Thu 01 Apr 2010 – 17.41
As most of us have observed, there was a big fucking load of legislation passed that reformed the way we purchase health insurance in the US. One of the not-insignificant provisions allows twentysomethings to under their parents’ coverage up to age 26 — solving a problem that many of us faced upon leaving education but not quite having a fruitful job.
Today, there is a great article from the AP which features several cross-sections of families in such situations. Here are some situations that are all too typical:
The law will help Portland, Ore., mother Jessie Edwards sleep better at night. The nurse practitioner will be able to get both her young adult children covered as dependents on her insurance. Her 23-year-old son is losing his insurance this month, and her 25-year-old daughter has been uninsured for two years.
Young adults in their 20s are the most likely age group to be uninsured, and nearly 30 percent of them lacked insurance in 2008.
Lawson, a Gettysburg College administrator in Pennsylvania, said she is hoping to get her daughter back on her health plan because she is tired of playing “a roulette game.” Her daughter has just a temporary job that doesn’t provide insurance.
Go read the article. Let’s compare war stories. Also, check out The Young Invincibles, a website that gives facts for us, the twentysomethings who are healthy, but broke.
As for me, I was uninsured for a while after leaving my last full-time job, but before purchasing my own [very basic] plan on the open market. If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had a physical in 4.5 years, and currently don’t even have a GP. So I too am rolling the dice a bit, especially with a marathon under my belt and rugby season in full effect.
But as someone much closer to 30 than 22, and generally healthy, this isn’t the most pressing issue in my life. I’d rather have a job. But don’t even get me started.
posted by Scott in health & fitness,personal finance.
Blog Resources for Twentysomethings
Fri 19 Mar 2010 – 15.07
From the always-lovely Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen Noodles, Rent, and Resumes: an after-college guide to life, comes a quick glut of blogs relating to life as a twentysomething. These are, apparently, from 100 Blogs That Should Be Required Reading In College, from OnlineDegrees.net.
And to make my life easier, here is a straight up copy of her curation of the list.
- 20 Something Finance: Read this blog for posts about the worth of your degree, managing credit and debt, investment tips, and even retirement, so that you can start thinking about how you’ll save after college.
- Grad Money Matters: This blog understands that you’re well-educated but that you might need some extra help when it comes to PF.
- Lindsey Pollak: Lindsey Pollak is a career and workplace expert for Generation Y, and her site features videos, articles and more resources to help you establish yourself in the workforce.
- My Path: This career networking site also features a blog and videos about getting a job, retaining your edge, and more.
- On the Job: This is the blog for Anita Bruzzese’s syndicated column. Recent posts include “How to Move from Temporary Work to a Full-Time Gig” and “5 Ways to Avoid Freaking Out About Networking.”
- The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: If you’re thinking about freelancing or managing your own creative career after college, read this blog from expert Michelle Goodman.
- Newly Corporate: Read Newly Corporate to get an idea of what your first entry-level job may be like.
- College Student Blog: This blog has information about growing careers, planning your job search, and living frugally.
- Sweet Careers: Read this blog for all kinds of tips about job search etiquette, career planning, interviewing, researching successful companies, and more.
- Career Rocketeer: Find practical and conceptual job advice on this blog.
- Entry Level Living: Learn about all kinds of entry-level work, including nonprofit jobs, entry-level jobs in New York City, and more.
- Career Rookie: Get advice for finding and landing jobs and internships here.
- College health guide: This resource on Revolution Health includes mental and sexual health tips and healthy living guides.
- Em & Lo: Sex, Love and Everything in Between: This blog for women has dating advice, sexual health news, funny stories, an advice column, and an ask the guys section.
- Life Optimizer: Find study tips, advice for staying positive and improving your focus here.
- You Already Know This Stuff: Get practical advice for finding success professionally and in your personal life.
- Imagine, Connect, Act: This is the blog for Idealist.org, the international volunteer project network.
- Hack College: Find lost Word documents, be productive during Spring Break and learn fun drinking games on this blog.
- The College Solution Blog: This blog covers a range of topics, from budgeting to college life, to doing better in class.
- My College Guide: Incoming freshmen and college students will find helpful tips for preparing for interviews, remembering your notes, dealing with stress and more.
- Say Campus Life: Recent posts here feature a guide to college majors, tips for spotting a scam school, and career tips.
- College and University Blog: Get higher education news, relationship advice, fitness tips and more.
- College Guide: Washington Monthly’s blog keeps tabs on what’s going on at schools around the country, and new trends in higher ed.
- Campus Grotto: Find money tips, job search information, campus trivia and more.
- ONE Campus Challenge: This blog tracks the competition between universities to see which student body “has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign.”
- College Candy: Find real-life stories, quizzes, relationship tips, money advice and more from this hilarious — and sometimes raunchy — blog.
- Life Without Pants: Learn effective, productive ways to live life according to your own rules.
- Quarterlives: Head to Quaterlives for entertainment, health, personal development and career news geared towards 20-somethings.
- Gradspot: Turn to Gradspot when you want to learn how to cook, move into a new home, write a resume or start a new workout routine.
- The Lemon Life: The Lemon Life is another post-grad website full of articles and resources about dating, working, and living on your own.
- Think Simple Now: In addition to some personal life stories, this blog has tips for reading faster, improving focus and more.
- The Happiness Project: Read this blog everyday to remind yourself of all the reasons to be calm, confident and happy.
- Graduated Learning: Life after college: Find tips on buying a house, saving money, using social media, and more.
•• via Ramen, Rent, Resumes »
posted by Scott in education,health & fitness,life,personal finance,relationships.
Fri 26 Feb 2010 – 14.21
This crap has been going around the Internet for a while, but I thought I’d report on it. Pew Research has cooked up a little online quiz where users may determine for themselves how “Millennial” they are. That is, how much they have in common with us, the generation born after 1981. (nevermind that some of us in that age range already have kids in middle school!)
I’m 86. Probably would have been more if I had a tattoo or if I had played video games in the last 24 hours. Dunno if my parents’ marriage negatively affect my Millennial-ness, but that’s also a question.
Go take the test for yourself »
A study from The Oracle in synthesizes these and similar results, concluding that Millennials are more liberal, more confident, but less employed. And presumably more depressed. Or maybe that’s just me.
posted by Scott in careers,education,health & fitness,life.
Graduate Student Lives in a Van
Tue 08 Dec 2009 – 15.31
Well, the headline kind of says it all. Today I uncovered the story of a Duke graduate student who, in an effort to save money and avoid debt, lived in his van while he attended classes.
If it weren’t an English major writing, I surely would not have read. Here’s a taste.
The idea of “thrift,” once an American ideal, now seems almost quaint to many college students, particularly those at elite schools. The typical student today is not so frugal. Few know where the money they’re spending is coming from and even fewer know how deep they’re in debt. They’re detached from the source of their money. That’s because there is no source. They’re getting paid by their future selves.
posted by Scott in education,health & fitness,personal finance.
Thu 15 Oct 2009 – 18.56
Imagine that one day you’re working at a successful magazine, making $50,000 per year, and living the life in New York City. A twentysomething fantasy for many. But then suddenly you’re laid off. Now, with the market for journalism shrunk to a caricature of its former self, you’re forced to scrape by with freelance gigs and unemployment checks in search of a job that may or may not exist. Stinks, doesn’t it.
This isn’t fiction, it’s the story of Amanda Ernst, a twentysomething former magazine writer and editor of FishbowlNY, a blog about advertising, media, and journalism. Amanda recently went under the microscope and talked about her adventures on NBC’s Today Show, even disclosing figures to help align her struggle with viewers who may be suffering the same drama in their lives. Read the chronicle of events from her point of view on FBNY. (for her efforts, Amanda was blog-slapped, lightly, by Gawker) The result, in this case, is positive: Amanda survived, and is doing alright, although it definitely didn’t happen automatically.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Amanda Ernst discusses losing her job and coping with the financial strain
The thesis is fairly well-known: if your income suddenly drops (especially from getting laid off/fired) you need to restructure your life accordingly. Drop the expensive gym membership, cut back on lattes, quit buying fancy clothes, and of course keep track of all your spending so you know where every penny ends up. I’ve discussed personal finance at length, and even recorded a podcast episode about the cost of living.
But the struggle for employment and the fight against idleness stress more than the wallet, they tug at the very fabric of our existences. At least, they should for most of us twentysomethings, who are trying to establish ourselves in the world, trying to make sense of our careers and relationships, as well as finances. I suppose it’s like Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs — after we satisfy our ability to eat and sleep, we start looking for more, and that usually means we need a satisfying work life.
This is the topic constantly discussed on the Chief Happiness Officer blog, which I highly recommend. For a more academic, but heartily interesting, perspective on work and life, check out the new book from Alain de Botton, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. And if you’re one of these Internet bloggy people, try this post from Serena Renner, a co-worker of Amanda, no less.
The great sea of the economy may be swollen and unsteady, but it will calm in time. But no matter the condition, twentysomethings will look out onto the horizon and wonder what awaits. Our careers, and our lives, are in constant motion, with waves and tides that will surely shake us loose when we least expect it. But isn’t that part of the fun.
For an amusing diversion from the often-depressing existence of twentysomething unemployment (or perhaps, non-employment), check out this article which outlines in most pityous detail, the plight of the upper class, who are struggle to pay all those private school tuitions, and whatnot, in this sour economy. Lifestyles of the Rich and Needy »
Perhaps a solution to it all is to work a different job literally every day. I know that folks change jobs more frequently in this, our new century, but this is taking things to the extreme.
posted by Scott in careers,coffee,education,health & fitness,life,real estate.
Thu 08 Oct 2009 – 9.19
Speaking of the Walk of Shame, now there’s a convenient kit you can keep in your bag or under your desk to accommodate such a situation.
Clever, this, but it makes me think of the obvious point — if you’re prepared enough to have a Walk of Shame kit, chances are you’re not the type that ends up doing the Walk of Shame in the first place. Half the shame is being wrapped in the same soggy clothes with head throbbing, etc.
Hell, what do I know, I’ve never done it.
via Eric Hollings »
posted by Scott in health & fitness,relationships.
Thu 30 Jul 2009 – 14.50
It’s a fair assumption that as twentysomethings, we still remember our school days. We may still be friends with our school chums, we may still have our old school clothes, and chances are, we miss our summer holidays.
Obviously, summer is a good time to be outdoors. We love the sun, the heat, wearing shorts, running around, playing with dogs and children (since those lucky bastards are off from school). There’s outdoor movies and concerts, you can sit at sidewalk cafes, and the sunlight lasts all night. Too bad you’re stuck inside.
There is a dreadful cycle of guilt and pleasure that comes from skipping out on work duties to go outside, only to return and realise how much work you’ve got to do. Generally speaking, the two are mutually exclusive — you can’t bring your office to the park, and even with a laptop, you’re only half working. If only I could knock down the entire wall of my office and work at my desk, while enjoying the outdoors.
Working holidays are tempting, but somehow end up as a fiction. When you arrive at your summer destination, the last thing you want to think about is work. And then somehow you suffer the same summer guilt for not getting things done while you’re still on vacation. Not exactly relaxing.
Plus there’s that whole unspoken competition of who has a better tan. When did that become a measure of one’s worth?
We’re hard-wired from all those years of education to view summer as play time. This is especially troubling for freelancers and those who are less-than-traditionally-employed, who are forced to be their own time-managers. Looking for work, following up with clients, managing projects, and otherwise not slacking off can be Herculean labours when placed into the arena of a July heatwave. Plus when friends start calling planning trips and weekends, it’s all the more tempting to shove work aside.
So how do we break the cycle? How do we enjoy the summers while still fulfilling the duties of our life and careers? Is summer simply a lost season, where we should expect to get nothing done, or is it an opportunity to take the lead over the other slackers who are off sunning and prancing?
posted by Scott in careers,education,health & fitness,life.
Thu 18 Jun 2009 – 11.54
When it rains, it pours. The old cliché has nothing to do with weather, although this June finds that metaphor especially apt. Things are busy lately.
After many months, if not years, of suffering through the various gradients of employment, I find myself once again working a regular schedule. I hadn’t worked a 40-hour week between mid-January and early June. Add to that two commutes and the general exhaustion that comes from starting a new routine and it’s become predictably exhausting.
In addition, and with timing most strange, I’m getting a lot of clients calling to do some work with me outside of my daytime gig. So I’m doing what designers do from time to time, and going home for a night shift in an effort to fill the creative, if not financial, holes in their day-to-day.
So yes, I’m busy. And while busy-ness is generally a good thing, it has obvious drawbacks.
posted by Scott in careers,coffee,health & fitness,life,relationships.
Half of Everything Goes to Rent
Tue 21 Apr 2009 – 20.08
It has long been known that twentysomethings in New York, especially those who are straight out of school and into their first job, will spent half of their wages on rent alone. That’s half to rent, and half to everything else. Turns out this practice is no longer just for the young lot. A new study reveals that a higher percentage than ever, 27%, are crossing that tragic 50% barrier.
That percentage is up 13% since 2002, with 82,159 more NYC residents throwing more than half their income into the ravenous rent hole, as compared to seven years ago.
The numbers are quite troubling, but also a bit stoic. If you’re interested in the figures, Gothamist tells the story, as do a number of other news sources.
When I was looking for my first apartment I learned of a magic formula, relating to rent and income: Your annual income must be 40x your monthly rent burden. So if you make $40,000 per year, you shouldn’t be paying more than $1000/month. Trouble is, $1000 isn’t what it used to be. In fact, that price point almost guarantees you’ll have to live in the outer boroughs and suffer the tragic commute. Even when living with roommates, an apartment in Manhattan will cost each tenant can easily cost $1500 for something that might generally be considered puny and ridiculously small.
The 40x rule comes into play when signing on to a lease, especially through a proper leasing agent. If you do not reach that magical threshold, you’ll have to find a guarantor to back you up on the lease — usually a parent with deep pockets. I’ve heard rumours that some agents require this person to earn 100x the month rent, which is pretty absurd by anyone standards. Hell, my parents don’t make $100,000/year. But the 40x rule kinda makes sense as a guideline; doing the math in reverse reveals that figure to be approximately half of you take-home pay. But this is half of overall pay, leaving an even tinier slice for … everything else!
Considering the rising cost of healthcare, food, fuel, utilities, New Yorkers are getting squeezed even harder. It’s more of a struggle than ever to afford those $14 martinis.
Since moving to Jersey City, my rent has gone down quite a bit, but so has my income. In fact, my income these days comes largely from unemployment, but I’m still not quite up to that 40x mark. Times are tough, my friends.
What percentage are you paying?
posted by Scott in careers,health & fitness,life,personal finance,real estate.
For Girls, Binge Drinking Not Sexy
Wed 11 Mar 2009 – 17.26
Finally, other men are coming around to what I’ve been saying since age 16: girls who drink aren’t attractive at all. (trust me, that’s an understatement compared to the colourful rants of my teen years.)
A recent study from two American universities concludes that women have in their heads the wrong ideas about drinking to impress a fella. Truth is we prefer you sober.
It turns out 71% of these female co-eds were vastly overestimating the amount males wanted them to drink. On average, they overestimated by one-and-a-half drinks. Over a quarter of the women thought men were more likely to buddy up with a women who drinks five or more drinks. The true answer? Men expect women to consume around 2.5 drinks. 16 percent of women thought men would be most sexually attracted to women who downed the 5+ servings of their choice poison. In actuality? Men prefer nearly half that amount.
I think that whether we admit it or not, men want a women who is graceful and elegant, even when being “one of the guys.” Where a taste of male-like bonding may be playful, too much is not a good thing. For example, we never want to carry you home — women are tough to carry because their weight is distributed different. Plus you look like a creep carrying off some helpless woman. When a women drinks too much, she becomes louder, less funny, less witty, and more of a burden than anything else. No thanks.
Head over to PopSci for the full article »
posted by Scott in health & fitness,relationships.