Career Prep 2009 Summer Blog

Kemy Acacia from University of Illinois suggests that when evaluating your job offer, having an idea of the minimum you need to live comfortably will be important and these websites can help. There are a numerous websites that compare cost of living for different cities, utilize them. Some suggested ones include: www.bestplaces.net/COL and http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html
Jonathan Figueroa from Harvard says looking into future living expenses is something which we as soon-to-be-graduates have to start thinking about now. My first suggestion above all is to start saving capital NOW. This entails that we as financially responsible young adults take it upon ourselves to diverge from spending the disposable income we earn from summer internship or other sources. This is not the easiest thing to do when we find ourselves in the summer seeking to go out every weekend, as well as yearning to buy the new clothing lines of our favorite consumer brands. In addition, it can be hard to fathom which kinds of expenses await us considering that we have never truly paid bills like our parents (with the possibly exemption of cell phone and clothing expenses). The honest truth is that several different types of bills await us, but these expenses vary on our location. Thus, my second suggestion is to have a good idea of where you may possibly be living. To clarify on expenses, I am including everything from food to transportation to rent and utility expenses. For example, someone who intends on working for a company division based in Atlanta, Georgia will not be facing the same expenses as an individual who is living in New York City. Rents and mortgages tend to be cheaper in Atlanta than in New York; however, transportation in Atlanta may be more expensive than in New York City considering that the latter provides more reliable and convenient public transportation.