Small dreams require not-so-small amounts of effort

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Earlier this summer, my girlfriend and I decided we want to move in together. She would work part-time and go to college while I worked full time/worked multiple part-time jobs.

It sounded simple in theory, but the reality is much more complicated. Among the numerous things that need to happen to make this dream work-

-We need to find, and get approved for an apartment we can afford. This would ideally be located near my g/f’s school (San Jose State) so she wouldn’t have to shell out the ~$200 for a parking permit (walking/biking/bussing there instead of driving).

-She needs to find a job in the Bay Area. She’s worked as a bartender before, so I suggested she apply at the many bars/ultralounges in downtown San Jose. It needs to pay enough for her to cover her half of the expenses.

-I need to find another job on top of the one I am working. This is kind of complicated; I was hoping to work as a substitute teacher and continue to work at the after-school tutoring center I’m currently working at. However, because of schedule rearrangements, it’s looking like I can’t do both. So I’ll either have to give up my current job altogether and find something else (something I’m not thrilled about) or find a job I can work that works around my current job schedule.

-She needs to get financial aid for school, be it either scholorships or (most likely) student loans.

Right now so many things are up in the air it is absolutely killing me. Its hard applying for a job when you can’t even start working until months later (in her case). Ditto for finding an apartment. If I had a full-time job right now, or she was guaranteed a job when she moved down here, I might be a little more at ease. But so much depends on what amounts to plain dumb luck that it is really stressing me out. We want to move this January, but if she can’t find a job/financial aid/living space, it’s not going to happen.

I should be happy right now, since things are still easy enough for me to save up as much money as I can; if something happens (unemployment/accident/etc) I’m not so screwed I’m homeless. But I guess it is looking at all the challenges, all the unknowns, that really bother me. How is she going to find a job/financial aid/etc? How am I going to find an apartment/new job/etc? Because I can’t plan everything out, it worries me terribly.

2

Make the best plan you can with the information you have, implement it as best you can, and stop worrying. You’ll just give yourself an ulcer. Once you’ve planned and done all you can, there is nothing to be gained from worrying. Things will work out or they won’t, and you’ll deal with it from there.

3

Has she looked into getting a job through the university? Schools often have student jobs that start when school starts. That may be a way to guarantee a job when she first starts school.

Also, if she’s looking into financial aid and/or student loans, it’s not uncommon for them to cover living expenses. What about if she applied for the loans based on her not working for at least a few months?

4

That is a good idea. Someone also suggested a temp agency, which is another good option.

Had she already finished school, this whole thing would be considerably easier (it wouldn’t be a walk in the park; after all, she’d still have to find a job) since both of us could just focus on working enough to get by.