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So a little about me: Immigrant in the U.S., just got my green card a few months ago, 20 years old, and earn $26,000-$27,000 on my first job.
My bike just broke down today and I'll be late for work. I still have my brother/ dad who can drop me to the train station and commute to San Francisco. I would normally cycle my way to the BART, but again my bike's broken so now I'm looking for a bike on craigslist or wait until 10-11 am to grab a bike real quick (waste of money, since only my bike's pedals are broken but I don't know squat about bike repair and I don't think I have the time to fix it). So my first dilemma is should I get a car, or even a motorcycle and make commute more reliable?
I need some opinions on what my priority should be. I don't have money to afford all three for now, but with the way things are going I should get a raise on salary very soon (to around $33,000 a year). I still don't know much about how the country works - heck I thought about moving to South Korea or China and just continue my life there. But I thought before I do that, I should get a world-class education in the U.S. I was accepted at UC Berkeley and UCLA, with UC Berkeley being a much better choice considering where I live and I view it as the better school (I plan to take Comp Sci/Engineering or Economics).
The other thing I'm wondering about is a permanent place to live. I still live with my parents, and people around my age usually move out and live on their own. I guess I can comfortably live with the amount I'm earning now, but I don't think I can have a better social life by sharing the place with my family. Any advice on the finances is what I need right now  . As for a place to live I'm thinking about a condominium. So this contradicts with my plans to move to East Asia again, right? I'm just writing this down as an option.
Lastly - companionship. There are many people who think that having a loved one drives them harder, that you must achieve higher goals now that you're not just thinking about yourself, but a significant other as well. Is this true? All my relationships have been so far shallow and got into them just to fill the void.
I know I'm trying to cover lots of topics but hopefully there are people out there who can share some good advice based on life experiences.
 
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Get the education man in america this mean so much with it your job and salary will improve leaving you the opertunity to move out of your parents house and find your own after your done with school you can focus attention on finding a love but hey, maybe you'll find one by just school or work you never know
GL stories like your make me proud that you can do anything in america no matter your backgound this is your chance go for it!
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depends on what you do.. i have a bachelors in economics.. absolutely worthless don't go to school
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If you're worried about money, then there's absolutely no reason why you need to leave your parents and waste 1/4 - 1/2 your salary on a place of your own. Unless, of course, you have a poor relationship with your family.
It's ridiculous how many people are too eager to leave their home before they're financially prepared to actually move on with their lives, and then it takes them twice as long to afford education, houses, cars, and future family needs.
Stay at home as long as you can. Put your money towards your necessities (education!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and then move out later.
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One of the biggest mistakes people make in the US is getting a little average job with a normal pay (specifically yours) and buying a house that's too damn big! don't get sucked into that shit, the banks like it when you rent out little homes and pat massive mortgage fees for years and years. and they love it even more if you cant make the full payment, because then they get their house back to rent out to somebody else and now they have all your money.
My grandpa was an engineer for cars, really intelligent he helped develop fuel cells with other engineers and he would always talk about it to my mom because it was his dream to make fuel cell cars straight out of a factory. well that never happened and he lost a lot of his money from buying big ass houses and then moving, its actually a big part of our economy right now, bankers taking regular citizens money for their own benefits...
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Okay... So I super glued the loose bike pedal and I hope I don't get into an accident on the side streets. I'll reply to responses later - off to the road again.
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People around 20 that move out of the house (when the relation ship with your parents is good) are just idiots.
1. Go to the best local college you can.
2. Commute while living with parents.
3. Take as many classes as you can while making your 27k-33k still.
4. Pay off the school loans while you go to college.
5. Get girlfriend.
6. Graduate -> get better job.
7. Get apartment, maybe with the GF.
8. Propose
9. Get House with her, but make sure you have lived with her in an apartment for ATLEAST a year together to make sure you can basically stand each other's shit.
If you're 20 now, you could seriously have all that by 26. Especially if you keep that job while your in school and pay your loans as you go. A good tip to get through college faster is knock out 2 easy classes over the summer semester. A lot of college kids don't even take summer classes, I did 3 years in a row and finished with my masters in 5 years instead of 6 standard.
Oh and I forgot a car. Buy a decent used one around 5k-7k. Try to do this for when you commute, it makes it very easier to be able to just drive home after classes instead of waiting for public transportation. I got a 2001 used car in 2005 when I was 18 for $7100. I've had it for 6 years now and its still going good. No point to buy a new car for your first car. Statistics show you're probably going to wreck your first car anyways.
good luck
edit: San Francisco lol. Doesn't that have a lot of asian girls? Might as well just get with one of them, it's going good for me.
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I agree with Nizzy, I for one am currently 22 and still live with my dad and it doesn't bother me in the least. He and I have a great relationship and if you have a good relationship with your family then I would see no reason in moving out where you would be spending, presumably, more money than you are now by living at home.
First off I would advise that you get an education. There is nothing bad that is going to come by getting a good education. It will open more doors for you in terms of employment and could even get you a better job/salary at where you are working now if you get a degree. Again, if you have the time and money for an education then by all means get one, you won't regret it.
I already kind of gave you my view about moving out, but again I would not move out just because you feel you need to. I know a lot of people who did that at around our age and it didn't really turn out well for them, grant it you sound like you could do it easily with your current salary but twenty is not that old and I'll reiterate that if you have a good relationship with who you live with now then I see no need in moving out. This is especially true if you do decide to go to school or buy a new car, you will want to save all the money you can and living at home is a great way to do so, assuming you aren't forced to pay a high rent price.
Finally with the companionship issue, never start a relationship just because you want one to 'fill the void'. It's a bad habit and rarely ever leads to anything good and usually just causes more stress. While I can relate that living at home does hinder a better social life, you should think about priorities right now. Like I said twenty is not old at all and you can have a degree in lets say 4-6 years. You graduate and your still in your mid twenties, you can potentially get a better job, your own place and you'll find things will start falling into place. I can't stress enough though that, I personally, do not think it's a good idea to just start relationships simply because you want one, wait for someone truly special.
Anyway that's all I got, keep us updated as I would love to hear what you end up deciding to do, best of luck to you!
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Got accepted to UC-Berkley? Fuck, man, you got it made. Accept your acceptance, attend it (Computer Engineering is a great major!) and then once you've finished college go back to where you are now and try to sort things out. Having a solid degree from a great school like that will open up WORLDS of possibility for you, and if you're smart enough you could be earning easily twice as much as you are now.
Get on that shit. Maybe you'll meet a nice girl while your there?
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Education first.
Don't even think about making a girlfriend a priority. That'll happen when you're not expecting it.
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Education first, no doubt. That is your absolute first priority. Even if it means you have to cut hours from your current job, or even lose it, prioritize education above all else when you're only 20 years old.
Car - pray that your dad feels like getting a new car, and instead of trashing his old one or giving it to your mom, he gives it to you. It happens more often than not, certainly worth asking! This helps with your insurance as well, since you can keep your dad as the primary driver and get your insurance as a secondary - cheaper for you. Insurance as primary driver at age 20... nightmare.
House - if you can grab one or two friends that you've known for long years, renting a decent condo is actually not a bad option. You've got your income, hopefully your friends also have a source, then you can split rent + living costs, and it ends up being reasonable. I moved out this year (I just graduated from university) and I'm enjoying my freedom and independence. Of course I'm financially independent, and I think it's worth the cost. Plus, I'm closer to my job (condo is near the highway) so it was the right time for me. Consider various factors before moving out, and don't be afraid to make the move if the pieces fit together. Do discuss it with your parents, especially regarding the financial responsibility.
GF - time for a girl blog? Ha! Since you'll be attending university soon, get the worries out of your mind. You'll meet new friends, and I'm sure you'll find a fine lady to your liking =) Good luck!
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Get the education, stay with parents or in dorm if you can afford that (unless your house life is bad). GF comes after education since if you are ballin you will have the assets to afford a gf, but if you aren't ballin then you can't afford a gf. Girls have shit tests and one of them is money, if you can't afford her you can't have her (this is only for some girls, but a lot of girls are like this, there are some really nice ones but every girl likes presents so thats a part of this). car don't get, depends on how far you are going, but you could get a longboard or a skatebord ^_^. However, my info may be useless if none of it applies to your situation -_-;
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education = house + car = sexual opportunities in college
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UC Berkeley opens a lot of doors.
I have a friend who is graduating in Spring and he's already been offered a solid job before he's even received his diploma.
He also got access to a few paid internships because he's got the Cal name on his resume.
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So just an update... I'm okay and got to work.
It seems the major opinion is that I continue my education. The next step is to tell my boss if there's a way I can continue to work and study at the same time. I'm thinking that if I earn $20,000 a year I'll be fine with expenses and even offset some of the tuition fees (or at least books, food, rent, etc.) UC Berkeley has a great network of transportation - buses are free, food, stores, etc. are just a couple of blocks away. There won't be a need for a car, and bikes are actually great around the town.
I'm sure that college opens the average person to flirtatious moments / awkard opposite sex just-the-two-of-you room situations.
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On February 14 2012 02:29 Nizzy wrote:
No point to buy a new car for your first car. Statistics show you're probably going to wreck your first car anyways.
I bought my first car brand new. I don't plan on wrecking it either... unless someone else rams me.
I'd agree with getting a used car though if you can find some good deals. I just got tired of car salesmen trying to scam me on overly priced used cars so I just got a brand new one for what I thought was a good price.
I'd say live with your family if possible. If you have a good bus route system in your area then go bus / bicycle. If public transportation is pretty bad in your area than get a car so you can actually have freedom to get around to places. Then save up some money and get a GF.
I think it's ok to have a GF at any stage, but if you want a serious relationship I agree that living in an apartment together for a while will show if you guys match each other. I know I love my wife to death, because she does 99% of the cooking and I just help her.
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Focus on education/job - do well and move up as far as possible. Stay with your parents and don't rent (renting just to socialise better is a waste of money). When you can afford it, you can then buy your own place. The GF will come naturally if you're a confident person.
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If you make ~$27,000 a year, don't buy a house/get an apartment. Live with your parents as long as you fucking can, son. Don't buy a car. Both of those are just liabilities, especially when you hardly have a pot to piss in. I'd hardly call $27k a year comfortable, but maybe my standards are skewed. You can maybe buy a cheap used car if you continue to live with your parents, but I'd save up and try to put down cash for it. Don't get yourself into debt if you don't have to.
Don't think getting a degree, even in engineering, will make everything magically better either. A degree doesn't mean shit, really. It doesn't guarantee you anything, and college is god damn expensive.
Don't worry about women. Just be a person that you respect and everything else social-wise will fall into place.
Also, save your god damn money. Please.
You can PM me if you want to talk.
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On February 14 2012 15:39 Eljee wrote:
If you make ~$27,000 a year, don't buy a house/get an apartment. Live with your parents as long as you fucking can, son. Don't buy a car. Both of those are just liabilities, especially when you hardly have a pot to piss in. I'd hardly call $27k a year comfortable, but maybe my standards are skewed. You can maybe buy a cheap used car if you continue to live with your parents, but I'd save up and try to put down cash for it. Don't get yourself into debt if you don't have to.
Don't think getting a degree, even in engineering, will make everything magically better either. A degree doesn't mean shit, really. It doesn't guarantee you anything, and college is god damn expensive.
Don't worry about women. Just be a person that you respect and everything else social-wise will fall into place.
Also, save your god damn money. Please.
You can PM me if you want to talk.
So... I should work harder?
Agreed on housing...
I said $27k a year is comfy because I only pay for one bill monthly (cell phone), and I give my parents money to take care of the groceries (not that they need it). My current job actually gives me more than enough money to take decent vacations, and all the electronics I can feast my eyes on (I was in a shopping frenzy after my first few pay checks, but I'm saving up now). I also have enough money to pay for a car as well worth $20k paid around $300-500 monthly.
I'm not sure what your opinion of a well-known school like UC Berkeley is, but just like those guys said above, UC Berkeley does open you to a lot of opportunities. You might have heard of bad stories from recent graduates who can't get a job, but I'm confident that I can get a job that would pay at least twice as much as my current job (that some graduates struggle to get considering my virtually non-existent job experience - it's my computer skills that landed me a decent 1st job without formal training or certification) after I graduate.
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There is nothing on your list that's more valuable than the degree from UC Berkeley. For your age, career always comes first. People who tell you not to go to college either went to shitty ones with low post-graduate employment rate, majored in impractical fields, or did not do well academically while in college for the education to matter. I hate when people bring up examples of rich people who are college drop outs, they are just the outliers in statistics. If you don't have the genius of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates that exceeds beyond what college can teach, you will need the degree. Most college grads from well known schools will make on average much more than high school grads.
If you are technically oriented, then Berkeley would be an even better choice for you.
Edit: To me the choice is so obvious, it seems like a subtle brag blog about your college acceptance rather than a post asking for advice XD
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$27k is only comfortable because you've never had a job that pays salary before. $27k, in Cali, is nothing. Certainly not enough to be going and buying a house or condo. Stay home and save, go to school. As for car, definitely don't get new, and lower your budget if you really want to get a house in the next five years or so.
If you want to be most efficient, get some car that isn't expensive, but not reliable... so better than a beater, maybe like $5-7 can get you something to go to point a-b without breaking down every two miles. If you're dead set on getting a nicer ride, get a Certified Pre Owned (CPO). New cars lose something liek %20 right off the lot. CPO skips right over that mostly. You get a car that is gently used, under 40-50k miles depending on the dealer, and backed by a warranty that can be real extensive. The first route is better based on your position, but CPO isn ot bad either. Just don't go new.
Also, consider working full time through college. There really is no reason that you can't. Lots of people do it, you'll have extra money and you'll learn discipline as far as time and money management.
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