Being an Adult

>>17596489
self bump, if I may.

>>17596489
Anyone?
I'm despairing.

>>17596489
>1. How hard is it to subsist off of a low skill job?
depends heavily on what you can live with or without, you need to at the very least know how much it costs to feed yourself on a monthly basis, assuming your apartment includes gas an water
You also need to learn how to list all your expenses

Rent: $570/mo
Water: included
Gas: included
Food: $150-$300/mo
Internet: $35/mo
Cell: $50/mo
other: $250/mo

all adds up to at least $1,055/mo
at most $1,205/mo

>Is it feasible to be able to pay off rent and other bills with a low skill job
Depends 100% on the pay

>2. What are daily struggles that someone who isn't an adult might not known about?

Not much really unless you get stuck taking care of someone else/in a relationship

>3. Opinions on grad school? Is it a waste of money?
Depends heavily on if what you plan to study is an employable skill or not, if you're going for art, you may as well put that money in a pile and burn it.

>4. This also depends on your profession, how long you work, etc., but do any of you guys still commit to any hobbies as a working adult? Do you have the time?

Honestly you need to have the first 3 questions sorted out first before you can even begin to think about freetime for hobbies

>>17596489
>1. How hard is it to subsist off of a low skill job?...one that requires a degree...
not hard at all. especially with a good degree. with a stupid degree your job will just suck, but you'll make enough money for a decent life.

>2. What are daily struggles that someone who isn't an adult might not known about?
commuting sucks. it's mostly just if you have a crappy job. i don't have a family, but that's probably more stuff to deal with.

some days the chores add up, you have to deal with vehicle registration, late fees, and other random bull crap. but 90% of the time, people leave you alone to drink beer and have fun in your free time. it's really just the job that sucks.

>3. Opinions on grad school? Is it a waste of money?
no idea. you'll know whether you have the ambition for it when you get there.

>
4. This also depends on your profession, how long you work, etc., but do any of you guys still commit to any hobbies as a working adult? Do you have the time?

nope, I don't. there's a lot i do when i'm unemployed, but if you're doing the normal working american man career thing, there's a good chance you'll be too tired from work to do much but be a hedonist and sip fizzy drinks in front of super hero movies.

some people love to be busy, though. and if you have a good attitude you can improve your work ethic and accomplish quite a lot.

have you heard of stoner rock? there are thousands of stoner rock albums released on youtube every year, and i can almost guarantee you those guys all have day jobs. it's doable.

>>17597013
>if you're going for art, you may as well put that money in a pile and burn it.

lol, no. i'm not going to school for art either.

I will probably major in something writing related, cuz that's the only academic subject I am decent/good at.

Econ is another consideration, but even though I can be intriguing, I'm not doing too well in the class.

>>17597054
>1.
>with a stupid degree your job will just suck, but you'll make enough money for a decent life.

that's good to know, that at least I would be able to survive.
What do you consider a stupid degree though?

>2.
>no family

what do you mean, if you don't mind me asking?

>4.
>stoner rock

I'll check it out

P.S. Sorry for the late responses.
Just got done doing some homework that was due.

>>17597097
>What do you consider a stupid degree though?
Anything that puts you in a miserable job. For me, that includes math or physics (which I originally majored in, but dropped out of once I realized I hated it). Also majors that there aren't any jobs in. Art and gender studies type things. You're likely to find yourself doing sales with such a degree, and sales positions are very unpleasant for most people.

If I could go back in time, I'd become a teacher. I think it would be easy for me. A bit boring and low ambition, but it would pay the bills.

>what do you mean, if you don't mind me asking?

I rarely date, and even if I did I don't plan on having children. Obviously, work + children = almost all of your time and effort, I would think.

Here's some stoner rock I like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNZvuNCHq0M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASrptIfKfc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdFv1tYIdKw

>1. How hard is it to subsist off of a low skill job?
It's not hard if you are even a little careful with money. Also, working more = less time to spend money.
>Is it feasible to be able to pay off rent and other bills with a low skill job? As in a job that requires a college degree, but isn't particularly stand out.
You don't even need a degree to pay the bills. If you do full time retail or food service, neither of which require a degree, you can pay for rent in a 1 bedroom apartment plus bills.
>2. What are daily struggles that someone who isn't an adult might not known about?
I agree with >>17597054 when it comes to this. Commuting sucks and so do all the little chores and paper work you have to do.
>3. Opinions on grad school? Is it a waste of money?
Honestly, I think a masters is. If you go for PhD, that might be more worth it. I didn't go for graduate school and stopped after a bachelors, but my friends went to grad school or at least applied. Make sure you get to know your professors, advisers, etc so that they can help you get into grad school.

continued in next post

>>17597135
thanks for the responses.

curious, what is your job now? if you don't mind me asking.

>>17596489

What's the name of this guy?

>>17597166
>4. Do any of you guys still commit to any hobbies as a working adult? Do you have the time?
Even when I was working 70 hours a week, I still went to the gym 5x a week, visited my parents on the weekend, and watched anime. Most days I had the energy to draw a little bit.

>How feasible would it be for me to do both? Do you guys know of any musicians who started off holding a job and doing music at the same time?
I was actually working as a waitress full time (with a 2 hour round trip commute) and doing art on the side. I do have a bachelors degree, but mine is in a generic field, so the jobs available to me were probably what you were thinking of as low skill. They were stressful but not worth the time and money. I had an app that tracked how much I made as a waitress, and it was around 25USD/hr despite most of my job being standing around. Plus no work to take home, no pressure or huge responsibilities, etc.

For the past 10 months, I have been doing art full time. I just sort of got noticed too without trying (posting stuff online and within a couple of months, people were asking to buy). I make more than I made as a waitress, plus I get to work from home. It's still not that much compared to other people, but I also don't spend a lot of money. I've already gone on two vacations overseas since taking up art full time, so it can't be that bad. Technically, I live in a shit hole but at least I decorated it nicely.

>>17597167
np, my job mostly involves reading C++ code all day.

>>17597166
> If you do full time retail or food service, neither of which require a degree, you can pay for rent in a 1 bedroom apartment plus bills.

wouldn't that depend on your area?
what state do you live in?
I know in LA, and probably other big cities, that would probably be pretty hard to do.

My brother currently lives in an apartment, and the rent is something like 1k a month.
Not only would it be hard to pay that much with a min wage job, it would also be a lot of money down the tube.

>>17597178
>art full time

now that's interesting.
Can you link me to some of your stuff?

That's pretty cool that you can make a living off of that.

Ideally I'd like to be doing something similar, but I don't really know how things are going to turn out. Aside from college I have other pending situations which could have an effect on my future. Which kind of sucks.
I think mainly though, I need to dedicate more time to my music and art, and just generally be more productive.

I don't know though, I just wanted to get a better sense of what it is like to live and subsist on your own.

>>17597186
What would that be?

Also, do you have to be really good at math to get a job in coding? You mention that you don't like math, which is why I ask.

I'm taking programming for the first time this year. It's my freshman year. I haven't even taken calculus yet.
Is there any possibility, assuming I go further studying programming, that I could get a job as a programmer?

>>17597198
>What would that be?
An entry level position for a big company in the software development department. I'm doing some "quality assurance" and testing while they find a permanent spot for me. The software itself supports a database that supports a thing that supports another thing, it's quite boring. But I like coding, so it doesn't bother me.

I had many crappy retail jobs before recently finishing my degree.

>Also, do you have to be really good at math to get a job in coding? You mention that you don't like math, which is why I ask.
>I'm taking programming for the first time this year. It's my freshman year. I haven't even taken calculus yet.

Math was the worst part of the degree, for me. You have to be proficient to get through the degree. Algorithms and calc 3 were pretty grueling at my school.

How much you'll use in your career depends totally on what you do. I'd guess 75% of programmers use very little math.

>Is there any possibility, assuming I go further studying programming, that I could get a job as a programmer?

You need a degree. I tried sending my resume out with a few certificates and links to projects I'd done, etc., before I got a degree without much luck. I probably could have gotten something eventually, with less pay.

Once you have a computer science degree they will throw money at you even if you're a drooling, incompetent, moron.

>>17597209
well that doesn't sound too bad.
I don't know if I would be looking forward to taking calculus though, much less calc three.

also, if you don't mind me asking, what school did you go to and when did you decide on your major?

also, do you do/have you done any programming projects on your own?
For me, that's probably the most appealing part of learning to code.

I use the computer so much, I ought to be able to learn to do something productive with it.
I particularly liked messing with scripts for video games, like tf2.
If I could make any project via code, I would like to create hacks or mods for video games, or something along those lines.

Is that feasible at all without an advanced education in programming?
Could I get away with 2-4 years of taking programming, and be able to do something like that?

>>17597198
>wouldn't that depend on your area?
Yeah, it might if you don't go for the right jobs, but you don't need a degree. My coworker (from when I was a waitress) relocated to LA actually, and her apartment there is 100x nicer than here. She works regular sales at sunglass hut, but she makes good commission. Also, you can get a nicer apartment and pay less if you have a roommate. The higher cost of living in the city is worth it if you have a degree. There are more job opportunities there for people who went to college (for example, my bf has a STEM degree and graduated summa cum laude but can't find a "good" job here in the sticks).

I live in the south now. I used to live in a more affluent area in this same state, and rent was double there. Also in cities you can save money with public transport. Like I mentioned earlier, I used to have a 2hr commute on a GOOD day. Some days it was 5 hrs. That was a lot of fucking gas money and time lost. In uni, I had an unlimited metro/bus pass for $40...

>Can you link me to some of your stuff?
I think my stuff will garner negative attention on 4chan, but basically I make stuff related to cosplay. I also do collaborations with other small clothing designers -- and I mean small. These are not companies but just other people like you and me who box their orders in their bedroom and keep their stock in their kitchens. You should definitely keep music as your hobby. If you put yourself out here on social media, you can get noticed while studying or working.

>I don't know though, I just wanted to get a better sense of what it is like to live and subsist on your own.
It's not too different. You have more freedom to do things, so you have to learn to manage your time, but it's really not that different than high school. Most people already have a job in high school, hobbies (like music for you), sports, plus school work, so you just replace school work with an actual job. Then add the occasional chores like doing taxes.

>>17597228>>17597209

also forgot to ask:

do you think I could get a computer science degree starting from where I am?
Do you think it would be a good idea anyway?
I've heard that the market is/will be saturated with newly minted compsci degree holders, given all of the buzz that has been given to the field of computer science.
Would finding a job become a problem?

>>17597231
>higher cost of living in the city is worth it if you have a degree

any degree?
is it possible to live in a more rural area with cheaper rent and then move out when you find a job? or would it take too much time?

>negative attention

there are only 5 posters in this thread, so if there is going to be any attention, it won't be much.
It's your art though, so you decide when to share it.
I wouldn't mind checking it out though.

>>17597228
It was a state university last year, in the US. I'm a tad noided about giving out too many details on 4chan atm.

I made multiple games. Only one that's playable. I hope to resume working on it eventually. I also use Linux, and fix bugs as I find them.

I've never gotten into modding. My understanding is that there isn't all that much programming involved. If the game supports it, then you just use the tools it gives you.

Making hacks for a game, as far as I know, involves disassembling and editing the executable file for the game. For that, there are probably some fancy tools, unless you want to go thru the assembly, which would be tedious.

I made a 3d space shooter game in blender using python in about a month, without knowing anything about blender or python. it doesn't take long to learn how to make the computer do something. what's hard is doing it well, and making something people actually need.

>>17597235
This I don't know about. If you check monster, most large cities still have tons of comp sci jobs available. I know microsoft is doing its best to force feed programming to kids, but there's a big difference between someone who knows python and a C++ expert. I'd predict good job security for good coders.

>>17597272
>between someone who knows python and a C++ expert

oh shit m8.
that's what I'm currently learning.
Python.

Is there any hope?

Also, on the subject of hacks, could I possibly start a hacking company?
I know that sounds stupid, but there are popular hacking websites out there that charge usually $15 a month for their services.
I figure, that if you can get enough people buying, and have a dedicated team working on the hacks, you could probably make some good money.
Not to mention that depending on the game, there isn't a whole lot of competition.
Take TF2 for example, it's a well known free to play game, but the only paid hacking service I know of is LMAObox.

>>17597287
python's fine, it's the right tool for the job in some cases. probably a fairly good introductory language. just be aware: you're way removed from what the computer is actually doing. if you want speed, you want C/C++.

as for a game hacking career, i have no idea. probably not. but, people spend money on weird things, and kids have disposable income, so who knows. to me, it probably wouldn't be worth the money. monetizing it and building up a customer base would be much more difficult than actually doing the hacks.

>>17596489
>1. How hard is it to subsist off of a low skill job?
You can make bank working as a server in a non-chain restaurant or something like that.
A typical 9-5 is plenty for a person to live modestly on if you don't want to have a fancy car or kids, and don't live somewhere expensive. Min wage in NY is $7.25, most of my college dropout friends make $11/hr for random untrained shit like stocking shelves at a liquor store or phone support, that's enough to have a decent living place (with housemates) and have fun a few times a week - and even save a little. If you have a degree you can easily make double that.

>2. What are daily struggles that someone who isn't an adult might not known about? I would assume the more money you make, the easier it gets, so maybe the answer varies, but what can I expect in general?
Eh, the more money you make the more you job is a struggle typically. Not doing the same thing every single day can be a struggle once you're on your own, it's easy to fall into a reclusive routine.

>3. Opinions on grad school? Is it a waste of money?
>Does this apply to other fields?
It heavily depends. I'm in computing, never even considered grad school, it's like and extra $5k/year typically and I already make 6 figures. Sciences or other specialized fields? You probably want to stay in school. By the time you're finishing undergrad you should know if you need grad school.

>4. This also depends on your profession, how long you work, etc., but do any of you guys still commit to any hobbies as a working adult? Do you have the time?
Yeah, several.

>>17597287
I know a guy that's part of a group the cracks and hacks games and hardware. He makes money but it's more like a side job/hobby.

Penetration Testing is a job that pays very well and is super cool - but you have to love it.

>>17597314
>if you want speed, you want C/C++

what do you mean by speed?
how is it closer to what the computer is doing?

>game hacking career

I didn't think it would be a good idea to do as a career.
I was considering it as a side project, in the instance that I have applicable skills as a programmer.

>>17597317
>double that
>$14.50

doesn't sound to appetizing
You could probably make it work though

>in computing
>six figures

damn son. is that similar to coding? how hard is the work?

>several

what hobbies mate? you can't just say that without explaining.

>>17597322
>side job/hobby

yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking.

Is penetration testing like testing against hacking vulnerabilities?

>>17597333
>Is penetration testing like testing against hacking vulnerabilities?
It's 'white hat' hacking, you work for a security firm and companies pay you to try and crack/hack their shit, then give them a vulnerability report and/or fix holes.

>>17597338
nice. that's pretty cool.

is it especially hard to get into?

>>17597333
>what do you mean by speed?
A line of python code might get resolved to 30 instructions where the same line of C code gets resolved to 2.
>how is it closer to what the computer is doing?
The whole design principle of C++ is "zero cost abstractions". If the computer is looking up which function to use in a vtable, you'll be aware of it in C++. If changing one data type to another requires extra work for the computer, you'll know it in C++. In both cases, python will generate the instructions to do that work for you, to make it easier to program.

C compilers are also extremely advanced. They'll do loop unrolling and all sorts of crap that will make your code run faster.

If you make a game, you want 60 frames per second. On a 1 ghz processor, that means you only get 16 million instructions per frame, minus operating system stuff and I/O. If you've got a bunch of fancy stuff going on, you want to make the most of those instructions

>>17597333
I am
>>17597338

>damn son. is that similar to coding? how hard is the work?
Computing is the overaching term for working with computers, such as coding, security (penetration testing), data analysis etc.
I am a Web and Mobile developer - I develop (code) web, android and ios apps.

>what hobbies mate? you can't just say that without explaining.
I build motorcycles, computers, keyboards, I play Pool (billiards), Magic: The Gathering, Smash Bros and Counter-Strike competitively, I play Dungeons and Dragons from time to time, I cook a lot of fancy meals and mix fancy cocktails, I write yelp reviews with my GF and we collect sex toys, I work out and travel a lot.

>>17597344
You have to go to school for either Computer Security or Computer Networking. You occasionally will have to write code, but mostly you'll have to be familiar with a bunch of programs and network protocols, as well as be very current with the current cracking landscape.

>>17597353
also it's my bed time, goodnight, and good luck with your schoolin

>>17597357
>I write yelp reviews with my GF and we collect sex toys

what does that even mean

>cs comp

what rank?

>>17597372
Yelp is an app where you review restaurants and stuff... are you like 14 and from Russia or something?
>we collect sex toys
We collect dildos that we stick inside of her...

>cs comp
ESEA 10 RWS, so like DMG/Eagle

>>17597381
>about yelp

no, i'm not from fucking russia

I just don't know why anyone would make it a hobby to write yelp reviews with their girlfriend, or at all

>collect sex toys

ok. I guess you could. but when you write it in the same sentence as writing yelp reviews, I don't know if you are trolling or what.

>dmg/eagle

nice