DivinePotency's Journal

[DivinePotency]

Journal: Commence...
Hi,
I've always felt like I easier to accomplish things with the support of like-minded individuals. Few situations, Imo, require as much support as achieving FI. I hope to find that here.
About me:

-Second semester junior in college (conferred Spring 2014, B.S. Accounting)

-Living with my parents until graduation (perhaps a bit longer)

-I have an older car, paid cash for it. (need it for hour long school commute)

-Don't remember my MyersBriggs score, I'll revisit it sometime this week.

-Single

-Living in the northeast section of the U.S.

-Strange thirst for Japanese/Chinese history.

-Able to solve Rubick's Cube (might come in hady one day)
Right now, I'm interning in a small company's accounting department. I'm pulling in just over $10/hour at around 20-22 hrs/week. Not a whole lot to work with right now, but getting into the whole "bean counter" mindset early can't hurt right? I'll throw my detailed, itsy-bitsy finances into another post
Goal: FI by 27 (my favorite number). This is probably a longshot for an underachieving accounting major at a small, low-tier school...guess we'll find out though. It'll be easier to tell once I get into full time work. At the very least, I'll call it a bust if I wake up on my 30th birthday & still HAVE to go to work.
Cheers!

[buzz]

Welcome to the forums!
Your goal is achievable, it's just a question of how badly you want it
As a recent graduate myself, my advice would be to start looking for the job you want after you graduate NOW. Check out what other expectations they have, and work on fulfilling them. As soon as you qualify (minus the degree) apply to them. Go to interviews BEFORE you graduate and you'll be well ahead. Let the interviewer know you're in school but working to graduate. They may offer a part time/intern role.

[DivinePotency]

@Buzz,
From what I've been told, your advice rings very true to the accounting field. Once on-campus recruiting ends, it's really hard to find anything spectacular past that point... Guess I better dust off the ol' résumé.

Thanks for the advice!
--Finance Info--

So I've worked 3 different part time jobs since I've been in college. They all paid just above minimum wage. I've only had my current internship since August, so I don't have an entire year of consistent financial history to go on. I just installed Mint yesterday, so I'll be expecting more precise numbers starting next month. Anyway, here's what January's rounded estimate looks like:
Income:

$812
Expenses:

Tithe-$80

*Public transportation-$28

Gas-$90

Phone-$105

**Car repair-$487
*My school commute is now split between my car & public transportation. Too bad the train doesn't go all the way to my house.

**The cost of owning such an old car, everything breaks. Pretty much ruined my savings rate this month. -_-
I'm sure that Mint will reveal that I spend even more than what's shown, but these are the generally consistent items on my personal P&L.
Savings rate: 2.7%

[m741]

Glad to see another journal.
I think an internship in accounting is a great start. It's probably the best thing you can do outside of your studies.
I'd start interviewing this fall. At least, fall of senior year is when we interviewed for software development jobs. In the meantime, keep polishing the resume. Many universities have career placement, mock interviews, resume reviews, resume submissions to companies, career fairs, etc. Take advantage of them! As for the resume, while you're in your internship, think about a few bullets for your resume about what you've accomplished. Ie, reduced accounting expenses by 5%, created excel macros that automated 20 minutes/labor a day, etc. Nobody expects much from an intern but these things show the impact you made.
Good luck!