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quote:I don't know, I just simply don't loving understand the mindset of millenials (yes I am one too) where you have to either work in something you're passionate about, or you become a boring soulless shell of a person who is doomed to a depressing, gray, 1950s suburban lifestyle. There is an entire world of things you can do in your life outside of work, and those options become exponentially more plentiful if you have money in the first place. Two reasons. #1 - Because that's what many people's lives are like, unfortunately. There's a lovely sort of bimodal distribution with recent grads, right now, where they either have no money and no work, or acceptable money and ludicrous hours. Neither one lets you pursue self-actualization. Remember that BFC is not representative of the total population. As a whole, BFC is significantly better off than the average recent graduate and has more options available to it. #2 - They see what their parents are doing and want nothing to do with it. The boomers aren't exactly known, as a whole, for their good financial decisions, and now everyone's watching their parents work late into retirement on dead-end jobs, lovely office jobs with Kafka-esque bureaucratic nightmares, etc. You don't hear much about the happy middle-ground jobs because nobody sees them. These situations flavor a lot of the decisions recent grads are making. They see their parents stuck in the rat race and see what's happening to their peers, and they start to ask if it's even worth it. For disclosure's sake, I'm a borderline borderline millennial/gen-X stuck in one of the high-pay / soul-sucking jobs. I hate it, but I'm not insane and have no intention of ditching the income without preparing myself for success afterward. Probably one more year and I'll be ready, but that depends on the state of my passive income by then. (Currently $45K a year - not high enough to maintain my desired post-employment retirement contribution rate quite yet.) OP - My suggestion is, for now, to stick with what you're doing until you have an adequate financial buffer to live reasonably while unemployed in NYC for six months, minimum, before you consider a move. Not "I can squeeze by on ramen noodles if I never get sick" but enough to actually maintain a real standard of living. This will let you budget for emergencies that could sink your plans otherwise, and almost as important, it gives you the power of "NO." Most young people, especially in creative industries, are at an extreme disadvantage in any sort of employment negotiations because they lack the power to say no to an offer without starving / going bankrupt / getting evicted. The companies you'd eventually be applying to know this and will bid accordingly, AKA even lower than you may be expecting. Four months into your move to NYC, that buffer could be the difference between taking a lovely job to make rent (putting yourself worse off than you are now) and telling them to gently caress off in favor of waiting out a better offer. That's my view, speaking financially. The potential E/N stuff is a completely different matter. quote:I'm not against you moving to NYC, but since this is BFC I'm definitely against you halving your income and moving to an arguably more expensive city without you knowing exactly what you're getting into. Agreed on this.
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Dec 17, 2013 16:08
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40k isn't getting you poo poo in NYC. Id rather make 15k and live in LA than 40k in NYC. If you want any semblance of the advantages of NYC but still want to save money you need to be making 250k+ and live in a place with the 100k poverty rejects. Vomik fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 17:10
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Vomik posted:40k isn't getting you poo poo in NYC. Id rather make 15k and live in LA than 40k in NYC. I think the OP would be making a huge mistake to not keep his high-paying job - I just don't understand your logic.
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Dec 17, 2013 18:47
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No Wave posted:Isn't this kind of hyperbolic? Do you really need more than $100 a day to burn after all other expenses? It's hyperbole, yes, but not as much as you'd think. You also have to compare standard of living. I moved here and live in a studio that costs 2650 a month that is tiny. If I wanted something similar in size to where I used to live (which cost 1300) I'd spend 4.5k or more. Taxes here are also extremely high. Not to mention, most people move to NYC specifically for the bars, nightlife, restaurants, entertainment, etc. these are all expensive as well. To be completely honest, I'd wager you need to make 150k to enjoy most of that stuff (not even close to all... Even at 150k you're priced out of many things) and save some. Compare that to 150k somewhere else.
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Dec 17, 2013 19:06
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Vomik posted:40k isn't getting you poo poo in NYC. Id rather make 15k and live in LA than 40k in NYC. This sounds a little silly, 2500 should get a small Manhattan apartment(studio). $200 for utilities, $125 for the metro. $400 for groceries and $400 for socializing. Not taking into account other expenses, add maxing a Roth IRA and it's 4200ish a month after taxes. 80k gives you all that and 400ish extra money to blow or whatever. But 40k won't even pay for the apartment and utilities, let alone saving, eating, or riding the subway. Forget about giving him money to enjoy *~the city~*. edit: nevermind, you replied already. I think you could live well on 80k in Manhattan but you would definitely either have to be careful or you'd rack up consumer debt like mad. 40k, where the gently caress would you even begin? You could split a studio with someone and be able to make it work maybe but that doesn't sound fun. Nail Rat fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 19:08
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Vomik posted:I moved here and live in a studio that costs 2650 a month that is tiny. If I wanted something similar in size to where I used to live (which cost 1300) I'd spend 4.5k or more. But where is your apt located? Does it have a doorman? Any amenities? Is it a walk up or does it have an elevator? Etc. You also always pay a premium to live alone. Rent goes down dramatically if you're willing to take on some roommates. She's young so I don't see why that would be problematic. Often time the cost of a 2 bedroom is exactly the same as a studio - but the rent gets split in half. There is a wide range of apts out there and a wide range of neighborhoods. College students, grad students and recent grads all manage to live in the city. Maybe you can't afford to do bottle service at a fancy restaurant but you can probably afford some beer at Rudy's, some food in China Town and walking around the city is completely free. It depends what about NYC she loves and whether she would need money to do that. And definitely consider apartments outside of manhattan proper.
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Dec 17, 2013 19:36
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Vomik posted:It's hyperbole, yes, but not as much as you'd think. You also have to compare standard of living. Saving 23k into IRA/401k, you end up after taxes with 95k. After rent, you have 65k. Even if you have to buy your own healthcare, you have 60k. I'll be enormously wasteful and budget 5k a year for baseline eating. If $150 per day of pure fun money, every day, makes you feel priced out of anything, you are i-n-s-a-n-e, and the problem is certainly not NYC. This is Le Bernardin with wine pairings twice a week all year-round. But now I guess I understand how all the unmemorable $100pp restaurants survive if this is a standard attitude. I'm picking on this because people always trot out this crazy stuff about SF/Manhattan, and it never makes any sense mathematically. But I still think the OP should stay in California and at least prove to himself that he can live frugally for a few years in a much safer environment. No Wave fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 20:25
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My total expenditure for 2012 was ~30k living alone in a rather large 1br in Astoria, eating out an acceptable amount, going out most weekends, and a few trips to other cities for vacations. There was plenty to trim from that budget without being a shutin - most notably getting a roomate like everyone else my age or moving to a cheaper area in Queens and sucking up the extra 10 minutes of commute which would still be half of the average LA commute. Rent and electricity are obviously more expensive here than anywhere else, but I think most people drastically overstate the cost of living in NYC. I lived in a lovely low-CoL area in upstate NY (I'm talking $350/mo for a 1br) when I was in college and other than rent and power nothing strikes me as costing notably more in NYC. Cable is about the same, I'm still on the same 200/mo grocery bill I was when I was 20 and shopped at wal-mart of all places. Heat is included in most apartments and an unlimited metrocard costs a quarter of what it costs to own any car. Consumer goods cost the same everywhere, especially since you can just buy stuff online. Taxes are higher, but you should be comparing net pay anyway. I guess a lot of this is from people who move here and suddenly decide they want to take full advantage of everything the city has to offer despite having the sense not to do the same in their hometowns. You don't have to move to NYC and suddenly start eating lunch out and going to happy hour every day before you stop at whole foods on your way home to your roomateless apartment in a doorman elevator building in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. Then on the weekend you go shopping at Macys, visit a few tourist traps, order grubhub for breakfast lunch and dinner and see a few broadway shows and oh my New York is so expensive! Also the parking tickets because you forgot to move the car you never drive. e: All that being said, I think the OP should stay in California. Eyes Only fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 20:31
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No Wave posted:If you feel priced out of anything at 150k a year you're not very good with money or you have a heinous restaurant addiction (ie, same thing). Ehh, I'm a fairly cheap guy. I make 150k in NYC and something is off with your tax numbers because my take home is 55% of that with a 6% 401k. I save a decent amount, but I can't imagine having moved here directly after college and I'm not sure how people do it. I, personally, don't care about most of the expensive stuff in NY, but I also just moved here for a job. I wasn't drawn by the wonder of the city who are the kind of people who fall into the lifestyle. I can tell you 150k does not feel rich in NY (nor does it feel poor.) Once again, you also have to compare standard of living. Where else do people make 150k and entertain the idea off a roommate in a rented small unit? Vomik fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 21:04
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Vomik posted:Ehh, I'm a fairly cheap guy. I make 150k in NYC and something is off with your tax numbers because my take home is 55% of that with a 6% 401k. I save a decent amount, but I can't imagine having moved here directly after college and I'm not sure how people do it. There's really no reason to expect the same standard of living in NYC as elsewhere, as people don't live by themselves in the suburbs at any cost - they do it because it's relatively affordable. If you want to put that much money into it, it's up to you. No Wave fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 21:26
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No Wave posted:You're right that my math was off by quite a lot. I apologize. Hmm now I'm worried I'm overpaying in taxes somehow. That 55% includes my health / subway card / 6% 401k. Various insurance and mta card equals about 3k a year. Oh I forgot I moved jobs midyear so I'll be getting a SS tax refund of 5k or so. I'm not sure how id get to the 22k in 401k when I'm doing 9k now and only earning about 85k after tax. Hell I'll have to look at it in more detail later. Edit: anyway this is way off topic. Long story short... I think OP would be happier in CA earning 150k working 3 days a week or whatever their setup is. If you want to move to NY I would prepare for a lower standard of living now because the feeling of it dropping is worse than it actually is (as it appears to be in my case) Vomik fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 21:40
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Vomik posted:Hmm now I'm worried I'm overpaying in taxes somehow. Don't want to derail it too much so you might want to take it to the investing thread or budget thread hell I don't know. But I feel like at 150k you ought to be able to either max out a 401k or max out a Roth IRA with your 6% 401k, if not both. Maxing out your 401k would cost you about 8k(you'd trim more than 5k in taxes by putting 13k more into a traditional 401k). Even taking home 85k after taxes, with your medical and transportation already taken care of - how high is your rent/utilities? That's 7k a month, which sounds like more than you should need if your place isn't 6k rent. Nail Rat fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 21:47
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Nail Rat posted:Don't want to derail it too much so you might want to take it to the investing thread or budget thread hell I don't know. But I feel like at 150k you ought to be able to either max out a 401k or max out a Roth IRA with your 6% 401k, if not both. Maxing out your 401k would cost you about 8k(you'd trim more than 5k in taxes by putting 13k more into a traditional IRA). Even taking home 85k after taxes, with your medical and transportation already taken care of - how high is your rent/utilities? That's 7k a month, which sounds like more than you should need if your place isn't 6k rent. Sorry, I meant I don't know how I could reach 22k in my 401k and still have the same take home. Not I don't see how to do it and survive. I could do it if I wanted but I am bad about making myself save pre-tax. Maybe I should change my 401k withholding right now
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Dec 17, 2013 21:50
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Vomik posted:Hmm now I'm worried I'm overpaying in taxes somehow. But you're also probably gonna get a withholding check. Better strategy would be to try to minimize your withholding and to increase your 401k contribution, but other people will know more about this than I do - I'm self-employed. Vomik posted:Sorry, I meant I don't know how I could reach 22k in my 401k and still have the same take home. Not I don't see how to do it and survive. No Wave fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Dec 17, 2013 |
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Dec 17, 2013 21:52
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Enigma89 posted:
I'm curious - how many years have you been paying into your IRA? How much do you put into it, on average, every year? Also, you say you have 12k in your checking/savings accounts, but you are paying for a trip to Germany in the next couple of weeks out of that, if I'm reading correctly. How much have you made this year? Of that, how much have you actually put into long-term savings or investments to generate your passive income (not money that is earmarked for travel or whatever)? In fact, what ARE your plans for passive income? If you aren't able to build up a comfy cushion of savings when making 100-150k a year, how are you going to be able to survive on less than half of that in an area with a higher cost of living? Have you actually tried to draw up a budget based on an income of 45k gross? Exactly what kind of "lifestyle" do you envision having in NYC, and how much will it actually cost? What happens if you don't get a job in the first few months, or lose it after less than a year? What happens if the only job you can find has the kind of toxic environment you don't like? OP, you sound like a teenager, wailing "BUT I CAN'T GIVE UP MY DREEEEAAAMMMMSSSS!!!!" You don't seem to have any kind of plan. You aren't crazy, you're just immature.
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Dec 18, 2013 22:10
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April posted:OP, you sound like a teenager, wailing "BUT I CAN'T GIVE UP MY DREEEEAAAMMMMSSSS!!!!" You don't seem to have any kind of plan. You aren't crazy, you're just immature.
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Dec 19, 2013 02:33
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No Wave posted:Dude, drop the snide poo poo. It's his loving life. There's no reason to throw shame around. I wasn't trying to be snide, I was being realistic. The OP doesn't seem to have thought this through beyond "I want".
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Dec 19, 2013 03:48
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April posted:I wasn't trying to be snide, I was being realistic. The OP doesn't seem to have thought this through beyond "I want".
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Dec 19, 2013 13:36
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No Wave posted:So what? Again, it's his life. He gets to do what he wants. All we can do is help him figure out whether or not it's in his self-interest. It was Tuyop's life when he was buying $100 pairs of underwear. It was Zaurg's life when he was so desperate for sex he was buying a house to try to get laid by his cheating wife. It was Cornholio's life when he valued his Mini-Cooper above financial security. It's Slow Motion's "baller" life when he... well, everything. Why do all of them get honest, if unflattering, feedback, but not the OP here? I thought the whole purpose of BFC was for people to get a reality check on their finances, to break down the ACTUAL numbers, and so on, not to just go "Dude, it's your life, do what you want." I did ask for the OP's budget, real savings, backup plan, etc. Moving cross-country with no savings, and no actual job lined up, to one of the most expensive cities in the world, for no reason other than "I like it better there" is an immature action, particularly when just a year or 2 of delayed gratification would put the OP in a much more stable position.
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Dec 19, 2013 13:51
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April posted:It was Tuyop's life when he was buying $100 pairs of underwear. It was Zaurg's life when he was so desperate for sex he was buying a house to try to get laid by his cheating wife. It was Cornholio's life when he valued his Mini-Cooper above financial security. It's Slow Motion's "baller" life when he... well, everything. Why do all of them get honest, if unflattering, feedback, but not the OP here? April posted:OP, you sound like a teenager, wailing "BUT I CAN'T GIVE UP MY DREEEEAAAMMMMSSSS!!!!" You don't seem to have any kind of plan. You aren't crazy, you're just immature. No Wave fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Dec 19, 2013 |
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Dec 19, 2013 14:38
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No Wave posted:So should the OP stay in California to avoid looking immature, or because it's a self-interested financial decision? If the latter, what is: The two are not mutually exclusive. A bad financial decision can be made due to immaturity.
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Dec 19, 2013 14:52
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Stick with what you've got until you gain financial independence and then pursue your dreams. It's a broken record by now, but you don't walk away from your current situation to make 40k and live like a pauper in Manhattan.
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Dec 19, 2013 14:56
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I'm still on the "move to NYC" side. You'll regret it if you don't give it a try. But do try to find a way to interview from California - don't move with no job. Do make a budget based on your expected gross salary to get an idea of how broke you'll be. Do talk to your dad about the possibility of returning if you hate it. Learn to stop being jealous of the people who do nice things in NYC bc that won't be you. Do realize your first couple years will be tough - you will likely not live in Manhattan, you might not even live in New York (places like Hoboken are an easy commute). You'll have roommates. In a crappy walk up apartment with no air conditioning probably. There won't be trips to Germany in your future. Your office will likely be toxic - it's a competitive field and work life is never like The Office. You'll likely work long hours. But if all that sounds ok to you and you're willing to sacrifice immediate gratification to end up in a few years actually living in manhattan with a job in the industry that you want, then you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
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Dec 19, 2013 15:07
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Make a financial plan and get as much money saved as possible. It's a lot easier to get what you want when you have the power to say "no". Desperation does not generally lead to fulfillment. FWIW, I'm with you in not liking LA. But there's a lot of awesome in Cali, too. SF, Tahoe, Yosemite...
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Dec 19, 2013 19:49
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Lots of people who don't live in New York itt. $40k is not crushing poverty. You can get by fine, especially if work includes good benefits. A side gig is always an option too. If $150k doesn't make you feel rich, that is definitely about you and your (unrealistic) expectations. In my mid-20s, I make in the 60s, which is enough to have a nice place of my own, max out my Roth IRA, contribute 6% to my 401k, and buy plenty of unnecessary luxuries (hello Christmas). It may not be full Slow Motion baller, and I'm not trying to send infants to prep school or whatever, but it's very comfortable. The problem is that you get used to your level. You could maybe go back for a $40k job now. If you spend 5-10 years making $100-150k, you won't be able to leave that behind. You'll think about it, but it won't happen. From a financial standpoint, it makes total sense to save up first. But realistically, if you really want to do it, it should be soon. (Also, you know the value fashion places on youth...it won't be easy to start from scratch later.) And no, you won't be able to get an entry-level job in New York while you're living in LA. I guess you could use a friend's local address and fly out for every interview, but let's be real -- you need to be there to get a job there. If you want to do it, make a plan and do it soon. If you aren't that sure, start looking at some of your in-between options -- fashion on the side, an easier city, whatever.
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Dec 19, 2013 20:31
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i like nice words
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Anne Whateley posted:The problem is that you get used to your level. You could maybe go back for a $40k job now. If you spend 5-10 years making $100-150k, you won't be able to leave that behind. You'll think about it, but it won't happen. From a financial standpoint, it makes total sense to save up first. But realistically, if you really want to do it, it should be soon.
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Dec 19, 2013 20:37
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Anne Whateley posted:And no, you won't be able to get an entry-level job in New York while you're living in LA. I guess you could use a friend's local address and fly out for every interview, but let's be real -- you need to be there to get a job there. If you want to do it, make a plan and do it soon. If you aren't that sure, start looking at some of your in-between options -- fashion on the side, an easier city, whatever. I would fly out for the interviews and use a friends address especially if she's really just got one job in mind where she thinks she's a shoe-in vs applying for tons of jobs. Once she has that job and a pay check, she can start looking at other jobs and if she doesn't get the job she thought she was a shoe in for then she should definitely re-evaluate the plan in its entirety. Flights from LA to NYC exist for $150-$250 on airlines like Virgin America - it's a lot easier and cheaper to do 6 flights over 6 months or whatever then it is to move to New York for 6 months.
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Dec 19, 2013 21:31
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Moving to any new city without a job in place sounds like the stupidest idea ever. It's exactly how a goon in ask/tell ended up homeless for about 2.5 years.
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Dec 19, 2013 21:49
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Flights are cheap if you shop months in advance. I don't think they're cheap when HR says "okay, can you do Thursday afternoon?" The job he was referring to was offered 6+ months ago. There's no way it's still open. It's good he has friends there, but it's not like he has anything concrete waiting for him. That means he'll want to do as many interviews as possible, often on short notice -- I don't think flying makes any sense when you're in the bracket he's hoping for. e: If you're entry-level in New York, it's almost impossible to get a job when you're not there, let alone on the other side of the country. Companies definitely aren't interested in hiring lower-level people long-distance. If you have some specific skills and a company really wants you, it can happen. But when you're starting fresh, the most you can hope for is a barista/waiter/retail friend who says his boss is looking for someone new if you can get there within a week. Anne Whateley fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Dec 19, 2013 |
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Dec 19, 2013 21:51
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I have not ditched this thread, work has gotten insanely busy but will start quoting and replying in the next day or two.
Enigma89 fucked around with this message at 14:06 on Dec 21, 2013 |
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Dec 21, 2013 06:46
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April posted:Have you actually tried to draw up a budget based on an income of 45k gross? Exactly what kind of "lifestyle" do you envision having in NYC, and how much will it actually cost? What happens if you don't get a job in the first few months, or lose it after less than a year? What happens if the only job you can find has the kind of toxic environment you don't like? I actually used to live in Manhattan making $42,000 a year. I was able to go out twice a week and not get in debt. I outlined earlier why I moved. I was happy there and was reasonbly succesful, for my age, the only problem was that I was not really saving money. I also have two jobs lined up in NYC. One js at my old job 42k a year that has very little career growth but if I pick up the phone the job is mine. The other job is at the fashion magazine where I know a director and had an offer there (40k a year with huge growth potential). I can re-interview there. The big wake up call was the salaries at the fashion magazine. The parent company that owns the magazine is a 10B / year company and the magazine itself makes millions yet they pay nothing. My whole plan in NYC was to get a job at a top tier company and ride the career ladder and then I found out what corporate fashion marketing pays. I had an option to make 2-3x more in Cali, I didn't want to go but did knowing I could learn and do that work in NYC. I just recently found out I cant move my current business to NYC. Post made on phone, excuse formatting Enigma89 fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Dec 21, 2013 |
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Dec 21, 2013 06:49
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Is corporate fashion marketing fulfilling for you? Would you be happy making 40-90k for the next 40 years?
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Dec 21, 2013 12:18
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You seem really caught up on revenue having anything to do with salary, but that's just not really how things work.
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Dec 21, 2013 15:11
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Enigma89 posted:I actually used to live in Manhattan making $42,000 a year. I was able to go out twice a week and not get in debt. I outlined earlier why I moved. Look through glassdoor? Also, maybe xonsider sending out a bunch of resumes and CLs to other marketing jobs in nyc?
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Dec 21, 2013 16:41
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NYC seems like a place where 90% of the people there are really only working to subsidize the lifestyle of the remaining 10%. The whole city seems like a scam to me and I think living there is about as financially responsible as a trip to Vegas. That said, I wouldn't tell you not to do it for that reason alone. I'd just tell you to figure out how to avoid the scams, how to get the fun cheap, and to go with enough extra cash that you won't go broke before you figure those out. To me, it's the fashion career that you should spend more time considering. Fashion is what I call a "status" career. It is sold as a wonderland that's somehow more fulfilling than a similar career in something like insurance, even if you're doing the exact same work. There's a problem with with status careers is that the cash compensation is ALWAYS less than a comparable non-status career. (Exception: careers with significant barriers to entry, like those requiring a medical license, can have high status and high pay.) Part of your "pay" is being able to tell people that you work in fashion. So you'll almost always get worse pay and shittier hours than any jobs with equivalent skill and education but with less status. But maybe it's OK for you because you get to have a "cool" job. This works for status careers (fashion reporter), fun jobs (pilot), or personally rewarding jobs (social worker/teacher). So here's the next trap that I saw snare a couple of my friends, and you may already be caught in it: the "value" of a career in fashion is much higher in NYC than it is anywhere else. So if you later decide that NYC is actually too expensive and you leave, when you go back home the people there probably won't care. They'll hear "fashion magazine" as "magazine." In fact, that's pretty much how I hear it in your posts. And even if you see it coming, it will be like a solid kick in your guts. Meanwhile, your NYC friends have to delude themselves that it really is worth it to live there. So they'll keep calling you to come back and padding your ego about how cool you were when you had your old job and how you use to be somebody. It reminds me of the two fat friends where one of them finally loses the extra weight, only to have the other keep offering him cake. I hated to see it, but at least I convinced my friends to avoid "I'll just go to grad school in NYC and live off the loans until I can find something to do." Of course, I'm a database administrator in the midwest - pretty much the exact opposite of a status career. I have a big house, financial security, and enough time to play with my kids and pursue my own self-development projects. Maybe I've just told myself these things to re-assure myself that my life is just as fulfilling as being a lawyer in New York. So pick your poison, just know why you picked it. But this is the financial form, so I'll bluntly say that NYC is probably a bad financial move. Folly fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Dec 30, 2013 |
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Dec 30, 2013 18:36
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Enigma89 posted:The big wake up call was the salaries at the fashion magazine. The parent company that owns the magazine is a 10B / year company and the magazine itself makes millions yet they pay nothing. You need to remember that your age, and the company's revenue, are completely irrelevant to the income you will be offered. Your income will be determined entirely by how much value you appear to provide to the company compared to everyone else willing to do the work at that income level. Your income will be determined by who appears to be capable of performing at a level comparable to the level you appear to be capable of performing at. Your age is utterly irrelevant. The company's revenue is only relevant insofar as it places an upper bound on what you could be paid, if you somehow convinced everyone in fashion marketing that you were absolutely unique and indispensably valuable in fashion marketing.
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Jan 1, 2014 17:46
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Folly posted:... Also it might be fun? The idea here is the more you like your career the less you'll have to be paid to make it as attractive.
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Jan 5, 2014 02:28
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Folly posted:
I've lived in NYC and the midwest, and it really is that fun in NYC when you are young. I lived in NYC and other big cities when I was in my 20's, and it was a blast. I don't live in a big city anymore because I have a family, but I don't think I would give up that phase in my life. People aren't just pretending and trying to get others back so they feel good about their own choices. I also find it not useful to lecture people about having a "status" career. People like different things and you spend most of your waking adult life at work. To some degree you have to like what you do, or at the very least it has to be bearable. That being said, I think the OP should stay where he is, but make concrete plans for heading back to NYC when it becomes financially feasable. I don't think that working for your father/being self employed is a good move for your career development despite what you are making now. It's sort of a dead end career and 100K now really isn't high enough pay to mitigate that. If you get another job (not just at NYC, but ANYWHERE, even California), you start at the bottom, but you may get better career prospects as you get more experience in the field. Right now your only other option is to take over your father's business when/if he decides to give it up. Vladimir Putin fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Jan 5, 2014 |
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Jan 5, 2014 04:52
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Vladimir Putin posted:I've lived in NYC and the midwest, and it really is that fun in NYC when you are young. I lived in NYC and other big cities when I was in my 20's, and it was a blast. I don't live in a big city anymore because I have a family, but I don't think I would give up that phase in my life. People aren't just pretending and trying to get others back so they feel good about their own choices.
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Jan 5, 2014 14:46
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| # ? May 4, 2024 06:47 |
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Anne Whateley posted:Lots of people who don't live in New York itt. Yeah the whole '$40k is crushing poverty' thing is dumb and probably comes from a perspective of moving into the city witha higher income than that and simply not being able to imagine living on less because of the nature of it being tough to step down lifestyle once you're used to a certain standard. I started out at $32k in this city and was still able to live and build up a savings. I wasn't able to contribute to retirement, but once my income started going up I was able to roll into it. $40k is fine. I'm seeing some stupidly dumb prices listed for apartments in this thread. Remember, there are also other boroughs. I live in a one-bedroom in Queens with a yard and high ceilings and pay $1250/month. I'm close to all major subway lines, and my commute is 35-45 mins, less if I bike. Considering that many of my Manhattanite friends find themselves with nearly identical commutes to get to midtown, just due to the nature of traffic and the awful time vortex that one gets sucked into when entering the city (where travel time doesn't necessarily coincide with distance between you and a thing, but with how many structures/people are standing between you and a thing), it's often sheer folly to live right in Manhattan. There's a reason the majority of the city's workforce lives in the boroughs. EDIT: Also, since I take public transit my monthly travel expenses are only $112 (the cost of a monthly metro pass). Not having a car really cuts down on expenses. Anne Whateley posted:The problem is that you get used to your level. You could maybe go back for a $40k job now. If you spend 5-10 years making $100-150k, you won't be able to leave that behind. You'll think about it, but it won't happen. From a financial standpoint, it makes total sense to save up first. But realistically, if you really want to do it, it should be soon. (Also, you know the value fashion places on youth...it won't be easy to start from scratch later.) This. If you want to try and 'start over' in a new career, it's better to do it now than later, when it will be much harder to scale back your lifestyle. $40k is not that bad for a 24-year-old just starting out. EDIT: No Wave posted:Total distraction, but what's so fun about it? I feel like all there is to do is eat, drink, and the vague artistic thing that few people actually do. Honestly? The challenge. In order to have fun in NY on the sort of budget most young people have, you have to be clever. You have to be active and you have to be looking. There's always things like free movies in the summer, picnics in the park, more museums than you can shake a stick at (many of them with donation-based entry that will let you in for as little as pennies). There's lots of 'going in' - doing potluck dinners at friend's houses, parties with cheap booze; but there's also lots of urban exploring in the more abandoned parts of the city, lots of secret nooks and crannies. While there's lots of upscale dining there's also lots of cheap but delicious street food worth sampling. There's also a thriving music scene, with both large and small venues for all sorts of budgets, and lots of free shows as well. Because there's so much packed together, and so much changes all the time here, every corner has something interesting thing you may not have noticed before. Sometimes you can see something every day and then one day notice there's a small restaurant on the third floor of that building that you never noticed because it doesn't have a very visible sign, and suddenly you find yourself in this strange little hidey hole away from the world that could become your new favorite spot. There's literally an adventure every day here if you're looking for it. I often think of the 'if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere' mantra, because while there's tons of benefits that come from living in a big city with so many resources and so much culture (we have access to a LOT of food, movies, performances other people do not and New Yorkers tend to take it for granted), there's also so much challenge that comes with navigating all of that and staying disciplined to a budget. It requires a clever and resourceful mind who sees opportunities in places others may not. Do you think you're up for the challenge, OP? StrangersInTheNight fucked around with this message at 19:09 on Jan 5, 2014 |
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Jan 5, 2014 17:05
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