That's ~ $11 bucks an hour. You can make that working the registers at Hy-Vee. Maybe find a new job or a second job? I'd bartend 2-3 nights a week, you can make a lot of tax free money.
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Income-based student loan repayment
- Thread starter tm3308
- Start date
That's ~ $11 bucks an hour. You can make that working the registers at Hy-Vee. Maybe find a new job or a second job? I'd bartend 2-3 nights a week, you can make a lot of tax free money.
Uh, you attended Iowa for a journalism degree. It's called consequences. Everyone knows all career problems can be solved for life by getting an engineering degree from ISU, so there's your answer.
If you need a cheaper car, I'm selling mine (we bought a new one), for around $4500. 2005 Grand Prix... PM me if you're interested
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
The only poor souls I know that have been successful graduating from Iowa had communications degrees, they eventually went into sales and talk a fast line of BS.
Good luck TM.
Good luck TM.
Good luck brother! Luckily I found a wife that HATED debt and I made twice what you did out of school. So we paid off all of our debt, outside of my student loans, in that first year. Then we put all of that money into paying student loans off. I had close to $40K in student loans because of my bad decisions that other posters mentioned above. I realize you can't do exactly what I did as aggressively, but I would definitely recommend a second job to cover loan payment alone. Don't push off the debt unless you can get it waived. I admire you for doing what you love with your degree. Stick with it, but make the money on the side. $325/$10/hour = 8-10 hours a week. You can do it!
Threads about student loans always depress me. I ended up with way more than most it sounds like, and have higher monthly payments (around $550 a month). Luckily I'm not struggling at all to pay it, but would be nice to have some of that back.
If you're making 22k, with $324/month going to student loans you might want to look into a bus pass.
Thats the problem with journalism jobs, they dont pay crap and they have no problem filling them because people have this idea they are going to be a sports journalist their whole life and will work for whatever. Either get a 2nd job or get a better 1st job. 11/hr is an insult even if you love your job. I was offered a job working marketing for the bulls which would have been a dream but when I saw what they paid (nearly double what you make) I turned it down because it wasnt near enough.
Also, you post constantly where you work, now youre posting what you make, employer might not like that so much.
Also, you post constantly where you work, now youre posting what you make, employer might not like that so much.
If you are a good writer, I am guessing you could get some side jobs. It is amazing what rich parents are willing to pay for someone to help their little darlings with things like college admission essays. Could probably fit that in around your real job.
Since everyone seems to think you need career advice here is my 2 cents:
Don't take career advice from CF
Don't take career advice from CF
I know the feeling. I worked a $10 an hour crap job in the industry I wanted to be in before getting my current position.The more than $30k pay raise was worth it.
Just don't pay them. Shred the letters from ISL and don't answer your phone. Pretty simple really.
I do income based repayments, but luckily I am in a job where I qualify for public service loan forgiveness, where if I make on-time payments for 10 years the remainder of my loans are forgiven. The obvious issue with income-based repayment is the interest that is accruing. The bigger issue, as I see it, is that after 30 years of income based repayments the balance of your loan is forgiven, but that forgiveness is taxable income. Thus, as you make your smaller payments interest is accruing and after 30 years you can be stuck with a huge tax liability.
I think the best route to take is to do income based for the time being, if you have the discipline to go back to a standard repayment plan as soon as feasible. Income based may be a short term fix, but it is a bad long term solution.
I think the best route to take is to do income based for the time being, if you have the discipline to go back to a standard repayment plan as soon as feasible. Income based may be a short term fix, but it is a bad long term solution.
I currently pay $495 for rent (studio) and live about 5 blocks from work in Des Moines; I didn't get this job until it was too late to get a roommate to split rent for a bigger place. That's something I'm hoping to change next year, since I've got several buddies from high school who are now working here in DM, but already had living arrangements taken care of by the time I knew I'd be here, too.
I need something with pretty low miles because I'm going to be putting a lot on for work driving to games all over the place. And I absolutely refuse to get something that isn't certified, because I've had horrendous luck with vehicles thus far (I'm currently on my fourth in 7 years). I want something I know I can depend on.
As far as supplemental income, I'm probably going to be picking up a second job for a couple nights a week, and I also want to find time to get tested for plasma donation. That helped me get through my last couple years of school when I was making about $75 a month working for the student paper. I've just struggled to find a 4-5 hour window to get tested (I know from experience that it's wise to plan for that long on your first visit).
I'd definitely love to have a better paying job, but I had similar offers from every opportunity that popped up. I don't currently get health benefits, but I have insurance through the university that's good until next summer. But if benefits won't be picked up by the time my current insurance expires, I'll be job shopping pretty hard. However, this is largely a startup operation (new ownership group took over last year) and my job is basically to help grow this from what it's been, not just maintain it. We also plan on moving to a digital magazine for our monthly content and then print a few special issues (like our football preview). That cuts out a ton in printing expenses, which could mean a little more money for employees. Bottom line, I never planned to stay here for more than 2-3 years before moving on to something else, hopefully at either the Register or Gazette.
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Being out from ISU for 25 years now, I can tell you that you will never have more "free time" than you do right when you are starting out in the world. Get a part-time job that will not conflict with your day job and pay off the debt quickly. By the time you get married and, especially, have children, EVERY minute of your day will be spoken for and then some, particularly when the kids are young and they really need your energy and attention.
It's not glamorous and it's not easy, but get that bartender/wait staff job or an evening/early morning shift at a UPS or something. Get ready to work your tail off and feel like you aren't getting ahead for a number of years. Suppress those feelings and just put your head down and work. In 3-4 years you'll have a bunch of it paid off. You will look back and not regret it. Most of us laugh that our 20s were a blur. Don't take 20 years to pay it off. Being forty and still paying off will be what you regret.
It's not glamorous and it's not easy, but get that bartender/wait staff job or an evening/early morning shift at a UPS or something. Get ready to work your tail off and feel like you aren't getting ahead for a number of years. Suppress those feelings and just put your head down and work. In 3-4 years you'll have a bunch of it paid off. You will look back and not regret it. Most of us laugh that our 20s were a blur. Don't take 20 years to pay it off. Being forty and still paying off will be what you regret.
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