85% of New College Grads Move Back in with Mom

[MetalMat]

I did just because I was out of town all the time with the old job I had and I was at my girlfriends all the time anyway. As soon as I quit that job I moved out

 

[Cogman]

85% of collage graduates are slack jawed idiots... Just saying.

 

[ShawnD1]

is that such a bad thing? or even that shocking? seems like that's the way of things in the rest of the modern world as well.

I moved back home after I graduated college... graduated in May, got a job, and spent a year living in my parents house to pay off some debts and build up a savings before moving out.

wasn't the most pleasant experience, but it seemed like the most responsible decision.

This. I paid all of my debts, started a retirement fund, and everything is going smooth. Staying with parents for a while is the smartest thing I could have done.

Moving out in a hurry seems like an act of desperation, from what I've seen.
-girlfriend had to move out because she has crazy religious parents
-normal friend had to move out because his mom was an alcoholic retard
-I know several people who were kicked out

Moving out is a nice step to being an adult, but it should be one of the later steps. Trying to pay rent and college at the same time is brutal.

 

[nageov3t]

On my 15th birthday my dad told me get a job or don't bother coming home. I hated him for that, now I thank him.

on my 15th birthday, I think I got an N64.

shocker of shockers, I grew up to be a fine, upstanding adult who's responsible and financially secure.

sorry, I'll get off your lawn now.

 

[Krynj]

As much as I would love to live with my parents again (they're awesome). I'm happy to be part of the 15% that didn't have to.

 

[Brigandier]

Around here you can get a one bedroom studio or apartment for 500/month. Even a 35k job would allow you to live just fine if one didn't have a 100/month cell phone, cable and everything else.

Want work? Go to a temp agency or manufacturing. There's jobs, kids just don't want to do them when it's easier to sit at home playing xbox all day on mommy and daddy.

It's nothing but entitlement mentality going on.

A minimum wage job could afford that place, if they lived like Jesus. Frugality is a lifestyle, that can be just as rewarding as the playboy lifestyle.

Living frugally, saving 60 bucks a month can be a treat, because for every sixty you save, you have 20 to spend.

But wait, I need the 3g iPad and latest smart phone. If I can't have those, life isn't worth living!

 

[Jumpem]

On my 15th birthday my dad told me get a job or don't bother coming home. I hated him for that, now I thank him.

I started working at 12, was full time at 16.

 

[Bignate603]

Well seeing as how much more expensive it is just to get any place to live than it was in our parents time, plus how much harder it is to get a decent paying job, or any job for that matter, it's totally different now and we cannot compare it to how it was back then.

Do you know why it was cheaper to get places to live back in our parents time when they were starting out? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't because nice places were any cheaper compared to what people made. It was because people accepted the fact that you were going to live in a crap hole for a while when you got started and that you weren't going to have nice things.

The level that people consider "normal" and the stuff that's viewed as "necessary" are extremely luxurious compared to what our parents were willing to accept when they started out. It was normal to live in a crappy place with almost nothing until you got on your feet. Right now people want to jump right to the level that their parents are at rather than take the 2 or 3 decades that their parents took to get there.

 

[yh125d]

Well around here, $500 can't even buy you a closet, and it doesn't matter what job it is they're still difficult to find.

Yeah, makes me glad to live where I do. $400/mo gets me a nice650sq ft 1 bedroom, recently remodeled, in a great neighborhood, 1 block away from loads of shopping, good restaurants, and night life. On the river, with a great view

 

[al981]

85% of collage graduates are slack jawed idiots... Just saying.

then again, you're in my sig. grats!

 

[96Firebird]

Health insurance on the parent's plan until age 26 too (in NY anyhow).

I thought this too, but its not entirely true. The kid has to be living in his parent's house, or in college, which I guess what this thread is about... My parents are taking me off their health insurance plan this November, guess I should find a job by then.

I've lived on my own since I started going to college, went back to my parent's house for a month or so while I was looking for another house to rent. Don't think I could go back, even though living with roommates sometimes sucks. Although its nice to go home and have some friends to hang out with as soon as you get there.

 

[Cogman]

then again, you're in my sig. grats!

I'm also happily employed and living on my own.

 

[IGBT]

garbage in garbage out college degrees. Liberal arts or degrees in theater etc. don't make you employable with marketable skills. Most of you guys were never told the whole point of school is to earn a living.

 

[busydude]

Can't wait to get out of this shithole of a town called Toledo, economy here sucks unless you want to work automotive factories (unions? oh hell no, fuck those retards at the top who are responsible for half our problems) or have an engineering degree. And I'm realizing my near-term goal of landing a State or Federal job in one of the larger Ohio cities isn't likely going to work either, not anywhere in the near-term at least. Nowhere near qualified to land a job that would allow me to live on my own, and well... I don't have family in Cbus or Cinci. Hopefully in the next few months I can secure a job to start in September and move there once I'm back from my course. lady luck, please don't ignore me this year. I've never known you, I've tried to make my own efforts to meet you, and yet you elude me.

I have been to that town to meet my once High School buddy studying there. I stayed there for the weekend.. wow what a sleepy town that is. The only thing worth mentioning was a visit to a restaurant by the university campus; where they have hookahs and most of the waiters were college chicks. Other than that.. meh.

 

[al981]

I'm also happily employed and living on my own.

as are most adults. you just have miracle sig worthy material!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

This. I paid all of my debts, started a retirement fund, and everything is going smooth. Staying with parents for a while is the smartest thing I could have done.

Moving out in a hurry seems like an act of desperation, from what I've seen.
-girlfriend had to move out because she has crazy religious parents
-normal friend had to move out because his mom was an alcoholic retard
-I know several people who were kicked out

Moving out is a nice step to being an adult, but it should be one of the later steps. Trying to pay rent and college at the same time is brutal.

When I was 18, I had the choice of paying rent at home and following the parents rules or move out. Way too many 'youts' today seem to think that not only should mom and dad pay for school, they should allow their children to stay at home indefinitely to pay off loans, save a house down payment, start a retirement fund, buy a new car, yada yada yada.

I think the idiot parents who do this are trying to make up for some guilt they have for not having a home life when the kids were growing up. So, now we have a whole new generation of self absorbed whiners who will put their parents out on a ice flow as soon as they become an inconvenience.

Trying to pay rent, college and, daycare IS brutal. Welcome to adulthood.

 

[mmntech]

It's the same here in Canada. The job market has hour-glassed. There's a lot of job openings at the bottom. The minimum wage, unskilled labour market. People who do retail, fast food, etc. There's a lot of openings for jobs at the top. Senior staff, executives. The problem is there are so few jobs in the middle. Entry level skilled/professional jobs are still few and far between. That's why you see so many people with degrees working in retail jobs for very little money. These jobs generate zero relevant work experience. People like myself take up volunteer positions or long strings of internships in their fields. Anything to get that minimum two years every employer wants nowadays. Even unskilled factory jobs are coveted. They pay well but they're dwindling.

I was lucky enough to have parents and grandparents who saved for my education. My programs weren't that expensive, and I'm an only child, so I didn't have to go into debt. Even still, I've calculated that with my current income, it would be extremely difficult to live on my own. Not impossible, but I'd have to turn to substandard subsidized housing. Many of which are in bad neighbourhoods. I truly feel sorry for the kids with mountains of student loans to pay off. Owing a whack of cash is not a good way to start your life off.

On top of that, I do not receive health benefits from my employer. Thanks to a nice legal loophole, I work 44hr but I'm only paid for 39.5. It's the real reason why they cut my hours from 49/week a couple months ago. Just enough to keep me officially part time. So if I ever got sick and needed medication, or dental work, or even a new pair of glasses, I'd be up shit creek. In other words, my pay level leaves no breathing room. It would be living paycheque to paycheque. I believe I'm significantly underpaid for what I do.

I've basically given up looking for jobs in my field. There's nothing. And when there is something, there's at least a hundred other equally qualified applicants all vying for the same position. I lack the charisma to bullshit my way in. That's my family's curse. Even my grandma says it. We always have to work twice as hard to get ahead in the world because we're not "people" people, and we're too honest. Right now, I'd be very happy with a basic retail job at a place like Gamestop. It would be half the work and shorter work days for the same pay the rental car company gives me.

So I stay at home. I'm the sole income earner. My parents are both retired, so I supplement shared expenses (taxes, food, utilities, internet, satellite) through rent. I also pay for my own expenses (phone, entertainment, car). I'm in a safe neighbourhood, and I have some economic stability. With the price of everything rising, that last bit is quickly starting to erode.

Do I want to leave home? Of course. I'd do it today if I could. Makes you feel like a failure, and less of a man. I'm just saying it's very hard to live on minimum wage. Especially in the city, which is ironically where all the jobs are. Kudos to the people who manage to carve a life out on it. You're a hardier person than I am. Try finding a roommate for an $800/mo studio apartment.

 

[Cogman]

garbage in garbage out college degrees. Liberal arts or degrees in theater etc. don't make you employable with marketable skills. Most of you guys were never told the whole point of school is to earn a living.

I agree. If you have no marketable skills, going to school just for the heck of it is a waste of time.

 

[mugs]

I lived with my parents for a year or two after I graduated. I got a crappy job immediately after graduation. I got a decent job 5 months after graduation, but I knew it wasn't going to be permanent so renting an apartment near that job would have just meant I'd have to move again when I got a permanent job. A year later I got a better job, but it was a 1 year contract so I still didn't know where I was going to be working long-term.

So for all of that time I could have spent easily $1000 a month for an apartment + utilities, I would have moved two extra times, and to what end? There was no downside to living with my parents, I paid them rent and bought my own food, I helped out around the house, I was able to save a lot more money than I would have otherwise. It wasn't about trying to maintain the same standard of living as before, it was just about efficiency - there was no need to spend that extra money, I'd have gained nothing from it and neither would my parents.

You might assume from the anecdotal evidence in this thread that I am a complete failure as an adult, but unfortunately that isn't the case. I do just fine, and I'm sure that the help my parents gave me has contributed to that. And I hope I'm able to do the same for them later in their lives.

 

[Bateluer]

Lot of elitism in this thread, typical of ATOT though. I'd rather live in a closet and subsist on ramen than move back in with my parents. Heck, I've come close to that too.

That said, if you can't get some kind of a job after you graduate, it is probably better to move back in with your parents for a while, work on the student loans and other debt with what work you can find until you can secure a job in the field you want. Just keep in mind, you live under your parents roof, their word is law. If they give you an 11pm curfew, you keep it. If they ask you to take out the trash, mow the lawn, etc, then you do it with a smile. If this bothers you, then you can move out whenever you wish, you are, after all, an adult.

 

[destrekor]

Around here you can get a one bedroom studio or apartment for 500/month. Even a 35k job would allow you to live just fine if one didn't have a 100/month cell phone, cable and everything else.

Want work? Go to a temp agency or manufacturing. There's jobs, kids just don't want to do them when it's easier to sit at home playing xbox all day on mommy and daddy.

It's nothing but entitlement mentality going on.

lol

"even a 35k job"
That's problem number one. See, I accept and expect a basic apartment or rental property would be about $400-500.
And I'd thoroughly accept a 35k job right now. With current estimates and whatnot, to really be able to afford what I'd like, I'd need more than that. I also accept the idea that I'll have to drastically cut back on my expectations and monthly expenses.. like staying on family plan instead of opening my own plan, try and keep my 97 Dakota going as long as possible, cut down on unnecessary expenses and take short-cuts, like going cheap on cable and using more of the internet (and using my DVR, renting a cable card right there saves about $5-10/month on equipment rental fees, versus renting a full box), and other areas of cost-cutting.
I get that.
Problem is, to be able to afford loans and handle emergencies and live on my own, I can't see it as possible with less than $30k before taxes.
I'm making less than $20k right now. And looking and what companies are offering for different jobs, and what qualifications they are demanding for jobs in the 30-40k range... it's ridiculous. Companies want way too much and are willing to give as little as possible, and it's hard to substitute random experience with actual job experience.
And then there's the fact that I'm also behind as I didn't have a job during school (school and rotc felt like enough, plus the stipend made it possible to support myself), so when I graduated college, my only experience was high-school jobs and essentially rotc itself. I doubt my degree even factored into getting this current job. Hell, they basically hired me once I told them I was interested. That was cool... then again, it's poverty-level pay... so not so cool, but at least I got something.

Once I update my resume to include both this job and actually list the Reserve job, as well as the leadership course... maybe that will be enough to finally get a little more attention. I never even landed interviews anywhere, other than the job I have (and that was a bullshit interview, more or less an orientation, and then they had the gall to also have a proper orientation. seriously? lol). Maybe after this summer I can start making a little luck, I certainly need it.

Because I'm driving myself crazy the longer I stay with my folks. I need my own space, to be able to live on my own time.

 

[Cogman]

as are most adults. you just have miracle sig worthy material!

Apparently, I'm in the top 15% as, guess what, I just came out of college.

 

[spidey07]

lol

"even a 35k job"
That's problem number one. See, I accept and expect a basic apartment or rental property would be about $400-500.
And I'd thoroughly accept a 35k job right now. With current estimates and whatnot, to really be able to afford what I'd like, I'd need more than that. I also accept the idea that I'll have to drastically cut back on my expectations and monthly expenses.. like staying on family plan instead of opening my own plan, try and keep my 97 Dakota going as long as possible, cut down on unnecessary expenses and take short-cuts, like going cheap on cable and using more of the internet (and using my DVR, renting a cable card right there saves about $5-10/month on equipment rental fees, versus renting a full box), and other areas of cost-cutting.
I get that.
Problem is, to be able to afford loans and handle emergencies and live on my own, I can't see it as possible with less than $30k before taxes.
I'm making less than $20k right now. And looking and what companies are offering for different jobs, and what qualifications they are demanding for jobs in the 30-40k range... it's ridiculous. Companies want way too much and are willing to give as little as possible, and it's hard to substitute random experience with actual job experience.
And then there's the fact that I'm also behind as I didn't have a job during school (school and rotc felt like enough, plus the stipend made it possible to support myself), so when I graduated college, my only experience was high-school jobs and essentially rotc itself. I doubt my degree even factored into getting this current job. Hell, they basically hired me once I told them I was interested. That was cool... then again, it's poverty-level pay... so not so cool, but at least I got something.

Once I update my resume to include both this job and actually list the Reserve job, as well as the leadership course... maybe that will be enough to finally get a little more attention. I never even landed interviews anywhere, other than the job I have (and that was a bullshit interview, more or less an orientation, and then they had the gall to also have a proper orientation. seriously? lol). Maybe after this summer I can start making a little luck, I certainly need it.

Because I'm driving myself crazy the longer I stay with my folks. I need my own space, to be able to live on my own time.

I bolded the exact thing I was talking about. It doesn't matter what you'd like, put a roof over your head and food in your belly. This valuable lesson will take you very far in life.

 

[ioni]

This is the part I don't get. I've been independent and poor since 18. I see pushover parents as a luxury. Yeah, I'd be ahead in the material world if my parents were pushovers, but I don't think I'd be ahead on planet earth at all.

What the hell is that supposed to even mean?

I moved back in w/ my parents sr year, couldn't find a real job with my CS degree, got a master's while living at home and got a great job after that and moved out. I don't really see anything wrong with moving back into your parents' place after getting your degree. You're fortunate if you don't have to.

 

[lothar]

When I was 18, I had the choice of paying rent at home and following the parents rules or move out. Way too many 'youts' today seem to think that not only should mom and dad pay for school, they should allow their children to stay at home indefinitely to pay off loans, save a house down payment, start a retirement fund, buy a new car, yada yada yada.

I think the idiot parents who do this are trying to make up for some guilt they have for not having a home life when the kids were growing up. So, now we have a whole new generation of self absorbed whiners who will put their parents out on a ice flow as soon as they become an inconvenience.

Trying to pay rent, college and, daycare IS brutal. Welcome to adulthood.

While I think we agree on most issues(such as trade schools, useless social science degrees, and others), I think your view on this issue is ridiculous.

I would argue that it's the other way around.
Children these days treat their parents like crap and put them out on an ice flow as soon as their parents become an inconvenience because their parents treated them the same way.