarge]

Hey everyone. Having some financial issues lately. Right now, I just moved and am currently unemployed and a full time university student majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Biology. My parents gave me $600 to boost myself which I am very thankful for.

It's been about two weeks, and that $600 is now down to $150.
-$300 toward my rent.
-$100 toward a late fee for tuition payments at my university.
-$50 toward everything else (food shopping, public transportation, etc..)

My parents think I've been spending my money foolishly, but in reality I haven't. It's just real world stuff I've been paying for. I went to a bar one night last week with a friend of mine and bought 1 beer for $3.00 and left a $1.00 tip. That was probably the most "foolish" spending I've done so far.

Anyways, I'm not trying to blame my parents for having a skewed view with the money thing. I would rather just start working so I don't have to rely on them for money. I've applied for a few jobs in restaurants in the area since I've been working restaurant jobs the past 4 years of my life.

I would much rather see if I can start doing some work in my fields of study (Anthropology and Biology) somewhere in my area.. I know there's got to be something for students out there, only problem is my financial aid does not give me any work-study program.

Just wondering if anyone else on here who did the college thing got a jumpstart on their career through working through their college while still an undergrad? I'm not looking to make a huge hourly wage, Just $9-12 an hour. Something to get by on while I'm still in school. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Rubirosa]

It depends on where you live, but check your local school districts for teaching assistant jobs....Working in the classroom as an aide to the credentialed teacher (all grades k-12). There's alot of these jobs helping out kids with special needs (mentally handicaped)

 

[metoo]

get a college loan? Don't need a thing, except sign up for full time classes, they hand you 6k each semester. 3% per year, no need to repay it while in school, up to 48 k in 4 years. Can use some of it to build 1/4 mill in credit in about a year, too. There's plenty of things you can do with 1/4 mill, even if you DO have to pay 20% per year on it. (and reallistically, you dont have to pay back those credit cards at ALL, unless you really want to). $5500 a year grant pays your tuition, at state colleges, at least, if don't go to summer classes. No need to repay the grants, ever, and no qualifications for them, either, other than pass your classes. Take classes online, only, so you don't have to be anywhere special, save money you would otherwise have to spend on rent, commuting, eating out, etc.

 

[synergy1]

10 years ago my advice might have been different given the situation in the USA. However now, you have to ask yourself some tough questions:

What are the serious career prospects in this field? Assuming you had to take out loans to live and pay tuition for 4 years of college, how long would it take to pay all of those loans back?

What you see is what your gonna get in the coming years in the US. The economy is and will be stagnant for a while to come. College tuition costs are going to soar, costs of living are going to go up, and wages will remain relatively flat.

If someone threw me back to age 18 with nothing but the knowledge I have now, I would do either:

1- Take 2 years of basic courses at a community college, than transfer to an ABET accredited engineering school and finish my core classes. In my case, we are talking gen eds, physics, and calc classes. This would significantly reduce ones debt burden, while still allowing one to get a degree with job prospects all over the world.

2- Probably investigate a vocational school in a specialized field of medicine such as anesthesiology. Fuglydude can give you a better career path , but the idea is to take classes for a few years, and get on the job experience quickly while being able to pay off loans. Its a good paying field as well.

A college degree is a piece of paper now, and everyone has one. The payoff period is becoming increasingly large. You have to seriously evaluate your options here because most of them will leave you with a ton of debt and serving tables ...if your lucky.

 

[AAAgent]

i've been in your situation before and i had to live out of friends/relatives houses in the past for a few months. I ate whatever was free and saved.

If you're a student and your parents are not helping you, you should probably seek financial aid/loan (seems like you need more than you have). Take out a loan, which is probably late at this point but you can look into it for your future.

As to your career for Anthro, i volunteered for an archaeology underwater survey a few months ago and from my knowledge all stuff in the educational field are unpaid internships/volunteer work.

No as to money, if you can't live at home or somewhere for free then work with what you have. Apply to as many places right now including clothing store. I've worked so many retail jobs during college, CVS Pharmacy tech, UPS, Coca-cola, Dunkin-Donuts, Express, etc. Right now if the perfect time to find work at a mall/clothing store due to holiday traffic increase. Finding a job is like finding a girl, it's a huge numbers game. Hit as many as you can and don't stop till u get one. Even if you get call backs keep applying.

 

[Mr.Positive]

I graduated college 15 years ago from a top business school in the state. When I graduated, I had no debt, which gave me freedoms I look back on and smile.

I paid for college pumping gas and delivering pizzas. I really feel for you guys these days, because back then, college was affordable. Nowadays, it's a debt system to trap young people.

My advise would be to try to get a job delivering pizzas. It's a lot of fun, great way to meet women, and the tips are cash off the books. Back then, I could clear $60 in cash/tips in 5 hours of delivering on a good night. That was 15 years ago, today you could probably do even better.

 

[maylenedizon]

It's just real world stuff I've been paying for. I went to a bar one night last week with a friend of mine and bought 1 beer for $3.00 and left a $1.00 tip. That was probably the most "foolish" spending I've done so far.

 

[metoo]

back then gas cost WHAT per gallon? Today, delivering pizzas is a loser job. Get the 48k of college loans, use them to build 1/4 mill of credit in 2 years, and blow the Us for some place where the interest on 200k lets you retire. Screw paying 1/2 of everything you ever make to SS and the IRS, along with sales tax, gas tax, etc, etc.

 

[Alex DeLarge]

In response to AAAgent..

I Just find anthropology to be a very interesting subject. To be honest, I'm just going to college to appease my parents and to get my diploma. Don't get me wrong though, I love the college experience. I have a huge passion for learning all of the stuff that I do in class, but it's nothing I can't learn on my own.

I really want to start my own business. I'm a musician and have always fooled around with recording programs in my leisure time for fun. I think running my own studio would be awesome.

I know I could just say "fvck college" and jump head first into developing a business, but I just want to finish up what I started and to not disappoint my family.

 

[The Bad Ass Canadian]

In response to AAAgent..

I Just find anthropology to be a very interesting subject. To be honest, I'm just going to college to appease my parents and to get my diploma. Don't get me wrong though, I love the college experience. I have a huge passion for learning all of the stuff that I do in class, but it's nothing I can't learn on my own.

I really want to start my own business. I'm a musician and have always fooled around with recording programs in my leisure time for fun. I think running my own studio would be awesome.

I know I could just say "fvck college" and jump head first into developing a business, but I just want to finish up what I started and to not disappoint my family.

Just gotta say that you're head is in two places that don't make much money. I think most anthropological fields rely heavily on grants, correct?

And forget about wanting to own/operate a recording studio. Unless you're independently wealthy, it basically can't be done in this day and age unless you are truly a gifted recording engineer and willing to work for free for a very long time to develop the client base/discography.

I am a part time mixing/mastering engineer with a respectable client list. (I do it more for the love of audio. The work isn't steady enough to rely on it and it is tough to get paid enough to warrant the overhead costs of buying all the required equipment) I have worked in big studios in the past. The thing is, there has been a shift to a lot of home based project studios and most artists are indie artists and don't have much money. The days of the big studios are slowly but surely dying. The budgets just can't afford them, anymore.

Sorry to sidetrack the thread...just wanted to give you some food for thought.

In terms of your current situation, I'd suggest sucking it up and finding a job in the service industry. Something that pays good tips. Do it to get yourself through college. Try and avoid getting a loan, if at all possible. It won't be easy to balance school and work but it's only for a few years of your life. At the end of the day, you'll walk away with a good education and no debts owing. That is a good place to be, as you won't need to be so picky in choosing/finding work in your desired field based solely on how much it pays.

Anthropology will be a field that you need to get into and just work your way up. If you can get in right out of school (even if it doesn't pay as much as you'd like), you'll have your foot in the door and ready for the better opportunities that will surely come your way by simply being in the field.

 

[Mr.Positive]

back then gas cost WHAT per gallon? Today, delivering pizzas is a loser job. Get the 48k of college loans, use them to build 1/4 mill of credit in 2 years, and blow the Us for some place where the interest on 200k lets you retire. Screw paying 1/2 of everything you ever make to SS and the IRS, along with sales tax, gas tax, etc, etc.

I guess you missed the part of my post where I paid for college delivering pizzas. It's not a loser job, it's the perfect job for a college student, imo. You get the days and afternoons off to study, and then get paid to drive around for a few hours in the evening listening to music and meeting cute gals too.

I worked from 5pm to 9pm, 3 to 4 times a week and paid for college that way. That's 15-20 hours a week, at most. Yes, gas was cheap back then...but the restaurant had a car. I rarely used my own car, and when I did, I got an extra $20 or so for it.

 

[AAAgent]

sounds like you should focus on making your major business and minoring in anthro. It will be really hard to get grants to do work before the graduate level as they won't give you money until they know your serious so its alot of out of your own pocket volunteer work. You'll be lucky if the program u go to sponsors food/expenses.

As for work and making money, do what you have to do. You're at the point in your life that if you can't learn to handle your problems now you probably won't ever be able to. Advice will help but you need to actually go out there and make the steps. I worked two jobs during my freshman year of college banking in 60 hours and going to school (it only lasted about 3-4 months as they were holiday jobs).

Instead of trying to make your hobby you're profession, what i did was get a stable job that covers the bills, i live frugally so that i can pursue my hobbies. I'm tackling things on my checklist one by one while at the same time working to advance my career.

 

[sageproduct]

I'm about the same age as OP. Two points:

1. I'm pretty sure the loans people have been talking about are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The interest rate is fixed at 6.8%, and how much you are eligible for depends on your class standing. Seniors can get $7,500 a year, juniors $6,500, and so on. You have to fill out the FAFSA to get it.

2. Try online tutoring at tutor.com. If you can pass at least two (or maybe three, I can't remember) subject tests, they may take you. It's a reputable business based in New York, so if you work for them you can list them as your current employer when you open bank accounts, apply for credit, etc. The tutoring is done through a chatroom where you talk to a student, and you get paid around $10/hr. You can schedule your hours in advance or float whenever you have some time. During scheduled hours, you're also paid for the time you're online but not in an actual tutoring session. If you're interested, message me for more info.

 

[Alex DeLarge]

I'm about the same age as OP. Two points:

1. I'm pretty sure the loans people have been talking about are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan. The interest rate is fixed at 6.8%, and how much you are eligible for depends on your class standing. Seniors can get $7,500 a year, juniors $6,500, and so on. You have to fill out the FAFSA to get it.

2. Try online tutoring at tutor.com. If you can pass at least two (or maybe three, I can't remember) subject tests, they may take you. It's a reputable business based in New York, so if you work for them you can list them as your current employer when you open bank accounts, apply for credit, etc. The tutoring is done through a chatroom where you talk to a student, and you get paid around $10/hr. You can schedule your hours in advance or float whenever you have some time. During scheduled hours, you're also paid for the time you're online but not in an actual tutoring session. If you're interested, message me for more info.

Wow thanks for posting this man. Sounds right up my alley. I'll check it out.

I'm starting to believe that I need to rethink my career path. Maybe the major in business, minor in anthro could be a great option. I've realized lately that I really never want to work for someone else. I'd rather just run my own business, that way I always have the option to improve my situation to make more money, rather than rely on a boss or ceo for a raise. (No offense to anyone that doesn't run their own business.)

My father always told me since I was a little kid "Work for yourself, not someone else" (Probably the only good advice he's ever given me lol)

As for right after college, I'm thinking about going abroad to teach English. That way I get an eye opening experience, make some money, and have something for a resume.

 

[AAAgent]

funny u mention the teaching english thing since that's exactly what i wanted to do. I studied business and also studied Japanese and Korean and waanted to go to both countries to teach english for a year.

My student loans piled up and the pay wouldn't be enough to cover my monthly loan payment and my expenses so i started working in the states, but what i did do is save a lot of money while working. My company also has its Asia pacific HQ in Hong Kong, so i arranged a vacation with my friends to HK this past June and went for vacay one week and worked out of the office a week (This was my very first plane ride and it was like 17 hours). It was very difficult for me to try to committ to teaching english abroad as i saw it as a time waster for my career.

Made fun in HK, slept 14 hours total my first 5 nights. hooked up with a girl talked to the hottest asian girl at work and went out for a walk. I also wanted to be an archaeologist and wanted to try it out before i committed to grad school so i applied to a few programs and got accepted. My second plane ride was to greece/Albania and i was there for 2 weeks.

Now i'm still saving for my own business that i plan to start soon as well as save for other things i have to do on my checklist.

My ultimate goal was to somehow do the things i wanted to do, without prolonging my career. Best of both worlds.