Post: #1

Hey.. some come August, I will have finished up my degree (thankfully, finally). February, I will be teaching English abroad in Korea for 6 months/a year.

I would despise living at home with my parents from September - February, so I'd like a place where I could have a fun time, without excessive work hours, easy public transportation, and with relative financial comfort (rent, utilities, food, gym, and enough money to go out a few nights a week). My parents would support me if necessary, but I don't want that either.

I have training in bartending, a personal trainers certification, economics degree from a top tier public school, and a good and sociable personality. Not a lot of work experience, so I'm looking for a place that isn't too difficult to get a job.

Been thinking of college towns in the south like Scottsdale, but would greatly appreciate any input. I have about 3k in the bank which I'm assuming could hold me over for at least a month somewhere, as it would be more than enough in the college town I'm living in now.

Post: #2

Why not suck it up and live at home? Think about it this way: right now your net worth (leaving aside debt and future income) is 3k. Every month you pay rent, you're losing a pretty significant portion of your net worth.

I'd say find a job, any job and put your nose to grindstone for six months. Even with a reasonable social life, you can likely add another three grand to your bank account. That's the equivalent of investing your present bankroll in something that gives a 100% return. And then you can take off to Korea 6k up instead of starting from scratch.

Post: #3

Well of course living at home is an option. Cost of living where I live is high, but aside from that, the major costs would be intangibles Without getting into too much detail, my household is a constant source of stress, and isn't an environment conducive for productivity. It's difficult to leave my "unlike-minded" childhood friends and the seeds of my past.

Either way, I figure I could use this time as a learning experience on being 100% independent, and have a way more enjoyable time doing it.

Post: #4

go to the nearest city you have near. line up a JOB first before you make the move. since its the nearest city, you can travel back a forth a few times for some interviews for bartending gigs.

then look at craigslist to sublet an apt.

Post: #5

Save all your money between now and the end of August and then go travel East/Southeast Asia for 5 months before your teaching gig starts. Network aggressively throughout.

Post: #6

I can help you use Korea as a launchpad to hack into a career elsewhere in the region, if you are interested in Asia. If so, send me a PM. Your background looks solid.

Post: #7

Like Trey said, you should hit up East/Southeast Asia. You have to fly out there in 6 months anyway. Hit up RioNomad for info on BKK. Cost of living is cheap and your 3K will go far. Vietnam and the Phils are good places too. There is so much money to be made in the Philippines, I want to go there if Mexico doesn't pan out for import/export.

Post: #8

Never even considered going to Asia for that time. Seems like a great idea. I'm worried that I wont be able to get a job if I did considering the language barrier.

Post: #9

I'm in a similar spot. What I've been falling back on for the past couple years when my temp work falls through is substitute teaching. Once you have the credential, you can pretty much work anywhere in your state. And working around teenagers is pretty much getting paid to respond to shit tests all day.

Post: #10

(06-24-2012 12:58 PM)EisenBarde Wrote:  I'm in a similar spot. What I've been falling back on for the past couple years when my temp work falls through is substitute teaching. Once you have the credential, you can pretty much work anywhere in your state. And working around teenagers is pretty much getting paid to respond to shit tests all day.

I'm assuming you get a lot of free time too? Could you give me more info, it sounds pretty cool. Just gotta worry bout dem jail baits

Post: #11

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Post: #12

(06-24-2012 04:36 PM)EisenBarde Wrote:  As for "dem jail baits", you really gotta make sure you don't give a creepy vibe, which is an absolute death sentence and can get you jail time. But I'm not gonna lie, it feels great to have a bunch of 17 year old chicks fawning over you because you're pretty much the only masculine entity in their pussified school. I've noticed that I've been incredibly better in chatting up the lizards I can legally bang because of the increase of practice in frame control and group dominance.

I'm finishing High School now and the way the some girls obsess over the few masculine teachers is almost weird (Facebook stalking, sending weird messages etc.) It must be tough to avoid the "Jail Bait" sometimes though because some girls are pretty persistent and pretty hot as well.

Post: #13

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Post: #14

I would make sure to keep their contact info around and bang them when they turn legal.

Post: #15

haha, stupid joke derails entire thread.

... I think those 17-19 years are super sexy, though... no pedo.

Post: #16

OP: If your intention is to just "put in time" until February, living with your parents is hands-down, the easiest way to save money. But I understand if you it would damage your ego ... it certainly would have damaged mine when I graduated my M.Sc. a few years ago.

Have you considered a couchsurfing-and-or-hitchhiking/ridesharing road trip across America / Canada?

[^^ Getting the thread back on track ]
*****

Re: Students -- As an FYI, in Ontario Canada, teachers have lost their licenses for relationships with students AFTER they graduated AND after they were 18. My personal take is that it wouldn't be worth the risk (here in Ontario, at least), but to each his own.