How did you get your first job? Apartment/house? Dating?
I ask because I really only did so after years of bouncing around from colleges, summer abroad programs, living with friends, and really just use Zillow or StreetEasy to look.
(I also ask because I want a distraction from the world that isn’t entertainment or documentary/non-fiction and often daydream about what things I could have done different had I known things - real life skills - earlier.)
I found a mechanical turk that granted wishes and told it to make me older. I do not recommend having the body of a mid 30 year old and the mind of a 13 year old. Ended up in a love affair with someone my age even though I was mentally a 13 year old. Left me messed up for a long time. I eventually stopped being old and went back to my normal age. If you want my advice, age normally, don’t wish for adulthood on a mechanical turk.
Agree with everyone about cc debt but one addendum:
If you have a level head, go for the max limit allowed. Follow all other advice and auto-pay the statement balance every month no matter what. Never carry a balance, never pay a dime of interest.
A high limit can come in handy for a once in a lifetime emergency expense where the debt is somehow not as bad as whatever problem money can solve. It also boosts your credit score if you are ever in a position to buy property - the agencies like to see that “this person only uses 2-5% of their credit limit”.
Never get a credit card with a limit higher than a single average paycheque. Treat it like a debit card that’s accepted for things that don’t accept debit cards like certain hotels. If you don’t have the cash in your bank account so that you can immediately pay it off in full within minutes of making a purchase, don’t use it. Immediately trash all offers for increased limits. You do not want to go down the credit card debt rabbit hole. It’s fun for awhile, and then suddenly you’re sending half your take-home pay in interest alone to the bank.
First job out of uni:
- you are interviewing for the industry not the job
- thus, take whatever job will sign a paycheck into he industry you are comfortable working in (crappiest house in the nicest neighborhood approach)
- from there people will probably start offering you jobs at random, even when you have like 1 months experience. More realistically take 12-18moonths at a shit job so you can complete a project and throw it on your resume, then look for your next hop (probably via a current coworker or internal posting or something)
- government jobs are worth pursuing, if given the opportunity
Im in my mid 20s. I live with my parents. Ive never dated.
