financial aid and rants and raves

It's December 23rd, and this post is proving difficult to write. Just the idea of compressing 2013 into a single blog post is daunting to the point I may get this post finished in March. Add to this the events of the year, and the date could get pushed back to August. Nevertheless, I have to try. So where to begin? Well, the better question to ask is how to begin. In Chile, Jim Rickards stated that when he tackles a complex problem with incomplete information, he gets one thing correct, and builds from there. I paid a lot of money for that advice; let's use it.

So what is that one correct thing? Conquering fears, with three main examples. The year began with another endless internal debate as to whether or not I should do something radical to get myself closer to my stated goals. I was staring at a $1500 fee to travel to Santiago, Chile, and I didn't know what to do. I'd hoped it would have been worthwhile, but I wasn't sure. My delay cost me; at first, the seminar sold out. I was crestfallen, disappointed that my fear got the best of me again. Well, we know that didn't happen, and I took the plunge.

The trip was, of course, amazing. My mind was opened in ways I could never have expected, and I was so beyond proud of myself for going, despite all the naysayers. I was also really glad I returned home. There was the opportunity to stay in Chile and teach English, but it meant disrupting my life in way I wasn't quite ready to do. The trip also revealed to me something about myself that was painful to learn, but I'm stepping on that final entry about the trip. One of these days I'll have to finish that story, but until then, I'll only say it may have been one of the greatest trips I've ever taken.

Continuing with the theme of overcoming fear, the next hurdle I cleared was the TESOL program. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there wasn't one facet of the program that didn't scare me shitless. From asking permission to retake the program, to going to class, to what derailed me the last time: standing in front of a class and teaching. The latter alone nearly sent me into blind panic. Merely blaming fear is a little too narrow for the flame-out of 2011; I had serious personal issues that had been addressed prior to my re-entry into the program. Also not mentioned was the fact of my backpack getting stolen, with the text books inside. The class was free, but the books were $250 (again...), and I couldn't work overtime, which was another $1000 for the summer, gone. The class itself is a tremendous amount of work, and there were so many times over the summer I just wanted to quit. I'm so glad I didn't. I'll never forget spending all of the 4th of July weekend staring at my laptop in the Warrensburg McDonald's, plugged into the WiFi and the wall. I caught some side-eye over that from the employees and my brother, but it was well worth the attitude. The ultimate irony of the class was losing Pennsic, where for the first time since 1993, I had the full 17 days off, but couldn't attend due to student teaching.

Now, the question remains as to whether all that work was worth it, on both counts. Examining them as an opportunity for personal growth and getting so far out of my comfort zone I needed a passport, the answer is an unqualified yes. Both brought me so much more than I could have guessed. The trip opened my eyes to a whole new world, and it revealed an ugly truth about myself. The class showed me not only that I was good at teaching, but that I'd love doing it. I had no clue.

Examining both endeavors as means to an end rather than ends unto themselves is another matter. The trip, while very important, did not allow for me to do anything right away. Honestly, aside from a few blog posts, I haven't done anything. More on that later. The class should have had a direct cause and effect relationship, but it did not. My fear (better described as a sense of personal inadequacy), may have gotten the best of me when it came to actually being able to teach. I have yet to secure a class, and I'm not sure if it will happen. There's a small window of opportunity every term to get a class, and the Fall window closed. Of all the things I should have known better than anyone of my classmates, it was this fact, but the fear and procrastination paralyzed me. I can rewrite someone's resume in a few minutes, but it took me days. I also didn't get a teaching assignment at the smaller schools, which makes me wonder if something larger isn't afoot. I have no evidence, so let's move on for now.

The final example is my romantic life. There were a few small successes, and my fear of talking to women has diminished. I had a few dates, a few flings, and otherwise was better around women than I've ever been. This does not mean I see the Matrix, as per Neil Strauss, but I'm headed in that general direction. I'll take it.  It is worth noting I'm unattached at the moment, but that's OK. I have a bear of a registration period coming up, and no time for dating anyway.

In the areas of finance, I spent 2013 lamenting my choice in cars for the better part of the year. I purchased a 2008 Toyota minivan in November of 2012, and that was an awful, stupid, impulsive choice that killed my budget. The mileage was terrible; the maintenance was terrible, and the insurance cost was terrible. I did like the heated seats. It was having some electrical problems in October, which should not have happened in a 5 year old car, so I traded it in at a $2000 loss and bought a newer Corolla with excellent mileage, smaller insurance payments, and much lower repair bills. The Sienna was a nasty mistake, and I'm glad it's corrected.

From a larger perspective, I've been playing catch-up for some time. While Chile and the TESOL class were terrific, they were also fairly expensive, either in price or lost wages. Add to that the cost of the minivan, and I wasn't able to eliminate anywhere close to the debt I thought I would. Actually, dipping into 2012, I'm in worse shape than I was 18 months ago. Righting the fiscal ship is one of the priorities of 2014, but let's not get ahead of myself.

Finally, there's my health. While there hasn't been a significant improvement,nothing's gotten worse. My eight is still too high, but much better than 2 years ago. My teeth are also mu8ch better, and I avoided any needing dental work for the first time in a long time. I'll take it. Thus concluded, on December 27th, my year in review. Next up: plans for 2014.

Why does none of the prior post apply to me?

I have a wasteful, borderline extravagant, lifestyle, and any changes that ameliorate my financial difficulties are worth exploring. As such, moving Upstate to work at a SUNY or community college should be investigated, right?

Not so fast. The only facet of my life that isn't expensive is my housing. True, I despise my co-op, but at least it's cheap. I pay $825 a month between my mortgage and maintenance, and I get some of that back via tax rebates. After that, I pay $600 a month.

Otherwise, my costs are mostly fixed. I'd have a nicer place, but I'd pay the same per month without the tax benefit. I'd save money on things like car insurance, gas, and possibly my commute, but I'd lose in other areas. Food would be more expensive in Plattsburgh, since there is neither a BJ's nor a Costco.  Niagara/Buffalo has a BJ's in Amherst. Another consideration is utilities. Obviously, the winters are much colder in either location, and my heat is included down here. Would that be the case elsewhere? Probably not.

As usual, I'm writing in circles around the real reason for moving. I love traveling to Canada, and my area is deadly boring. Yes, I'm close to New York City, but I almost never find myself there. As such, knowing my proclivities towards Cuban cigars and casinos, perhaps it's for the best that Montreal or Niagara Falls or only an occasional diversion.  This line of reasoning has go far enough to the point I'm sick of even thinking about it. Time for a new topic.

Everything looks cheaper when you live in Westchester.

In my previous post, I talked about looking at the other state schools here in New York, but I glossed over the monetary considerations. Westchester is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, with a rating of 154.3. 100 is the average. An impressive (or sickening?) stat to be sure, but what does that mean? Gas, food, medical care, and the like are fairly even throughout my home area, and if you spring for a Costco or BJ's membership, your costs are a little lower. The key variant is housing. You can find a two-bedroom in Peekskill for $650 a month, or for $2500. In my hometown of Mamaroneck, you can rent a 2br condo for $6000! This isn't a misprint; it's in a very rich section called Orienta. The cheapest 2br is a $1550 place in what's called the Flats, prone to flooding and not the nicest section of town - to put it mildly. The apartment itself wasn't bad, but could have used fresh paint.

In both locales you get what you pay for. The Peekskill apartments are night and day. The $650 place is in horrible condition in a drug filled part of town, and the most expensive place is in a huge subdivision with a pool, clubhouse, etc. Mamaroneck has a similar variance, though the low end isn't nearly as bad. The Orienta condo is stunning, with peacock granite countertops, backyard, sauna, security; I could go on. The Flats apartment actually isn't terrible, but the geography of Mamaroneck makes it a little risky. We call it the Flats because it's in a basin between the Sheldrake and Mamaroneck rivers, and is really prone to flooding. There is one advantage the Flats apartment has over Orienta; the train station is 3 blocks away as opposed to 2 miles. I've never commuted to the city, but that would make a difference in my eyes.

There are other costs that should be included when comparing these towns. As alluded above. the next major factor is commuting. Gas prices are very high in the New York City area, as we get the most expensive blends in winter and summer, and the taxes are among the highest in the nation. Therefore, if you drive a lot, your costs are much higher. Keep that in mind when choosing Peekskill over Mamaroneck. Let's say you work in White Plains. It's 6.1 miles to downtown, where all the corporations are. Our Peekskill example is 27.6 miles away. Moreover, you can take Mamaroneck Ave. directly to White Plains, avoiding all the highways and parkways that drive me insane on a daily basis. Peekskill requires a traversing a daily gauntlet on 9A. Not including wear and tear, the cost of such drives are as follows: (this assumes a combination of city and highway mileage, as both routes have some stop and go driving throughout, and we'll use my Corolla as the vehicle) 6.1 miles at 30 miles per gallon equals 0.2 gallons, while Peekskill is .92 gallons. At $3.60 a gallon, the costs are $2.88 and 6.62 a day, respectively. Working 49 weeks a year, that's $705 versus $1622, or a savings of $76 per month. If you take the train to Manhattan, the stations will cost more if they're father away. Peekskill is $343 a month, not including parking; add another 30 per month. Mamaroneck is $249. If you live in the Flats, you don't pay for parking at the station, as you can walk to the train instead.

Lost in all of this is quality of life. Here we have a trade-off. Using either commute, Peekskill is a much worse situation. On the other hand, you have a much nicer place to live. I looked for Mamaroneck rentals at a similar price to the Peekskill 2br at $2,500. Some were close in price, and in nice buildings and areas, but none had the amenities.

Now, lets look at Niagara Falls and Plattsburg. I don't know the good versus bad areas, since I don't live there. Plattsburgh doesn't give us much to go on. There was only one listing, but it was a nice 2br at $995 a month in the center of town, such as that is. Niagara is a much larger city, and there were many listings. All were in the city itself, but the Community College isn't actually in Niagara Falls, NY; it's located in Sanborn to the east. The rents were quite low, anywhere from 500 to 750, but they weren't that good. Upstate/Western New York has an glut of housing due to the population drain mentioned in my last post, so no one is building the nice places available here in Westchester.

I know many people who give the cost of living as a reason for leaving the area, but what's ignored is the pay. Everything is relative, as the lower costs are driven by lower salaries. This doesn't apply as much to me, and this is where things get a bit wonky. The SUNY system pays well, as do all public sector jobs in New York. If it's a small college town, the professors and administrators may be the best paid residents, which is actually a symptom of the larger problem I've been writing about since I started this blog.

Getting good information to compare salaries and unemployment seems to be hard to find, and financial aid jobs all but impossible to accurately quantify. As such, I am forced to use anecdotal evidence. Tompkins County Community College (Stylized as TC3), is looking for a director, with a salary of 82,000 per annum. Not bad for Westchester, but great for Ithaca or Cortland, the two largest towns equidistant between the school.

The roughly equivalent salary here in my area is $114,000! This is a huge difference, and the director of financial at SUNY Purchase probably makes less the $82,000 offered at TC3. Wow. So long as you're willing to live Upstate, working for the local SUNY or Community College affords you a great quality of life, if you can handle the winters.

Part 2 coming up.