Job/Career/Education advice?

[Noctis3880]

Hi all.

My apologies if this is in the wrong section, but I found nothing else suitable for it(except maybe Whine and Cheese, but I doubt I'll get helpful responses there).

I'm 26, living with my mother(go right ahead guys), I work in a produce department of a large grocery chain(evening shifts Mon-Thur, graveyard shifts Fri-Sun), and I'm studying for a 4-year degree in Accounting after having wasted 3 years for a 2-year AAS degree in Welding Technology before I finally figured out it wasn't for me(mostly due to my personality).

As for my personality, see if you can't figure it out from my contacts:
-My dad.
-My brother.
-My mom.
-One of my cousins.
-My boss.

Of those, only my mom and my boss are called/calling me with any frequency.


My biggest problem right now?

Well, the first one would be that my boss is running his department on a skeleton crew. I've asked my boss(and my union rep) to keep my hours at 30 or less. Not a problem on a normal week. Thing is? Them "normal" weeks are hard to come by. One person calls in sick and I find myself working 36 hours. There was a Show & Tell last week with other produce managers coming to our department, I get 32 hours. There's a photo shoot this week, so I get 32 hours again. At the end of this month, one of my coworkers will be out for surgery(gastric bypass). Hardest working bastid in the whole store, and he has the bad health to show for it. I don't expect any new hires to fill in for him. I fully expect my hours to stay between 32-36 for quite a while, and up to 40 if someone calls in sick or goes on vacation on top of that.

I myself am developing some health issues, with pain/pressure along my spine and abdominal region. After $2,000+ in MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and getting scoped down the throat and then up the other hole(I could recommend this guys:thumbup, it's pointing to potential problems with the disks in my spine, and I have a physical therapy session on Wednesday for this. I might suspect it has something to do with consistently skipping both of my allotted breaks and occasionally working through my lunch(technically a no-no and can get me fired). When mentioned to my boss and the store manager, out came the usual "it's your responsibility to take your breaks", "you need to work faster", and "you need to stop making excuses." It's ironic for a company to flout the differences they have with Walmart, when they obviously got their managerial training from the same place as Walmart:thumbup:.

My primary concern right now is that my grades will suffer if I continue to juggle 4 classes per semester with these hours. I'm technically not taking enough, as it would still take about 5 years to finish at this pace. Speaking as someone with a 4.0 GPA, I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of barely passing my classes with a C.

While I considered taking a lower paying job to replace this one, that option got a lot more complicated when my mom decided to buy another place on top of what we have now. My expected contribution to the mortgage is $1000 per month. My expected income is about $1,400 per month. So food and other bills aside(no more knives for me:grumpy, it would be just barely enough for all that, and my classes. I have taken no student debt as of yet, and my credit card debt is fully paid off monthly. My pay is maxed out at $16/hr plus the company pays for my health insurance, a very generous compensation, and very hard to replace. Only meat cutters are paid more, but a transfer would reset my pay to the bottom. Other departments are paid less, so it would be a big downgrade.


As of now, I'm not sure if I should try to find another job that pays an equal amount with consideration to the fact that most jobs would have you pay for your own health insurance(plus I still need it for my current health problems). Or find a welding job, assuming it's still acceptable that I haven't done any welding in years and I'm not state certified, plus the fact that I have socializing issues(and welding guys tend to be the gung-ho "hey brudda" type) and I'm trying to avoid back-breaking work(literally). But if I only have to put up with that for 4 years...

Or, push hard on my union rep and boss constantly to keep my hours short and on regular non-graveyard shifts(would help with my current sleep deprivation, best record is 48 hours without sleep:thumbup, which might piss him off enough to finally try to get me fired. Despite what you think about unions, the company can and will get rid of you if they want to badly enough. Plus my boss does have a habit of using people's schedules to threaten them, and stuck one guy on a week-long graveyard shift because he tried to transfer to another department(that was before he quit). In addition, his policy for dealing with his boss is to "lay low and stay off the radar until the heat dies down" at which point it will revert to the status quo. Sure enough, he sticks more hours on me if I don't constantly push back on it. I don't expect my work situation to improve so long as he's my boss. But then again, judging from the fact that the store manager seems to be the same way, I'm not sure a different produce manager would change things.

So I'd like to ask for advice on either job choice, or perhaps hints on how to improve the situation at work.

 

[GWashington1732]

If you hate your job now, you're really going to hate it after you graduate. I've been out of school for a year with a BS in Biology and internship and research experience and am still working the same job I've had since high school which doesn't even cover half of my loan payments, it's only been in the past couple of weeks that things are maybe, possibly starting to turn around. I can't find jobs even at fast food joints to make up the difference, thanks to the degree. So whatever you have now, might be what you're stuck with in a few years.

Check with your college's career center, they usually have job fairs and resources to help you find work. Also, try looking for internships and checking online job boards. Now is the time to start looking if you're going to change, a lot of places will be looking for summer work. That's a bit of a gamble though, if you leave your job for a summer job with better hours or an internship, they may or may not keep you on for the fall. You could try a staffing agency, though they're pretty useless as far as my experience is concerned. Start looking now, job searches take forever unless you have ten years of experience.

For references, you can use your adviser, professors, coworkers, classmates, or friends, usually they can't be family.

If a new job just isn't an option, start trying to improve your situation. In those big chains, even your boss', boss', boss has a boss and there is a way to report poor performance and unfair management without having to go through the union. Most unions are about as useful as a squirt gun in a wildfire. Also, check if there's another store close enough to you and see if they're looking for help, then see if you can transfer, tell your boss you're moving or something.

 

[Noctis3880]

I was certainly considering getting a 2-year degree in Accounting first, maybe get my foot in the door. But my Google-fu shows that my earnings would be...the same or less than what I'm making now. Which I suppose might be part of the reason why more kids are dropping out of school. However, I did pick Accounting, not particularly because I like it, but because it's exceptionally in high demand(every business needs them), and because it's more brain work than leg work(suits me just fine if I'm an A-student).

Internships are part of my education plan, though I've been told they're not going to pay as well(because I'm an intern and not a full-time worker).

The use of my advisers/professors as references is certainly great advice thanks! Wasn't 100% sure they were valid sources, but I suppose nobody would be better than the professors in which I've aced their class in.

I personally find it doubtful that my boss' boss would give a damn. As I mentioned before, my climb up the corporate ladder reveals that they have the same attitude towards their workers as well. As well, a Google search shows that my case isn't particularly an isolated incident. While it doesn't seem that it's a universal constant, it happens enough that there's an derogative internet slang for my company in particular for this behavior.

From what I can tell, management likes their employees to shut up, obey, and don't offer explanations. They favor compliant employees over those that work hard. It just so happens that I talked back a few times too many to take the route where I leave any rotting mess I find for "the next guy", and still have my boss turn a blind eye to it.

 

[Bob W]

Internships are part of my education plan, though I've been told they're not going to pay as well(because I'm an intern and not a full-time worker).

I recall my internship. Semester-long, full-time, and a graduation requirement. Paid $0/hr. :thumbdn:

My initial response to your situation, forget about trying to work through college. Get a student loan, focus on your education, and graduate into your professional field ASAP.

And forget about living with your parent if the rent's a thousand dollars a month. I know it's been a while, but I recall room and board in college being $1800 per semester, including food. Didn't have to buy household items like toilet paper or cleaning supplies either.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

 

[GWashington1732]

From what I can tell, management likes their employees to shut up, obey, and don't offer explanations. They favor compliant employees over those that work hard. It just so happens that I talked back a few times too many to take the route where I leave any rotting mess I find for "the next guy", and still have my boss turn a blind eye to it.

If that's the case I'd definitely start looking for another job. Try local small businesses.

My initial response to your situation, forget about trying to work through college. Get a student loan, focus on your education, and graduate into your professional field ASAP.

And forget about living with your parent if the rent's a thousand dollars a month. I know it's been a while, but I recall room and board in college being $1800 per semester, including food. Didn't have to buy household items like toilet paper or cleaning supplies either.

Be careful with loans though, they'll take a dollar for every penny you borrowed, I'd still recommend holding down some kind of job, even if only a summer job to keep some money coming in. Graduating, even graduating top of your class does not mean you're going to find a job. You could graduate and find yourself massively in debt with no means to pay it off. It's no fun, trust me.

I wish housing had cost me only $1800 per semester. At a state college, housing ran ~$5000 per semester for upperclassmen and you get to choose between the crumbly, run down apartment style dorms and the new, poorly designed apartment style dorms. And at that, you're lucky if you even get stuck with tolerable people who aren't up all night every night partying on their parents dime. If you're going the loan route, an off campus apartment is probably the better option, you can usually use loans to pay for that.

 

[Noctis3880]

If that's the case I'd definitely start looking for another job. Try local small businesses.

I was going to inquire with some local gun/knife shops. But I doubt the pay would be anywhere above minimum wage.

Be careful with loans though, they'll take a dollar for every penny you borrowed, I'd still recommend holding down some kind of job, even if only a summer job to keep some money coming in. Graduating, even graduating top of your class does not mean you're going to find a job. You could graduate and find yourself massively in debt with no means to pay it off. It's no fun, trust me.

True, but I figure it would be manageable with a debt at $10,000 or less. Again, I chose Accounting because it's a highly demanded field.

I wish housing had cost me only $1800 per semester. At a state college, housing ran ~$5000 per semester for upperclassmen and you get to choose between the crumbly, run down apartment style dorms and the new, poorly designed apartment style dorms. And at that, you're lucky if you even get stuck with tolerable people who aren't up all night every night partying on their parents dime. If you're going the loan route, an off campus apartment is probably the better option, you can usually use loans to pay for that.

True, I get enough of the frat boys(and, to put it nicely, the young folks who like to speak "Ebonics", VERY loudly) as it is. I also need to look more deeply into scholarships and financial aid, though they require a certain number of class hours per semester IIRC.

 

[Noctis3880]

I recall my internship. Semester-long, full-time, and a graduation requirement. Paid $0/hr. :thumbdn:

One semester shouldn't be an issue. I also find that there's no substitute for actually doing the work, which is part of the problem in trying to find the right career path for me(didn't realize I'd hate welding until I was nearly done with it).

My initial response to your situation, forget about trying to work through college. Get a student loan, focus on your education, and graduate into your professional field ASAP.

A plan I had considered, but I'm not sure I want to be saddled with thousands of dollars on student loans on top of what I owe on the mortgage(which is signed for and under my name, we just haven't moved in yet).

And forget about living with your parent if the rent's a thousand dollars a month. I know it's been a while, but I recall room and board in college being $1800 per semester, including food. Didn't have to buy household items like toilet paper or cleaning supplies either.

Would it be the same in Hawaii too? Because all costs from food to rent is higher here, and $1,000 is kind of the norm for rent. The difference here is that this is a mortgage I'm legally obligated to pay. The plus side being that, if I manage to finish college and get started on my path to becoming a CPA, I'll have my own place(not 100% mine, but 50% ownership between me and my mom) that's at least paid for, which I can sell later if I want to upgrade maybe 10-20 years down the road.

Total mortgage actually owed is $1,800/month. My expected contribution is $1,000/month. It's actually not bad from a financial standpoint given that I'm not expected to contribute to things not included in that package like electricity, cleaning supplies, toiletry, and breakfast/dinner(lunch is usually bought at work). I don't have reliable transportation, which cuts down on my available time considerably, though I also don't have to pay for insurance and gas because of that(real money saver). Was considering getting a moped, though I'm concerned about theft given how prevalent it is for that particular item.

Good Luck! :thumbup:

I try not to depend on luck, as I find it unreliable.

 

[Bob W]

Be careful with loans though, they'll take a dollar for every penny you borrowed, I'd still recommend holding down some kind of job, even if only a summer job to keep some money coming in. Graduating, even graduating top of your class does not mean you're going to find a job. You could graduate and find yourself massively in debt with no means to pay it off. It's no fun, trust me.

The past few years, student loans have been in the 3-4% range. They are scheduled to jump though, and could go to 6%. Not bad at all considering the beneficial loan conditions such as no payments for six months after graduation, no interest charged until after graduation, loan forgiveness programs, and income-based repayment plans.

If you have three choices: doing a half-ass job in school, spending five years to get a four-year degree, or taking a 5% loan... the loan is a no-brainer.

Student loans were around 10% when I graduated.

I agree with the part time and/or paid summer jobs. Even if school is paid for with loans, scholarships, and grants, it's nice to have a small bit of spending money for entertainment, clothes, travel, club and activities, etc.

I wish housing had cost me only $1800 per semester. At a state college, housing ran ~$5000 per semester for upperclassmen and you get to choose between the crumbly, run down apartment style dorms and the new, poorly designed apartment style dorms...

It's been a while since I was in college.

Current room and board at a New Mexico state university are $3,668.00 / semester. That's just under a thousand per month. Seems like a lot when compared to paying rent in a private apartment, but not when you added costs of groceries, utilities, and household supplies.

 

[Bob W]

Would it be the same in Hawaii too? Because all costs from food to rent is higher here, and $1,000 is kind of the norm for rent. The difference here is that this is a mortgage I'm legally obligated to pay.

I imagine Hawaii costs are much higher than twenty years ago in Illinois or even today in New Mexico. Something to consider, if the advantages of going to school in your home state outweigh the additional expense.

I have no idea why a struggling college student would straddle themselves with a thousand-dollar mortgage. It's not my business of course, and maybe it wasn't even a bad decision. But it's a huge liability and long-term commitment considering your internships and first after-college jobs may require you to relocate.

 

[Noctis3880]

I imagine Hawaii costs are much higher than twenty years ago in Illinois or even today in New Mexico. Something to consider, if the advantages of going to school in your home state outweigh the additional expense.

General consensus is that mainlanders are crazy. I used to live in Chicago back when it was still a nice place, it didn't inspire confidence during my last visit. Also visited San Francisco, but I got the impression that the entire city was like the inside of my local McDonalds, with all the homeless, hippies, and crazies out on the streets.

I have no idea why a struggling college student would straddle themselves with a thousand-dollar mortgage. It's not my business of course, and maybe it wasn't even a bad decision. But it's a huge liability and long-term commitment considering your internships and first after-college jobs may require you to relocate.

Let's just say it wasn't an idea I came up with, but 100% freeloading off of your single and divorced mother probably isn't something you ought to be doing at age 26, and even then it's still partial freeloading at this point.

I can see the advantages though. A $1,000 rent would just leave you that much less money each month with only a roof over your head for that month. A $1,000 mortgage means you've already put in the down payment, it's yours, and the $1,000 each month means that much less you owe on the mortgage. If I don't like it, I can sell the place. Or if I'm feeling savvy, I can buy another place in the future and rent the old place out.

It puts more pressure on me now, but long-term it seems more financially sound.

 

[Bob W]

I used to live in Chicago back when it was still a nice place...

During the period of 1830-1860?

 

[bakergh]

Look for a job doing accounting with a small business (since that is what you are studying). They often look for part time help doing their AP/AR as the owner gets bogged down with other responsibilities. Other than that, if you have even a small inkling of IT ability get yourself a job doing tech support. Entry level IT jobs are abundant and well paid for what they are. They provide most of the training you'll need and the hours, while set in stone, are usually flexible around classes. Plus if you are good at it (i.e. a self starter, motivated, hard worker etc.) you can move to higher pay fairly quickly. They usually don't require a degree in anything IT related.

 

[GWashington1732]

Look for a job doing accounting with a small business (since that is what you are studying). They often look for part time help doing their AP/AR as the owner gets bogged down with other responsibilities. Other than that, if you have even a small inkling of IT ability get yourself a job doing tech support. Entry level IT jobs are abundant and well paid for what they are. They provide most of the training you'll need and the hours, while set in stone, are usually flexible around classes. Plus if you are good at it (i.e. a self starter, motivated, hard worker etc.) you can move to higher pay fairly quickly. They usually don't require a degree in anything IT related.

Substitute teaching is a pretty good gig to get you a bit of extra money per month. You need 60 college credits in most places. Starting at ~$80-$100 for a six hour day you choose whether you can work that day or not. Word of warning though, they will not tell you what you're supposed to be doing, I've been at it for two weeks and I still don't know what I'm doing. If you're lucky you get a lesson plan, if not, the way I see it, as long as I don't have any major injuries or fights break out, I'm good to go.

 

[Bob W]

A secretary at the local school here once asked if I'd like to substitute. I asked, "What's it pay?" She told me fifty bucks. I told her if they added a zero to that number I'd think about it.

 

[sideways]

You done goofed... but you can still fix it.

The problem:
1) You (your mother on your behalf?) took on a mortgage that you can't afford. Usually people can afford about 30 % of their income for a mortgage. You are using over 70%.
2) You are trying to study and work full time. There are only 24 hours in a day.

A question:
What does your 1000$ a month contribution actually get you? Is your name on the deed? Are you sharing the space? Will you see any of the money when you move out?

Your options:
Work like hell to manage the mortgage, student loans, work and studies. It is doable... I know guys who work 100 hour weeks.
Audit how you are spending your time. See how many hours you have available to you and see if you can pull everything in.
If not you might have to cut something out of the equation.

 

[Noctis3880]

Look for a job doing accounting with a small business (since that is what you are studying). They often look for part time help doing their AP/AR as the owner gets bogged down with other responsibilities. Other than that, if you have even a small inkling of IT ability get yourself a job doing tech support. Entry level IT jobs are abundant and well paid for what they are. They provide most of the training you'll need and the hours, while set in stone, are usually flexible around classes. Plus if you are good at it (i.e. a self starter, motivated, hard worker etc.) you can move to higher pay fairly quickly. They usually don't require a degree in anything IT related.

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but every IT job application seems to require some degree or 2 some years of work experience. I'd also prefer something that doesn't deal with mass amounts of "customers" on a daily basis. My last experience as a reserve cashier led to a rather unfortunate habit of punching brick walls, and now I feel like I have marbles surgically implanted in my knuckles. My only redeeming feature is that I work best when left to my own devices(i.e. not procrastinating on a late evening shift because my boss isn't constantly breathing down my neck).

 

[Noctis3880]

The problem:
1) You (your mother on your behalf?) took on a mortgage that you can't afford. Usually people can afford about 30 % of their income for a mortgage. You are using over 70%.

Living costs are high here. For good reason I suppose, crime rates are universally higher on the mainland, and I've never seen a hurricane since I started living here 18+ years ago, so no natural disasters thus far.

2) You are trying to study and work full time. There are only 24 hours in a day.

I'd prefer not to work full-time, but my hands are rather tied at the moment. I can just go to school only, and rack up $40,000+ in student debt, assuming mommy wants to subsidize my freeloading ass for another 4 years.

A question:
What does your 1000$ a month contribution actually get you? Is your name on the deed? Are you sharing the space? Will you see any of the money when you move out?

50% shared ownership. 2-room unit, and I get one room.

Your options:
Work like hell to manage the mortgage, student loans, work and studies. It is doable... I know guys who work 100 hour weeks.

Doable yes. High stress for sure. Not sure if this is a good choice when I'm already having suicidal/homicidal fantasies(I'm not joking, but I strongly suspect it'll be the former and not the latter).

Audit how you are spending your time. See how many hours you have available to you and see if you can pull everything in.
If not you might have to cut something out of the equation.

Here's what I see:

Option A-
Move the hell out to Texas(job security and personal security reasons) where I don't know anybody and have the people skills of a rotting pig corpse(that appealing). Credits are likely non-transferable, so I'll have to start from scratch.

Option B-
Take the 5-6 classes per semester I'd need to actually graduate on time. Only focus on big projects/tests, zero studying(I actually only need minimal studying, never took me long to learn new things). Barely pass my classes with Bs Cs and Ds. Hope to hell it doesn't damage my future employment prospects.

Option C-
Call my union rep every 2 weeks to get my hours down to 24 per week as much as possible, piss the hell out of my boss(maybe coworkers too), hope to hell my boss doesn't try as hard as he can to get me fired over the next 4 years(or just screw with my schedule, or stick me in front of a cash register, or otherwise do whatever he can to exact his petty revenge on me). But my grades should be solid.

Option D-
Stick with status quo, 32 hrs/week average, 4 classes per semester. Graduate in 5-6 years. Questionable whether I'm an appealing candidate at age 31-32 with no actual work experience. Most financially stable with only moderate stress(thus far).


Either way, I'm running out of time. Each possibility is crap, with one being only marginally less worse than the other.

My work situation is devolving. My coworker will be out for surgery over the summer, and I strongly suspect no one will be hired to fill in. Just like nobody replaced the last coworker who quit, or the one before that who transferred to another department. There's a steady trend of increasing workload on a shrinking sized crew, and I'm already skipping my allotted 30 minutes for breaks(2 x 15 mins), and occasionally working through my lunch(which can get me terminated).

School itself is a bit tricky. I can increase the classes per semester, but it would also mean increased costs per semester, which might outstrip my income(even used books are costly).

I simply don't see an out.

Flat out canceling the mortgage would simply piss off my mother more. Should I get kicked out of the house, well, I did mention rent already hovers around the $1,000/month point.

I'm also actually not sure that, even if it works out financially and academically, I can actually tolerate living in the same place with someone who constantly dictates what I can and cannot spend my money on, what I should and shouldn't do, and just yesterday chewed me out because I wanted to use my dermatologist prescribed skin ointment instead of her homeopathic ointment that doesn't list an active ingredient and doesn't have any indication that it's for skin rashes at all.

More elaborations in this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1181940-Motorcycle-or-Scooter/page2

Apparently a motorcycle is no-no because it's dangerous regardless of whether you go fast or not. But mopeds are okay, because slamming into a car at 30 mph on a moped as fine, whereas if you slam into the same car at 30 mph as well, you'll be seriously hurt. Because well, it's a motorcycle.

I'm not sure that I can actually sell the place without the consent of my mother, should I choose to do so. Largely because neither one of us could afford a lawyer to read through the contract first:thumbup:.


The transportation thing is one measure to give myself more available time, since I was taking hour long bus rides(including wait time) up til now. Mother has also decided for me that I'm going to drive a car because the scooter I want is too expensive and I should really settle for a $1,000 one that two guys can pick up and toss in a truck and be gone in 10 seconds:thumbup:.

Another opportunity I see is my scheduling. I typically only get up to 4 hours of sleep on a graveyard shift(best record is 48 hours without sleep:thumbup, which typically leaves me distracted, unable to focus, and with extremely frequent cases of microsleeping(i.e. if you sit still for 5 seconds, your head drops down, your eyes close, and you technically "sleep" for a quarter of a second), NOT something I want to be doing while driving, much less when I'm supposed to be working on homework, studying, or on a project. It would be something that needs union involvement, I would have to fight tooth and nail for it(and again later on should my boss choose to "forget").

 

[sideways]

Option A involves a fair amount of risk. Unless you have a healthy supply of cash and some contacts lined up (work, place to crash, etc) it wouldn't be my first option. This would be the nuclear option.

Options B,C,D are all pretty much the same.... Just reshuffling the priorities between school and work. If you are not studying during the summer you should pick up extra shifts if you can. 60 + hour weeks will keep you in noodles during the winter months, the trick is not spending the money as soon as you get it.

Option E? would be to get a job in accounting. They are always look for people in accounting and judging by the accountants I know personality quirks are part of the job description. If you actually want to do it when you graduate then work on getting job experience in that field.

Option F? Take a year off school to gather some more cash

I don't really understand how that mortgage/mother situation came about. You are approaching the independent stage of your life and you just decided to co-sign a long term mortgage with your mother? Does she expect for you to hang around for the next 10 years, and more importantly are you really OK with that? In other words whose bright idea was this.

Which brings us to...
Option G? Swap the mother for a significant other who doesn't mind sharing a one bedroom flat. Half the rent with other benefits as well.
It might be a bit (or a lot) dick_ish to walk out if you have agreed to shoulder half the mortgage though. This is something you can't decide with strangers over the internet. If you want out of that situation you'll need to discuss it with the parties involved.

About the car/bike thing.... The bus probably makes more sense financially and you can sleep on the bus when you are tired. A 2 hour bus ride is 2 hours of snoozing extra a day.

On a side note: It sounds like you need to work through some personal issues to move forward in life. To that end talking to someone might be beneficial, shine a light on any dysfunctional stuff and deal with it. I am not qualified to help on that front but know that help is out there if you want it. Shrinks, counselors, hotlines, support groups, and local organizations exist for that purpose. That'll be the place to hash out your feelings on life, the universe and everything. Good luck.

 

[Noctis3880]

Option A involves a fair amount of risk. Unless you have a healthy supply of cash and some contacts lined up (work, place to crash, etc) it wouldn't be my first option. This would be the nuclear option.

Yes, but it still needs to be an option.

Options B,C,D are all pretty much the same.... Just reshuffling the priorities between school and work. If you are not studying during the summer you should pick up extra shifts if you can. 60 + hour weeks will keep you in noodles during the winter months, the trick is not spending the money as soon as you get it.

No problems there. My boss asked me whether school was over, I said it was, then I find myself with 40 hours this week like magic! The issue isn't a lack of hours but rather too much of them. I would have figured with me and my coworker both wanting 24 hours, you could afford to hire another part-timer for 32 hours at less pay.

Option E? would be to get a job in accounting. They are always look for people in accounting and judging by the accountants I know personality quirks are part of the job description. If you actually want to do it when you graduate then work on getting job experience in that field.

I believe internships are offered in my University. I don't know of anyone willing to hire anyone for an Accounting position(of any kind) without the 2 year AAS. I can take the 2 year AAS, but the credits are non-transferrable and I'd still have to take another 4 years on top to get my Bachelor's.

Option F? Take a year off school to gather some more cash

Cash isn't actually the big issue, at least not in the short term. I could sell most of the knives and related goods I bought, along with gold and silver(in hindsight, pretty stupid now since it's not doing anything) for maybe $8,000 or more. That simply isn't enough to say, quit my job and burn straight through school, mortgage and all on top.

I don't really understand how that mortgage/mother situation came about. You are approaching the independent stage of your life and you just decided to co-sign a long term mortgage with your mother? Does she expect for you to hang around for the next 10 years, and more importantly are you really OK with that? In other words whose bright idea was this.

Well technically, there's probably an expectation for me to take care of her for the rest of her natural life:thumbup:. Mortgage was her idea, but I'm guilty of letting myself get pushed into it. Perhaps not too unreasonable an idea given that she'll be close to retirement in 10 years. Even if I hate her nanny dictatorship attitude, dropping her on her ass to fend for herself is a little...much?

Which brings us to...
Option G? Swap the mother for a significant other who doesn't mind sharing a one bedroom flat. Half the rent with other benefits as well.

Did I mention I don't play well with others? I could probably get over it given a few years(or decades) in a better work environment, but it's not going to happen tomorrow, next week, the next month, or even the next year.

It might be a bit (or a lot) dick_ish to walk out if you have agreed to shoulder half the mortgage though. This is something you can't decide with strangers over the internet. If you want out of that situation you'll need to discuss it with the parties involved.

My bro offered to chip in with the mortgage. I personally wasn't sure if I should be trending towards more freeloading if I'm supposed to be independent.

About the car/bike thing.... The bus probably makes more sense financially and you can sleep on the bus when you are tired. A 2 hour bus ride is 2 hours of snoozing extra a day.

I DO snooze on the bus(or microsleep). Thing is, I'd rather be doing that at home(very light sleeper).

One suggested option was that I take my mom's Scion xB, she gets another car, and I use the stall at home. Problem was, my brother points out that it would routinely take up to an hour to find parking in the campus' overcrowded lot, hence why I wanted a scooter/motorcycle in the first place(I can just lock up a scooter on the bike rack).

On a side note: It sounds like you need to work through some personal issues to move forward in life. To that end talking to someone might be beneficial, shine a light on any dysfunctional stuff and deal with it. I am not qualified to help on that front but know that help is out there if you want it. Shrinks, counselors, hotlines, support groups, and local organizations exist for that purpose. That'll be the place to hash out your feelings on life, the universe and everything. Good luck.

Hmm, great time to exploit that free counseling available at my campus:thumbup:. A pity my shift starts maybe half an hour after I walk off the bus. Hence my need for reliable transportation. Some days I catch the bus right before it leaves. Some days I just miss it and have to sit around 25 minutes for the next one. My class ends the same time everyday, so I doubt the bus schedule is as accurate as my brother insists it is.


I'm probably overreacting to my mom dictating what I can and can't do with my own money. It may well be BS I can put up with for the 4 years I need to finish my degree. As far as the scooter goes, expected use is roughly 2 1/2 years, whereas for the other 1 1/2 will be taken in a closer campus, biking distance. So perhaps something cheaper and easier to sell would be desirable. Though to be honest, I'd probably stick to 2 wheelers anyway simply because I feel it suits me better as far as ease of use(as far as maneuverability), parking, and gas costs. But perhaps the best timing for that would be when I'm firmly into my career, actually pulling most of the financial weight, and am actually in a position to say "if you don't like it, there's the door". Plus I believe having a "good standing" with auto insurance is better than trying to insure a more expensive vehicle right off the bat, I'm just hoping basic security(chain, alarm, and U-bar) is enough to prevent an actual theft from jacking my premiums up.

In any case, I plan to take small steps with the union to get me off the weekend graveyard shifts to help with my sleep deprivation, then wait until I move from the community college to the much harder university classes before pushing for less hours.

 

[gadgetgeek]

I haven't read the whole thing since some of the posts were long. But I feel ya man. Its a rough spot. I would recommend shotgunning your resume around to as many jobs as you can, even ones you don't think you "qualify" for, if you think you can do them. you can always say no. Looking for work is always easier when you have work, I don't know why, but it seems its the way.

I understand that things load up and overwhelm. Step back and change your perspective, the debt you have is useful, houses are great. Adding student loans is probably a bad idea. You have income. Most people can't get enough work. Needs vs wants is a hard pill to swallow, but you are looking at a couple more years, not 5-10.
Take little steps, learn some methods to de-stress that will help with the sleep.

Not to play a one-up game, because I honestly don't think you can compare two people's lives and say who's is harder (well, in some cases you can) I have no degree, and am in an industry that got gutted during the GFC, and not one company in the industry has changed in response. They are all planning on things going back to the way they were 15 years ago when companies could spend tens of thousands on a corporate dinner. I need a career change and school is not an option for at least two more years. So I'm stagnating with skills that get rusty between jobs, and are not applicable anywhere else. My point is, look at the good stuff you have going for you, stay positive, and that will carry you farther than planning for things you have little control over.