|
Hello BFC! My name is Rebbrownies and I posted here awhile back (a year ago) about my life being on fire, it still but it's ok. These things happen  . I'm 25. 54,000k in debt (All student debt. Undergrad Acting BFA. (20,000 Wells Fargo at 8.75 APR) (34,130.65 Federal [these are multiple small loans with interest ranging from 3.4-6.8 but I have a consolidated payment plan] ) 3000 in my account. Only Asset. I work two jobs at the moment because I quit my last job, while financially stable (sort of), I had been in it for 2.5 years and it had slowly sucked my soul out. I quit and took a SUBSTANTIAL paycut to work at a different restaurant which prompted me to get a second job. I'm still not making a lot maybe 25k a year. No it's not cute but I'm currently hunting for jobs. Anywho. I live in NYC. If you were to do the math I think it becomes pretty clear that my whole situation is not sustainable in the long run but I have put my federal loans in forbearance, started riding my bike instead of using the subway (saving 121$ a month), and essentially living pay check to pay check, but all the while taking a generous Winnie the pooh scoopful of my savings every month. I think come the end of October I probably will return to my original job at the fancy restaurant so I don't starve but we'll see. Anyway while my income situation is scary and stupid it isn't really what I wanted to talk about. I'm wondering if I should go back to school for something STEM related so that I can actually make a living and have a viable skill set that doesn't put me in customer service or hospitality. I'm really at a loss on what to do. I'm sure I could eventually find a full time job in NYC doing something customer service related, but I don't really know if I want that. I was thinking something related to computers/tech. I was originally thinking about doing one of the tech bootcamps but a few people I talked to in the industry prefer college graduates over bootcamp graduates. I came to NYC to pursue acting, had a little bit of success, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is I want to do/ what I would excel at but I feel like I'm getting older and should be on some sort of career path that isn't a clusterfuck like acting is. Sorry this post is a clusterfuck. I just can't figure out of going into more debt is worth it. I also can't figure out what to do with my life so yeah. Help 
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2017 20:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 06:29 |
|
|
RebBrownies posted:I was thinking something related to computers/tech. I was originally thinking about doing one of the tech bootcamps but a few people I talked to in the industry prefer college graduates over bootcamp graduates. Just going to jump in here and say "please do not take another 40-100k in debt just because some people say they have a preference when hiring". If you're serious about going into computers, putter around with some self-guided learning first to see if you even like it and think you can tolerate doing it fulltime. The least bad way to jump into the industry (as a career change) through coursework would probably be an intensive bootcamp that does something like charging 10% of your first year's salary if and only if you actually get hired successfully at a tech job within a year after graduating. Self-study is also good. (I have a lot of strong feelings about coding bootcamps but don't want to hijack your thread to rant about it.)
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2017 21:26
|
|
|
Colin Mockery posted:Just going to jump in here and say "please do not take another 40-100k in debt just because some people say they have a preference when hiring". Thank you Colin Mockery! I found a program in NYC that was a bootcamp that does deferred tuition. It's called the grace hopper program. I think the tuition is 20k but they only charge you in installments of 900$ or some poo poo once you become employed. 20k is still a lot though Truthfully I really don't know what I'm interested in. I spent the bulk of my life being interested in things that you can't make a living in unless you strike gold so I"m having trouble reframing my piss-poor attitude into finding a more practical career that I might enjoy. :<
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2017 22:04
|
|
|
Youtube offers free programming tutorials. Don't spend any money to learn programming after you already have a Bachelor's degree.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 00:05
|
|
|
Yeah, start with freecodecamp.org . It's free, and super useful. Coding is the sort of thing that you really have to enjoy to be good at. I'd highly highly recommend doing it for a bit before going back to school or a bootcamp. Most coding education places also assume some background knowledge, so even if you do decide that's the right path for you, having some experience through FCC will be useful.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 02:15
|
|
|
Don't spend even more money on college... What is wrong with you? Follow the advice of the above posters instead.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 14:37
|
|
|
Thanks gang. For some reason college seems like this classic solution to my problem. :/
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 14:46
|
|
|
well you already fuckin threw strong five figures down that hole with very little to show for it so i am sure the next round will go better
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 14:51
|
|
|
RebBrownies posted:Thanks gang. For some reason college seems like this classic solution to my problem. :/ Right now it seems like you're latching onto random things that might possibly increase your income maybe, which is the wrong way to settle into a stable career. If you really have that little overlap between 'things I like doing' and 'things that make money', try refocusing on things you're good at & can tolerate doing 8 hours a day. As long as you can at least tolerate the work, more of your job satisfaction will come from who you work with than what you're doing.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2017 23:00
|
|
|
Popping in to wish you all the best with this. I'm in somewhat of a similar situation with work and school so I wanted to let you know that you're not alone out there.
|
|
#
?
Jan 4, 2018 13:54
|
|
|
I work at Google as a software engineer and I sit on hiring committees. Wishing you the best! I definitely do not trust a coding bootcamp to bring you to the top tier of software development. So, if you're expecting to take 4-12 weeks of classes and suddenly be making $350,000 annually, that's not an option. That said, not every company needs a top-notch engineering team. It's possible that 4-12 weeks in a coding bootcamp will provide the skills to go work for a small company as a web developer, or to go build some simple internal website for GE or WorldWideWidgets or whoever. Those salaries are likely to sit around $45,000 to $70,000 and often require relocating. If you do decide to go to college again, consider a masters degree instead of a second bachelors. I did an MS and some of the students there had totally unrelated BS degrees (and some even had BA degrees). Many colleges will admit you for an MS with an unrelated BS or BA. The students I knew and mentored mostly got lousy grades, and they had a really hellishly hard time of it, but most of them graduated on time. BS(unrelated)/MS(computer science) looks a hell of a lot better on a resume than a bootcamp does, and costs way less than a second bachelors. Some of the folks with this background do end up with those mid-six-figures roles at prominent tech companies. Good luck to you!
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2018 03:53
|
|
|
What career do you want to be in, in the short term and long term? Having a degree helps to get interviews, but it does not have to be an IT related degree for the vast majority of IT related jobs. I would look for datacenter tech, help desk, or jr desktop support technician jobs as good entry level IT jobs. Jr desktop support in particular has minimal requirements for previous experience. Any of these would pay more than $25k a year in NYC. You do need to be familiar with troubleshooting technical problems, but entry level jobs can be flexible.
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2018 23:09
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 06:29 |
|
|
Colin Mockery posted:Just going to jump in here and say "please do not take another 40-100k in debt just because some people say they have a preference when hiring". I'm looking into a career change, and was planning on doing an intensive coding bootcamp. I don't want to hijack the thread either, but would you maybe consider starting a thread on the subject? If not, I would love to know your views if you have the time to PM me.
|
|
#
?
Mar 6, 2018 22:50
|
|
