Moving back to jersey (oh no)

[EEEPNJ]

OK - I re-read your OP to make sure I get it.... here's my take.

If you really want to come back... do it when you have the opportunity to do so. (See previous post about laying roots.... ) Second, you CAN still go to college in NJ. What was your major? You can transfer... you can go PT for a while. I'd STRONGLY recommend that. Even if it is just a class or two a semester to keep you in the game. Once back in Jersey and not living with your parents, you would want to look into what aid you'd get as an Independent Student. It is typically higher than what you would get if you were living at home. (I am not a Financial Aid expert, just going by what I hear from others in this situation... you may want to check out residency requirements as well.) You will have a TON of post-secondary education options if you are living in Belleville... from Rutgers and NJIT in Newark, Montclair State is close by, there are a ton of private universities within a close distance as well, and this is in NJ not even TOUCHING on NY. You could even do Essex County Community college to get an AS and then transfer to a 4 yr college if you want to really save $ on tuition expenses.

Now, you are not leaving your parents and going cross country to God knows what .... you have an aunt that you will be living with and you have friends and family here, so you already have a social network and support system which is very important.

While I agree w/ the poster who said that the $200 a month you have to give your aunt is not the end of your expenses, it is also putting you in a much more desirable position that those who are moving to the state and need to find an apartment. And while Belleville may not be the best area, nor is it the WORST. I'd say the biggest negative about Belleville is if you had to put your kids in the school system, but again, these are not problems you would face.

I personally think it may be time to roll the dice....

[me3tv]

NJ is broken. You are coming back to a state that has done a lot wrong and is driving people and jobs away from the state. I am certain your best bet for work will be one of the stable fast food places like McD or KFC which survive in bad times (maybe even Walmart) but you will be in line for the job. Maybe you can do some personal selling to people that live in big houses for a free room if you help manage their yard and repairs and painting jobs while they try to sell the house and move out of the state. You are picking THE MOST EXPENSIVE STATE in the nation to come live in. Bad move at your age. IF you MUST move to this area - maybe find a depressed little town in PA where you can drive 80 miles into NJ and find your roots or what is left of them. Visit a day or two and then get back to the low cost depressed little town in PA and save your money. Remember most of your buddies from your young experience in NJ are gone - long gone to some other place - probably like you, looking for work. Construction for houses or business won't be back in this state for awhile. If you get on somebody's list you MIGHT - - maybe -- if you are lucky - get some manual labor working with one of the companies working on roads and bridges with the stimulus money - which has yet to start showing up in the roads and public buildings work. That work will also have a line ... and you will be last in line behind all the long time connected people in unions and with long time ties to the few lucky contractors that will get the jobs.

One great option for somebody like you is to look for the next natural disaster and head that way. After tornadoes and hurricanes there are always good builder and contractor jobs if you hustle and go get them on your own. Right now - I think nobody is going to be looking out for you. You'll have to do that.

Well, good luck.

[beachespeaches]

Whether you stay in AZ or come to NJ... FINISH GOING TO SCHOOL!!! You might not care about making a lot of money right now and that's good...because money is going control you for the rest of your life. However, when you are older and your lifestyle changes (maybe trying to support a family) you are going to start caring about how much money you make and wishing you had some education to fall back on. Don't end up being stuck in a job where you are working your ass off for pennies and not have anything you can do about it.

[angerinthenation]

Originally Posted by me3tv

NJ is broken. You are coming back to a state that has done a lot wrong and is driving people and jobs away from the state. I am certain your best bet for work will be one of the stable fast food places like McD or KFC which survive in bad times (maybe even Walmart) but you will be in line for the job. Maybe you can do some personal selling to people that live in big houses for a free room if you help manage their yard and repairs and painting jobs while they try to sell the house and move out of the state. You are picking THE MOST EXPENSIVE STATE in the nation to come live in. Bad move at your age. IF you MUST move to this area - maybe find a depressed little town in PA where you can drive 80 miles into NJ and find your roots or what is left of them. Visit a day or two and then get back to the low cost depressed little town in PA and save your money. Remember most of your buddies from your young experience in NJ are gone - long gone to some other place - probably like you, looking for work. Construction for houses or business won't be back in this state for awhile. If you get on somebody's list you MIGHT - - maybe -- if you are lucky - get some manual labor working with one of the companies working on roads and bridges with the stimulus money - which has yet to start showing up in the roads and public buildings work. That work will also have a line ... and you will be last in line behind all the long time connected people in unions and with long time ties to the few lucky contractors that will get the jobs.

One great option for somebody like you is to look for the next natural disaster and head that way. After tornadoes and hurricanes there are always good builder and contractor jobs if you hustle and go get them on your own. Right now - I think nobody is going to be looking out for you. You'll have to do that.

Well, good luck.

Are you recommending him or her to work at KFC and Mcdonalds? That would be a REALLY bad move. They don't even pay enough for a living and they pay every two weeks too. You can't even live in the worst part of Newark for that much unless you on public assistance let alone somewhere like Nutley. They're better off working at the airport if they're willing to work on a hectic time schedule or something else..

[EEEPNJ]

Originally Posted by angerinthenation

Are you recommending him or her to work at KFC and Mcdonalds? That would be a REALLY bad move. They don't even pay enough for a living and they pay every two weeks too. You can't even live in the worst part of Newark for that much unless you on public assistance let alone somewhere like Nutley. They're better off working at the airport if they're willing to work on a hectic time schedule or something else..

AMEN... a fast food joint will be minimum wage and while they are doing well in this economy - they are using it as an excuse to cut hours and jobs too - believe me....

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by EEEPNJ

OK - I re-read your OP to make sure I get it.... here's my take.

If you really want to come back... do it when you have the opportunity to do so. (See previous post about laying roots.... ) Second, you CAN still go to college in NJ. What was your major? You can transfer... you can go PT for a while. I'd STRONGLY recommend that. Even if it is just a class or two a semester to keep you in the game. Once back in Jersey and not living with your parents, you would want to look into what aid you'd get as an Independent Student. It is typically higher than what you would get if you were living at home. (I am not a Financial Aid expert, just going by what I hear from others in this situation... you may want to check out residency requirements as well.) You will have a TON of post-secondary education options if you are living in Belleville... from Rutgers and NJIT in Newark, Montclair State is close by, there are a ton of private universities within a close distance as well, and this is in NJ not even TOUCHING on NY. You could even do Essex County Community college to get an AS and then transfer to a 4 yr college if you want to really save $ on tuition expenses.

Now, you are not leaving your parents and going cross country to God knows what .... you have an aunt that you will be living with and you have friends and family here, so you already have a social network and support system which is very important.

While I agree w/ the poster who said that the $200 a month you have to give your aunt is not the end of your expenses, it is also putting you in a much more desirable position that those who are moving to the state and need to find an apartment. And while Belleville may not be the best area, nor is it the WORST. I'd say the biggest negative about Belleville is if you had to put your kids in the school system, but again, these are not problems you would face.

I personally think it may be time to roll the dice....

You have to realize a college in NJ, costs so much more. There are students at my daughters university fro NJ, and even with out of state tuition they are paying less, not even mentioning that renting an off campus apt costs so much less. Arizona tuitions are simular to TN.

Diane G

[EEEPNJ]

Originally Posted by Diane Giam

You have to realize a college in NJ, costs so much more. There are students at my daughters university fro NJ, and even with out of state tuition they are paying less, not even mentioning that renting an off campus apt costs so much less. Arizona tuitions are simular to TN.

Diane G

One of the biggest costs associated with college is room & board. Since OP has that accounted for, that's not making sense.

FT Tuition at Arizona State is $6,254 and at MSU it is 9085.13 per each schools website. Yes, that's more... but not undoable. Kean University is even lower. And if OP started at a community college and then transferred (GREAT cost saver, mind you) it would be even less.

[lovingdisney]

I'm curious as to what the OP decided to do. Anyone know

[me3tv]

Dunno - but at his education level he will be hard pressed to find work beyond menial labor and McD or KFC type work will keep him in pocket change. Forget the "union" jobs and "know somebody" jobs at the airport - besides the commute will eat up your pay. He should hope for a walkable bikeable community college near his aunt's home. Something must be near Belleville. The $200 room is a steal and he should save all he can. Eat from a can and learn to boil water and cook frozen meals (not tv dinners). EAt cheap. Avoid owning a car for awhile and live as cheap as you can. If possible find a business you can do yourself and make some more dollars - like odd jobs for older people. If you can survive NJ you can survive anywhere. Mexican immigrants do this all the time (legal and illegeal) and in 5 or 10 years they are well off. The key is to NOT spend a nickel if you do not have to to stay alive.