First, let’s not think of this as ‘getting a job’ let’s recognize that what we are really doing is ‘Starting a Career’. No matter where you are employed or what your job duties entail, the bottom line is, you are building your professional skills. So let’s make sure that they are the skills that you want to focus on! There are multiple websites where you can upload your resume and apply for positions right online. It is very easy to apply for multiple positions within a short period of time. Having a professional resume is key to ensuring your application stands out and that you get contacted for an interview. Your resume is your ‘first impression’ to an employer. There are many templates online and also many sites that offer professional resumes for a fee. These fees can get expensive for someone just starting out. If you need help creating a resume we can provide a customized resume for you at a very minimal cost. Our resume service is available for all ages. Please click here to get started.

For some people this is an automatic, and for others not so much. It’s important to know the pro’s and con’s before you take on that kind of commitment, both physically and financially. Many times expensive college degrees leave students too far in debt without a sufficient paying job. Financial stress is a top 3 contributor of depression and suicide. We want to help you avoid wasting money on a useless degree. First you need to decide if pursuing additional education is for you. This doesn’t necessarily mean a standard university, there are so many affordable options with trade schools and tech certifications. If you are pursuing a degree at a specific university, make sure it is a useful degree for you. If you want to get a degree in arts, or English, you would want to ensure that spending that much dedication on that specific of a degree will be a benefit to you. When in doubt, a business degree is widely useful and will help you with the knowledge you need to thrive in any type of business environment, including your own. For example, if you are interested in photography, chances are you would like to run your own photography business. Rather than getting an art degree, look at obtaining a business degree, that way you know how to operate your photography business and ensure it’s success above and beyond your artistic skill. You also would now have a useful degree to pivot to another area if you ever wanted to or needed to. College tuition can still be very pricey and just getting a useful degree doesn’t ensure you will immediately get a position that pays enough to cover your student loans and live comfortably. We have done a lot of research and our number one choice for continued education is Western Governor’s University. WGU is an online university that truly let’s you go at your own pace. They charge per semester, not per credit, so you can complete multiple, multiple courses per semester with no additional cost. WGU gives you the opportunity to get your degree in half the time of a traditional university. Some students have even obtained their bachelor’s degree in less than one year. Federal student loans cover 100% of the annual tuition, so you can get fully funded for this school and not have to pay anything until you graduate. Please reach out to WGU to get more information and to apply.

Finally going to go out on your own? It can be a very exciting and intimidating time. Whether you are going to a dorm, buying a home, or renting an apartment with friends, you want to make sure you don’t get in over your head. According to top financial planners and investors, your mortgage or rent of your primary residence should not be more than 25% of your take home pay. Recently, in some areas, bank loan and leasing applications will allow you to get into a contract if the mortgage/rent is up to 50% of your income! This type of situation would leave an individual destined for financial failure. As for renting vs buying? You don’t have to rush out and buy if you don’t want to, long term studies have shown that there is not much difference, and in many cases it is less expensive to rent, than it is to own. If you do plan to buy, plan for what you will do with the property. Is this your forever house? Is it in a good area for re-sale value? Does it have Air BnB potential? How long do you plan to own the property, etc. Don’t just buy to buy. You want to know why. Many times moving out with friends and sharing the expenses of a house or an apartment is the most reasonable solution. This can be great and work out well, just make sure to set clear house rules/expectations and properly communicate any issues or problems.