Hi All,
I've been a lurker on this board on-and-off for about a year or so, benefitting from all the great free advice.
I'm probably one of the younger people here-- only 25. When I entered the workforce about two years ago I figured I should invest some time right at the start of my career getting a grip on my finances and putting together a plan-- while I still have a lot of time as leverage.
I'm as software developer, but I don't make a lot of money despite being near the top of my class and really good at what I do-- I came out of school right into the worst job market my industry has ever seen, and it was six months before I could find _any_ kind of a job in my field while my friends who graduated two years earlier sent out 3 resumes, got two callbacks, and picked a job for 20% more than I make today.
As a result I have an extremely pessimistic view of my potential future earnings, fair market worth, career prospects, etc. My friends think I'm cheap, my family thinks I'm cheap, I think I'm cheap too--- but having no cash and no job and debt to pay in a depressed market is not a place I ever want to find myself again.
I get the impression that most of the people in my age bracket on this site have larger incomes. I'm only making about 45K CDN a year, and even at a savings rate of 25-30% of gross I have a long, long way to go.
Recycle my dryer sheets? Who can afford such luxuries in the first place?
I've been a lurker on this board on-and-off for about a year or so, benefitting from all the great free advice.
I'm probably one of the younger people here-- only 25. When I entered the workforce about two years ago I figured I should invest some time right at the start of my career getting a grip on my finances and putting together a plan-- while I still have a lot of time as leverage.
I'm as software developer, but I don't make a lot of money despite being near the top of my class and really good at what I do-- I came out of school right into the worst job market my industry has ever seen, and it was six months before I could find _any_ kind of a job in my field while my friends who graduated two years earlier sent out 3 resumes, got two callbacks, and picked a job for 20% more than I make today.
As a result I have an extremely pessimistic view of my potential future earnings, fair market worth, career prospects, etc. My friends think I'm cheap, my family thinks I'm cheap, I think I'm cheap too--- but having no cash and no job and debt to pay in a depressed market is not a place I ever want to find myself again.
I get the impression that most of the people in my age bracket on this site have larger incomes. I'm only making about 45K CDN a year, and even at a savings rate of 25-30% of gross I have a long, long way to go.
Recycle my dryer sheets? Who can afford such luxuries in the first place?