Quote: Original post by stupid_programmer

Quote: Original post by Tom Sloper
WAY above average.
Nobody should take the phrase "it is possible" to mean "it is probable". Typically, one should move to a game hotbed before one starts sending in those job applications.

1. Eh...I graduated in the past year and have a company that is willing to fly me half way across the country for an interview.
2. Most decent jobs are going to offer relocation help as well.

1. The fact that someone was offered a non-local job interview does not mean that what I said above is untrue. What I said above remains true -- one should not EXPECT to get a job while living a long distance from the hirer. The fact that it happens occasionally constitutes exceptions to the rule. There is an exception to every rule (including this one).
2. I beg to differ with the word "most" in that sentence. Untried recent grads should not expect relocation help. The fact that it happens in some cases does not mean that "most" can expect it. The fact that it happens in some cases constitutes exceptions to the rule. There is always an exception to every rule (even this one).

It's not a sprung charge, it's a charge that is well known ahead of time. Government subsidized student loans will start requiring payments after school (some specific criteria) and have a set payment schedule. Conventional loans will likely ask for payments right away, at a set payment schedule. Unless you're going through a loan shark or something...

File a Fafsa (it's free, it's harmless), and talk with someone there about what they can provide and your options. If your folks are usury hating, government fearing killjoys, you do have the option to not listen to them... the luxury of being an adult.

Quote: Original post by zyrolasting
Unfortunately, as mentioned I have been brought up under a family that is against loans. I asked yesterday, and my parents have forbidden me from taking one out.

I don't know your age, but once over 18, your parents don't have any legal grounds to forbid you from taking out loans - that doesn't stop them from kicking you out of the house, however, so you have to gauge that one carefully [smile]

In any case, student loans aren't the only way to finance college. While community colleges aren't likely to offer much in the way of scholarships, most colleges these days seem to offer deferred payment plans (such as tuition management systems), which allow you to pay your tuition month-by-month as opposed to upfront at the beginning of the year.

Quote: If your folks are usury hating, government fearing killjoys, you do have the option to not listen to them... the luxury of being an adult.

Without getting into my parent's political views, the FAFSA would need info from them since I am a dependent student. This means their refusal to participate in the first place. I'll see where I end up, but I may very well just work my way through with family support (and hopefully scholarships and/or grants) as financial aid.

Quote: one should not EXPECT to get a job while living a long distance from the hirer.

On a similar note: Don't many full-term programs offer assistance to finding the job you are looking for? Given the small pockets of industry activity, you would think that something would be done to at least get you ready to grab the job from across the country.

Quote: In any case, student loans aren't the only way to finance college. While community colleges aren't likely to offer much in the way of scholarships, most colleges these days seem to offer deferred payment plans (such as tuition management systems), which allow you to pay your tuition month-by-month as opposed to upfront at the beginning of the year.

My client over at a mexican grocery told me the MGCCC offered a similar system that he himself used, making a big sigh of relief escape my lips. This option is an objective for me. [smile]

In my opinion, a totally black page with "You must enable &#106avascript to view this site." in red letters does not give a good first impression on your webite. Neither does a 404 error on your resume (though it worked when I tried half an hour later).

The former is especially true since the &#106avascript doesn't do anything useful at all, it &#111;nly displays a 5 second countdown timer and then redirects <tt>/</tt> to <tt>/home/index.php</tt>. The same could be done easier, better, less intrusive and more intuitive to the visitor with a simple rewrite rule, if it is absolutely necessary to have everything under <tt>/home</tt>.<br>If I was to decide &#111;n your application, and you pointed me to a site like this, I'd probably turn it down without ever even having a single glance at your portfolio, no matter how great it might be.

Quote: Original post by zyrolasting
Without getting into my parent's political views, the FAFSA would need info from them since I am a dependent student. This means their refusal to participate in the first place.

Sure. I didn't mean any offense... my previous post looks a little less whimsical and more nasty in retrospect... sorry about that. But yeah, having the fafsa people act as an independent third party to answer questions was more of what I was going at. Explore the options, get the facts sort of thing. Even if your folks are deadset against loans, fafsa is the avenue towards getting grants. Very, very few people can turn down the possibility of free money.

Quote:
On a similar note: Don't many full-term programs offer assistance to finding the job you are looking for?

I wouldn't say the job you are looking for. They help you find a job. The good programs will do some legwork and collect job offers/internships and aggregate them for you to view and provide interview/resume help. Most run job fairs where companies send HR reps to collect resumes and answer questions. The bad programs are in bed with companies who want to hire naive college grads at 50 cents on the dollar, work them into the ground and replace them with more. Just something to be wary of when colleges try to sell their '98% of students find jobs after college' stats.

Quote: In my opinion, a totally black page with "You must enable &#106avascript to view this site." in red letters does not give a good first impression on your webite. Neither does a 404 error on your resume (though it worked when I tried half an hour later).

How on earth did it actually work? I removed my Bio page entirely after the first page in this thread convinced me I knew too little to even have a resume. I decided to use my website for rambling. I will save my future professionalism for another domain. Kinda scary my file is still accessible after I thought I deleted it. [oh]

Sorry for not clearing that up! Better cut out the link in the OP, eh?

Quote: Sure. I didn't mean any offense... my previous post looks a little less whimsical and more nasty in retrospect... sorry about that. But yeah, having the fafsa people act as an independent third party to answer questions was more of what I was going at. Explore the options, get the facts sort of thing. Even if your folks are deadset against loans, fafsa is the avenue towards getting grants. Very, very few people can turn down the possibility of free money.

I'm not offended at all. In fact, I'm happy you are still posting. [smile]
It would be a cold day in hell when I turn down free money, but things are the way they are here. Facts are another thing, though. I want those. It's why I started the thread!

Quote: Most run job fairs where companies send HR reps to collect resumes and answer questions. The bad programs are in bed with companies who want to hire naive college grads at 50 cents on the dollar, work them into the ground and replace them with more.

Jeez, how do I identify this is coming as a student?

Quote: Original post by zyrolasting
Jeez, how do I identify this is coming as a student?

Generally, if a place behaves more like a business than a school, they might not have your best interests in mind. Once you're there, it's fairly easy to see if the job assistance people provide you with options or if they're kinda giving you directions (or only showing 1-2 options). Once you see an offer/job posting, a place like Salary.com can give you an idea how that offer compares to other salaries for that job for that location.

Knowing what sort an environment a job is can be a bit harder. Generally you'll need to try and infer that during an interview during the time when you can ask questions. 'Do you have a crunch period?' 'Is this job flexible about hours?' 'How long have you been with the company?'