Hello! As you might have noticed, I am finally posting after finding a job and an apartment. It has been quite a month of excitement, stress, frustration, and joy but I wouldn't change it.
After roughly a month in "the real world," I can conclude that being an adult is incredibly freeing, but stressful. I am lucky that things were able to come together within a month of being here- a cumulation of a lot of work, but also luck and timing. Something I have been trying to implement is patience, however when it comes to having a schedule and permanent place to live, it's more challenging. Here are some of the things I wish someone had told me before embarking on this (additionally why are there so many college guides and hardly any on setting up life after?).
Fake Listings | I could write a whole rant to the horrible people who make the apartment search that much harder. In short terms? If it seems too good, there is a 99% chance it is.
Budgeting | It didn't take long to realize that the difference between a couple of hundred dollars in quality of living. Because I am starting in media, I knew that I had to be careful budgeting and didn't want to be bogged down with the stress of writing a high rent check every month. Jobs, nice apartments and vacations are things that can wait for now.
Craigslist | By far it's the biggest hit or miss. Any email back that starts with a sob story or international exchange ("I can't show you the apartment, but if you just send me the money I'll send the keys!") should be ignored and it's going to happen. However, I was able to find some gems, including the place I will be moving into next week through this crazy site. There are also great furniture sales worth checking out.
Symbi | A friend recommended the app to me and it's great for finding a roommate and/or apartment- especially if you're in a time crunch.
Pros/Cons | Location? Amenities? Living alone? Pick one, because that's probably what you're going to get. It's also ok to pick what's important to you over other people's opinions. Regardless of price, you're going to need a lot of money up front.
Things Come Together Quickly | When it comes to the job process too, things move quickly. With both my job and apartment search, the day before things were final, I had nearly broken down, and somehow things came through. The sense of relief is also similar to finishing finals- pure relief.
P.S. Although I am not going to disclose any addresses here, I found this video a while ago for ideas and it's the same apartment I will be in- small world!
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