YoungAndWise's Journal

Where are you and where are you going?
reepicheep
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by reepicheep »

Yay!

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

So the adventure is over...

My year abroad is over, my life is different, my desires and wants are more solidified (I hope), and the tales and memories I have shared with people, while financially did not make sense, in the long-run I am glad I have done this.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

It has been a couple months since my last post. And honestly it has been dull as fuck-all to be blunt. After have a year-long adventure in a foreign country coming to a town of 18,000 is boring as crap.

Also college selection has changed; I am more than likely not going to Finland for my Master's as the recent education budget cuts made the possibility of Finnish Master's being free unlikely*


*Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Finland or its people. I just feel like I can find a degree plan that fits my needs and with the the possibility of it no longer being makes me look to other options for programs, such as Germany, Iceland, or Norway. (Estonia as well)

However there is the entire possibility of me getting a Master' degree is up in the air at the moment. The reason I say that is because, well, I don't know exactly where I would best use my skills.

Right now I am applying for jobs on campus so I can start saving money for paying off my student loans. However starting in a couple weeks I am going to start hitting careers fairs and trying to find a possibility for a summer internship or job.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

A couple weeks have passed and so far everything is going well.

My only worry is when college is over. Right now, I am going back to my idea of several different possible branches, which causes stress.

Honestly, I am leaning towards just saying to not bother about going graduate school or what to afterwards and just take a gap year.

Pay off my students loans, get a breather from the annoyances of college, and honestly enjoy life a little bit.

El Duderino
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by El Duderino »

Having lived in a town if 15K people for about 9 months and since traveled a good bit around the world, I can't imagine going back to that small scale stuff. Kudos to you for keeping yourself busy in a small pond.

I had the same issue when looking to graduate from university; no clue as to where the next move would take me, but optimistically excited about getting setup with an adult lifestyle and grown up responsibilities like having a steady job. The groundwork you lay now for your future career will pay off, so landing a good internship or entry type job will be really helpful.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

@El Duderino: Have an internship a couple year's before. As to how good it was? Meh. Learned a lot about Economic Development in tiny towns but beyond that not much else.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

YAW steps into the room broom in hand, and turns on the lights. He sweeps the cobwebs around room, and desk. In an hour, his job is done and he sits down at the desk and opens the journal, its pages turning yellow, wrinkles of its age and memoir of his youthful stupidity.

Hello.

I am back, from the dead. :)

Last semester was stressful as I was adjusting to going to college in the United States, going through bureaucratic bullshit getting my classes properly exchanged, and having a couple deaths in the family. Overall, emotionally I am holding up as I struggle to find what the next step in this grand adventure of life all the while maintaining my academic score.

This semester has been going well so far, as I have gotten into a routine that is healthier and less crisis oriented, with me completing my weekly assignments a couple days before they are due. Hell, I have even gotten back into writing fiction and have begun literature review for the research I am doing with my professor. And I have also found a possible internship with NASA, so that rocks. :)

Overall, I am doing fine, with only a little over 7k in debt, and meet going to look for an apartment that is right next to the college campus that has cheaper rent (WOOOT!) and closer to the store I usually get groceries from.

P.S. Reason I am moving is multiple reasons, everyone I know is moving out of the dorm, the dorm is losing its special status, and they are introducing over-priced meal plan unless you live in the most expensive apartments.

saving-10-years
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by saving-10-years »

Welcome back. Sounds great that you have your assignments routine under control (something I never sorted myself so huge admiration) and also some writing happening. With so much disruption in your life either one of those would be an achievement. Good luck with the move and college (and NASA).

George the original one
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by George the original one »

It sounds like you have more control of your life now, like you're doing the things you really want to do?

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

George the original one wrote:It sounds like you have more control of your life now, like you're doing the things you really want to do?
I feel like I have more control over my life, in that I am doing something towards goals. And I feel like I am doing something possibly important, with my literature research. As to if I truly want this or that I have control over my life? I frankly don't give a shit. I just know that I am actively doing something instead of just sitting with my thumb up my ass.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

February Update:

Seemingly doing well in classes (Feeling like I am in the midst of of Impostor Syndrome at times but I just tell myself to breath and stay calm.)
But more good news:
I am now sleeping at a healthier time and trying to workout everyday (Wednesday being breakday as those are my "easy" days, with easy being only in the fact I only have the hated three hour lab I have to take alongside the one hour class I actually like. *insert gagging emote*). Beyond that, I submitted my application to NASA and went a career fair to talk to the private firm recruiter.

And good news everyone; I think I have foot in the door!

The submitted my resume to HR (woot!) noting I was talkative, amicable, and current project I am working on. She suggested I pick up learning a couple programming skills (which I start on pronto Friday) and gave me a couple suggests for apply for internships, summer jobs---and careers.

So overall, the year has not been bad.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

Monthly Update; March

So far my class are ranging from C- to B+, which kind of worries me. So right now I am cracking knuckles, and double downing on my school work. Interview with NASA was over with the phone; it felt awkward which sucks. However backup internship within state is possible; that is paid and comes with housing!

:)

So if the NASA thing does not work, I will opt for that. Heck, even if the thing with NASA works out I just might opt for this if it pays good enough; save me money, time, and headache by staying in state and have my housing paid for than having to work out of state, finding housing, then coming back. And not worrying about my car breaking down on the way back.

And after debating it, I am going for my Master's at a minimum; I believe I can get a research assistantship where ever I go which will cover tuition and my COL; my even putting back for savings. I will probably aim for more of a Spatial Statistics route, as I feel that prevents the problem of over-specialization, than say going for Earth Sciences and Systems. However I still have a little time left so I am not freaking out.

Student Loans:
Ewww....that thing. Yeah, I have a meeting with the Student Money Management Center with an adviser Monday to take about how to approach it.

It is not bad at the moment. But it is still an amount I don't like. So I am going to talk to him about it.

Beyond that, that is it for this monthly update.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

April Update:
21st Birthday, and here I am with a massive headache as I struggle to figure out what to with my life. My previous back-up plans have suck with the decline of the oil and gas industry (the company I was interested in had a branch in Houston), taking a year off in the New Zealand to refocus myself is turning out fruitless as I have no idea how to break into it, and my passion for GIS and Geography is waning recently. I just dread the thought of doing that sort of work for the rest of my life. And I am beginning to dread having to go to graduate school. Overall, life this month has been annoying.

However I can legally drink alcohol in the U.S! So there is that.*

*No I am coping with my issues with alcohol if I came off as applying that. I honestly just wanted joke about that.

TopHatFox
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TopHatFox »

I just turned 22 today, April 25th. Birthday buddies!

I also just finished my junior year. If it helps, I'm choosing the job + microadventure route this summer and beyond (until I raise at least 175k--I'll have 40 by the end of college thankfully). I'm also majoring in geology, which is similar to your geography interests. Interestingly, I will NOT be doing graduate school until (hopefully not) later. Instead, I've been doing finance programs left and right to get my foot in the door. This summer (rising fourth-year summer) I'll be working for the Chamber of Commerce in my area and shadowing two personal wealth managers in the area while networking with asset management or financial planning firms for post-college. Ideally this will lead to a 60k/yr+ job in a relatively low cost and progressive city like Minneapolis, Chicago, or Portland, which I could then work for 5-10 years to raise 500k. I would then hard switch to a life of hardcore adventure-travel. Let's see what actually happens. :mrgreen:

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

Zalo wrote:I just turned 22 today, April 25th. Birthday buddies!

I also just finished my junior year. If it helps, I'm choosing the job + microadventure route this summer and beyond (until I raise at least 175k--I'll have 40 by the end of college thankfully). I'm also majoring in geology, which is similar to your geography interests. Interestingly, I will NOT be doing graduate school until (hopefully not) later. Instead, I've been doing finance programs left and right to get my foot in the door. This summer (rising fourth-year summer) I'll be working for the Chamber of Commerce in my area and shadowing two personal wealth managers in the area while networking with asset management or financial planning firms for post-college. Ideally this will lead to a 60k/yr+ job in a relatively low cost and progressive city like Minneapolis, Chicago, or Portland, which I could then work for 5-10 years to raise 500k. I would then hard switch to a life of hardcore adventure-travel. Let's see what actually happens. :mrgreen:
Holy shit are serious?

I guess we have the same birthday! :D

Yeah I am looking towards just getting a job so I can start paying off my student loans *shakes fist angrily in the air*.

I honestly want to aim to jump into a Business Analysis program as I can make a decent wage in a low cost city so I can pull off the same thing you are doing. Hopefully by the time I am thirty I have enough I can start travelling more and focus on my writing full-time.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

Yeahh...missed last month's update. Not much has changed; got a summer job that pays $9/hour for what I originally thought would be apartment rent but my parents said they will cover me so I more than likely going to save up money for a summer trip to Europe to visit my friends. Unless the my application to the graduate program to an Estonian university gets accepted then in that case, I am going to have it placed back for rent and seeing my parents during Christmas break via airplane tickets.

And I plan on applying for an internship for a bank if they are still doing it during the Spring I am off as I can save more money and have more relevant experience under my belt.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

August-ish Update
Summer have been miserable and I realize how much I fucking hate working a blue collar job. Because of that, I applying for actual job (in Nebraska so COL is going to be lower than say Dallas or H-town) and I have a strong resume for it I think considering the preferred pay rate. The pay is pretty fucking good (more than my parents ever made combined by 10k at least) alongside it being an entry level job.

So I have applied and now will wait for the email/phone call to schedule the interview section of the application process; if I get that far.

But yes, my long terms of international devleopment, geopolitics, yada, yada are being placed on the back-burner as I need to get to a stable financial, emotional, and physical place before I can run off to adventure again.

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jennypenny
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by jennypenny »

Good luck with the job application!

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

Thanks jennypenny.

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TheWanderingScholar
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Re: YoungAndWise's Journal

Post by TheWanderingScholar »

October Update

So for the past couple of months I have been going through the motions, going to class, while all that time figuring out what I need to do with my life, what is the next step after I finish college, etc.

The main factors in my decision have been the costs and expenses going forward, probability and ROI on time, money, and effort I placed so far, and most importantly-getting to a place in my life where I feel close to content, happy, and having a stable income while maintaining a resemblance of balance in my life (9 to 5 Schedule; Guaranteed Days Off and not having a commute that deals with car traffic or last more than an hour by car). And also me wanting to affect the world to be less shitty by the time I died.

Because of all these options I have decided on what I am going to do.

I am applying for the University of Tartu Quantitative Economic's program, which I feel like I have strong case for being accepted and getting a good score for my application. It takes two years, and if I get accepted I more than likely I will get a tuition waiver (basically last two people don't get it). And Tartu from personal experience is great college city right in the middle of the Baltic Sea Region, which I love and care about. The topic I want to write for is something that interests me personal and deals with sustainable development, which I have talked about in the past.

Not only that but with strong possibility of getting a basic monthly scholarship that will cover my cost-of-living, possibility of working as an assistant, and general youthful energy of the city where I can possibly, for the lack of the better word, to enjoy my youth.

During my undergraduate I did not really get to as much as I want to as either I was in a city that only had a few clubs (which I hate) and consisted mostly of commuter students or military folk, or live a city that while interesting did not really have night life and was expensive relatively speaking to a quiet college town in Texas.

So there is my decision. And I am sticking with it. :)

And now I have to figure out what to hell to do with my life during the Spring semester!

(Also: tax returns. :D)

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