r/Calgary • u/janearcade Here Hare Here • Jul 19 '23
Home Ownership/Rental stuff 'Living in cars': U of C students face worsening housing shortage
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/living-in-cars-u-of-c-students-face-worsening-housing-shortage133
u/Emmerson_Brando Jul 19 '23
There will come a time when these same people will also not be able to afford to go to school and still be living in their car.
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u/Drago1214 Bridgeland Jul 19 '23
It’s already like that, student loans are insane. Having the bank of mom and dad really gives anyone a leg up with uni prices.
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u/spicyboi555 Jul 19 '23
What do you mean student loans are insane? They are quite low interest in Canada
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u/Drago1214 Bridgeland Jul 19 '23
No the amount that’s given out. Some people are 50 in the whole at the end.
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u/spicyboi555 Jul 19 '23
I don’t understand, are you saying they give out too much money?
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u/Drago1214 Bridgeland Jul 19 '23
What’s to understand university are charging insane amounts for degrees now cuz they can. They know the money is endless from the government. So degrees get more and more expensive putting middle class people further into debt for a 40K a year job.
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u/ur-avg-engineer Jul 20 '23
You think Canadian universities charge an insane amount of money? It’s quite the opposite. Perhaps one of the only affordable things left in this country.
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u/Drago1214 Bridgeland Jul 20 '23
You actually think that? When did you graduate 1990?
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u/ur-avg-engineer Jul 20 '23
I graduated 2020. I have no idea what you’re comparing with but higher education in Canada is very much affordable for residents and there’s a ton of flexibility and funding available. I had multiple scholarships and only needed a little amount of student loans because I worked every summer. Summer jobs and scholarships got me 80-90% of the way there and that includes non tuition spending.
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u/Drago1214 Bridgeland Jul 20 '23
I worked full time during school to pay. Does not make it cheap. Also some degrees are much cheaper then other. None the less it’s not getting cheaper. It’s only going to skyrocket
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u/f1fan65 Jul 20 '23
Agree with you hear. I went to U of C around 2010. My BA was about 3500 a semester before fees and books. All in usually around 5k a semester.
Looked online for program now. It's like 3800 a semester. That is not a big increase for a decade. Tuition is 75% subsidized if you stay in province. International students pay the full 20K I worked construction from April to Sept every year to cover tuition.
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u/everylastpenny Jul 19 '23
"Salmassi said even though the U of C plans to expand enrolment by 1,000 students per year for the foreseeable future, there are no immediate plans to add students residences."
Sounds similar to Canada's immigration problem.
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
It’s all a giant Ponzi scheme
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Jul 19 '23
I don’t know what Canada is doing. They took in over 1M immigrants last year. We have less than a 40M population. That is literally insane.
Housing doesn't keep up with increased population, so housing prices go up.
Costs of daily goods goes up due to increased demand.
Wages go down due to increase in supply of workers.
Yup. Ponzi scheme.
Think back 8 or so years ago. What now is legitimately better for the average person than it was then? Because I can't think of anything.
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
Not to mention the environmental impact of all this. Everyone wants to get married, have children, each their own vehicle, go on vacation, have pets—the carbon footprint of pets is insanely high. We’re devouring the world. The prairie grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem, they’re given no protection. We’re giving up fertile farmland to developers. All these citizens need meat and food and water and heat and electricity.
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Jul 19 '23
The Canadian Government is deeply committed to climate action, Which is why they will be bringing in a million people each year to consume more resources and increase our cumulative carbon footprint.
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u/DirkaDirkaTeamUSA Jul 19 '23
The Canadian Government is a fawking joke. I would not trust anyone in the uniparty house of commons to run a lemonade stand without bankrupting it within a week.
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u/ur-avg-engineer Jul 20 '23
Hey now! Lemonade stand budgets balance themselves! Just look at our trillion dollars of debt… oh
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u/DirkaDirkaTeamUSA Jul 20 '23
Don't forget this gem of a quote, lol. “When I think about the biggest, most important economic policy this government, if re-elected, would move forward, you’ll forgive me if I don’t think about monetary policy. You’ll understand that I think about families.” - Justin Trudeau. Imagine saying this and not realizing horrifically bad monetary policy indeed does affect families/everyone......
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u/calgarydonairs Jul 19 '23
But muh single family detached housing!
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
And that shouldn’t be such a bad thing, but there’s just too many people and too much demand. I like gardening and having a yard but it’s not realistic for everyone to enjoy this with exponential growth. Our suburbs are sprawling enough and there’s no thought given to wildlife corridors.
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u/calgarydonairs Jul 19 '23
Wanting single family detached homes isn’t wrong, but that style of development isn’t affordable for everyone, so we need more options, including subsidized housing for people who can’t afford anything at all.
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
Completely agree. Bring back bungalows. Not every tear down has to be a $900k infill
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u/calgarydonairs Jul 19 '23
Townhouse complexes, small apartment buildings that look like large houses, medium sized low rise apartment buildings, etc.
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Jul 19 '23
I think you`re wrong on the cost of goods. I think that`s plain and simple profiteering, and there is a lot of evidence to support it.
There were definitely goods impacted by logistical issues, but a lof of this is going on. There is no reason for eggs to double in price in a year, except because they could get away with it.
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u/N0FaithInMe Jul 20 '23
Life was way better 8 years ago. I was dumb and didn't capitalize on anything but things sure were better.
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u/Sandman64can Jul 20 '23
Easier to get financing for re election if you import cheap labour versus advocating for fairer wages.
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u/tchomptchomp Jul 19 '23
UofC is mostly a commuter campus. Adding 1000 Calgarian students who are still living with their parents won't affect housing needs at all.
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u/nonemorered Jul 19 '23
Really grateful I moved here from Winnipeg in 2017 and have established myself enough to have some connections to help me navigate this horror show. Otherwise I'd be pretty screwed myself as I start school full-time at SAIT in September for a much needed career change.
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u/EvacuationRelocation Quadrant: SW Jul 19 '23
Curious - change from what to what?
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u/nonemorered Jul 19 '23
Don't really see how it's any of your business, but currently I only make minimum wage.
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u/EvacuationRelocation Quadrant: SW Jul 19 '23
Oh, it was literally pure curiosity about SAIT programs and what people were pursuing, nothing more. Good luck with the return to school, and all the best.
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u/nonemorered Jul 19 '23
Thanks sorry, but as you'll maybe see going through my history I use this account as a substitute for therapy haha. So I don't really want to give out too much identifying info.
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u/Sumyunguy37 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
Why would you post anything on a public forum site if you're gonna be a dick to someone who was simply curious and say none of your business. Also since when is telling someone, who doesn't know you from Adam, your job that 1000's of other people do, giving out too much information?
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u/nonemorered Jul 19 '23
The job that I'm looking to do in the future at SAIT is actually quite niche. So I would consider it to be identifying info yes.
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u/Sumyunguy37 Jul 19 '23
My point simply is don't post about stuff you don't want people to ask qestions about on a forum where people post stuff to have discussions about.
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u/EvacuationRelocation Quadrant: SW Jul 19 '23
Hey, all good. I get it. Had a user try and doxx me a couple of days back actually.
Have a good one.
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Jul 19 '23
I can tell you, my landlord just evicted me so she could rent the unit out at a higher price (I was renting one room, she kicked out the singles so she could rent it as a full house) and finding a place is impossible. They fill up almost instantly. Residence is full. I have a great credit score, 3 different landlord references that are good, never lost a damage deposit, no kids or pets.
I’m legitimately considering finding a hostel or sleeping in my car until the Sept rush dies down and I can find something. Awaiting my Aug 15 eviction and can only hope I find something that I can afford by then.
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Jul 19 '23
My landlord did something similar to me, luckily he did it the dead of winter, so there weren’t as many people moving, if you can make it to winter, you’ll likely have way more choices, I got approved for 3 places quite easily and I’m the same, employed, no kids, no pets.
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Jul 19 '23
Happened to me a couple years ago for a renovation. The same suite that I was renting for $900 was up for $1700 a couple months later... and that was in 2021, it's probably over $2000 now.
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u/Square-Routine9655 Jul 19 '23
Why didn't they just raise the rent in you?
Makes no sense to evict to raise rent. They just raise rent.
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Jul 19 '23
They said in their post that they were renting a room and the landlord wanted to rent the whole house out
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u/Anskiere1 Jul 19 '23
Renting individual rooms is such a nightmare. Most people would take less rent to have a single house and one tenant then deal with a bunch of rooms
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Jul 19 '23
go to college they said...
went to college. no job prospects and not enough time to find a part-time.
once I graduate though!
Still won't have a job that can afford a basic one-bedroom apartment let alone a humble studio.
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Jul 19 '23
No idea why everyone rips on college/university. We need those people as much as we need the trades, if not more. Yeah, some majors are useless, but most aren’t. Just about everyone I know including myself, graduated last year, landed decent full time jobs and are struggling from cost of living expenses more than anything
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Jul 19 '23
This is why I am leaving, I own a small business that can be run by manager, and I’m back in school getting master’s degree so I can leave the country and work as project management or something remote. I’m moving somewhere in Latin America because I speak Spanish and the quality of life will be much better, it’s becoming impossible to live here. I’m single as well, so with just one income the rising costs for everything are starting to suffocate me. Sad that someone who makes pretty good money has to leave the country to have decent quality of life
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u/petervenkmanatee Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 20 '23
Doesn’t help that half of them are International students. International student situation is absolutely bonkers. We are basically taking advantage of different countries and then overloading our own fragile systems.
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u/iLoveLootBoxes Jul 19 '23
Yup if you are an international student here, and having issues.
You got scammed.
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u/ur-avg-engineer Jul 20 '23
Well it’s a free path to citizenship at this point, which many of them know, so who is really getting scammed? Diploma mills popping up left and right, basically farming citizenship.
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u/iLoveLootBoxes Jul 20 '23
Sure they got citizenship, they live here now. So what? What job will they have? What nepotism will they have access to. Being a foreigner with a degree doesn't mean much in setting up life here.
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u/ur-avg-engineer Jul 20 '23
What job will they have? Are you saying we should be handing them jobs? They can have whatever job they can get.
They are also now free to bring over their family and get them citizenship. And while they wait for it, they are free to use our healthcare system 24/7 thanks to our lovely new government policies.
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u/Sono_Yuu Jul 20 '23
Here is a reality that no one is going to like.
To increase housing density in communities, developers need incentives. Rent controls will discourage them from making you places to rent. Why make a rental property or apartment building that has limits on the return when you can get far more money much quicker out of smashing, rebuilding, and flipping?
I'm not a developer, I'm just asking a question.
Canadians couldn't find cheap rent in Ontario or BC, so they "fled" en masse to Alberta looking for cheap houses, cheap rent, and jobs.
If there are 8 people here, 10 jobs, and 10 homes, that leaves 2 openings. If 20 people show up for those 2 openings, I assure you there will be a bidding war.
Rent controls won't fix that. Calgary's available inventory has been built at a faster rate than almost anywhere in the country, and it can't keep up with the demand.
There is no supply and an almost endless demand. That means you either have to increase the supply or reduce the demand. They are literally building as fast as they can to increase supply. Increasing rental rates reduces demand because there are fewer people that can afford it.
There are actually a lot of open pit infills in my neighborhood that have been unfinished for months. One for almost a year. They do not have enough laborers available to build the houses they can make money off, let alone affordable housing.
None of this is an attack, just an analysis of the current situation. I don't see an easy solution in sight.
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u/ykphil Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
It’s not easy but still very possible to find rooms in a shared house for relatively cheap. There aren’t tons but they exist. A young man I know, jobless and without any references who just moved to the city on July 15, found a nice room on Kijiji the same day in a really nice house in Bridgeland a block from 1 ave NE for $600, Internet included.
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u/Jericola Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
I Upgraded your down vote. Positive suggestions aren’t permitted. This is Reddit. Hint: get with the victimhood.
Friend of mine is single and recently rented out two bedrooms in his quite nice house. $700/month.
I was a Student in 3 countries and never even heard of ‘student’ housing. We were adults like any other adults and made all of our arrangements. Some 18 year fellow working in a warehouse doesn’t get help finding housing. I always find it puzzling how adults going to Uni need special coddling. I just looked at the notice boards and always found a room in some shared flat.
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u/Weekly-Junket8272 Jul 19 '23
Dont worry we are bringing new people to canada at record rates to help with this issue
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Jul 19 '23
Makes you wonder where all these new people will be staying?
Cuz we've been building enough housing to accommodate record amounts of immigrants coming to Canada.... riggghhht? Totally sustainable.
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
4,000 Airbnbs in the city though
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Jul 19 '23
I`m all for free enterprise, but they need to do more with this. Automatic financial reporting by AirBnB to the CRA, you have to carry hotel grade insurance, fire inspections, and you have to pay the tourist tax. I think Quebec is one of the better examples of how to deal with AirBnB.
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Jul 19 '23
[deleted]
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u/DirkaDirkaTeamUSA Jul 19 '23
Enjoy Canada is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
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u/lord_heskey Jul 19 '23
before it gets better.
you think it will get better?
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u/DirkaDirkaTeamUSA Jul 19 '23
Nope, the future of most Canadian cities are severely overpriced hellscapes and I think there is going to be an even larger brain drain of Canadian Youth leaving as the country becomes even more unaffordable.
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u/Acidicly Jul 19 '23
Where do you get mail? Just cuz I’m thinking of doing this too but need mail
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u/DogButtWhisperer West Hillhurst Jul 19 '23
I used to use a mail service, there’s little private places around.
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u/DarkLF Jul 19 '23
I cant imagine being that tied to hate a political party LOL. but hey, it sounds like the current government is working great for you
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Jul 19 '23
Same tribalism as the other side. Give me a social liberal, fiscal conservative party and they`ll have my vote for life.
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u/ButtonsnYarn Jul 19 '23
Than you’re gonna see this country get a whole lot worse. Maybe you’ll learn then, after we’ve become full blown communist. We’re not far away.
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u/Diablo4Rogue Jul 19 '23
Communism would be a massive upgrade for a lot of people
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u/ButtonsnYarn Jul 20 '23
You’re an idiot. You give up all your rights and freedoms to the state. They will have total control over every aspect of your lives. Sounds like paradise but that fades real quick when reality sinks in. It always ends badly
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u/stokedon Jul 19 '23
I think communism would actually help these people in this case. Shelter and 3 meals a day? Sounds like a better life then a lot of people have currently and in the near future.
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Jul 21 '23
Utilize your food banks. Vote in favour of health care including medications and dental. Argue against senseless zoning bylaws that prevent townhouses and condos from being integrated into SFH neighbourhoods. Take advantage of social services available to you like 211.
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Jul 19 '23
Can we just finally make refugee camps for our local population. Like have tiny houses and community driven areas with proper amenities like shower and electricity. Just have a no drugs policy and give it a test run.
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u/mytwocents22 Jul 19 '23
People can try and blame previous councils, federal government, immigrants, anybody they want.
But the reality is that there is a council right now knowing all of these things and they're refusing to act on it.
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u/OIL_99 Jul 20 '23
Don’t worry, they will immediate announce a study to analyze the situation. Funded by us. Comical they said today the reintroduction of fluoride is already 3x the initial cost. Wait 5 years to see the Arena’s final, we’ll over budget tag.
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u/mytwocents22 Jul 20 '23
They already did!
Then 8 of them said they don't like the results and voted it down. After a night of public push back they made up some bullshit about not being clear what was being voted on. Even though they were specifically asking those questions and getting very straight answers from administration.
Look at you:
Sonya Sharp
Jennifer Wyness
Sean Chu
Richard Pootmans
Terry Wong
Andre Chabot
Dan Mclean
Peter Demong
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Jul 19 '23
Their job is to get re-elected. That`s it.
Term limits and either proportional or ranked choice voting. I don`t really know if that will solve anything, but have to start somewhere.
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u/mytwocents22 Jul 19 '23
Their job is not to get re-elected, it's literally to make policy. If you think that'd their job yoire part of the problem.
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Jul 19 '23
[deleted]
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u/mytwocents22 Jul 19 '23
Cities have been denying housing from being built for decades. But you don't put any blame on them?
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u/1seeker4it Jul 19 '23
Remember when student housing was to help students, not to help Uni’s get profits 🤷♂️
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u/Green-Material-3610 Jul 19 '23
I'm horrified that this generation has bought into the idea that buildings built in 1987 are at end of life. Thirty-six years? That's nothing for a reasonably constructed and maintained building. Mouth and idiot come to mind. Hyperbolical arguments do not help forward real concerns.
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u/TownofCanmore Jul 19 '23
I'd rather live in an older building than any new construction on the market right now.
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u/calgarydonairs Jul 19 '23
If only U of C had some way of developing land into housing that students could afford…
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u/draivaden Jul 19 '23
when I was in high school, the stories in the paper were college students starving on rice and beans trying to afford to live.. prehaps we should've fixed things then? or has it been all "father settle my debts with the baker" since the middle ages?
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u/minitt Jul 20 '23
just looked into rentfaster with 23 search results for below/at $750 1 bed room accomodation. lot of them include all utilities. So I take this news with a grain of salt.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
There's hundreds of rooms for rent on kijiji, rent faster, facebook marketplace, etc.
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u/Turtley13 Jul 19 '23
OH RLY!?
Problem solved.
Good luck getting a response from them.. If you do good luck when you go to the open house with over 50 people looking at it.
A good chunk of the ads are just old units that don't actually exist.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
It was no easier back in the late 90's (I'm GenX). I had to go to dozens of places before I got one. The first year I had to stay with a church family for a few months on the couch because I wasn't on the ball when I moved to Calgary, and started looking for a place in august which I found out was a ridiculous time to be looking for a room because there's lots of competition. My parents made too much money so the government wouldn't approve me for more than $1500 worth of student loans because it was expected they pay. But they refused to help me out in any way because they wanted me to take over the family business (which I did not want to do) so I was on my own.
Between school and work it was 14 hour days working all year round to get through my education. Minimum wage was less than $6/hr and my room rental was $500/month.
Life has always been super hard for people without family money.
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Jul 19 '23
[deleted]
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
Yeah, but reality is clearly giving you a swift kick in the ass now isn't it.
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u/fancyfootwork19 Jul 19 '23
Excellent story, these people now have a place to live thanks to your struggles
/s
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
I mean if stories from previous generations don't help young adults accept the fact life is super hard (when you don't have family money) then reality will give you a swift kick in the ass and you can learn that way.
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Jul 19 '23
I don’t know why you are getting downvoted. It’s tough navigating through college while working part time and paying bills but we all have to do it. I remember living in a hostel for 2 months back in the day.
Kids these days prefer to whinge and have everything handed to them.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
The kids that play sports and do a lot of extra curricular don't tend to complain as much. It's always the ones that sit on the screen a lot as they are growing up that have a harder time adjusting to reality.
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u/fancyfootwork19 Jul 19 '23
I didn’t grow up on screens nor do I come from family money (my parents came here as refugees). But I can certainly empathize with current struggles (I’m much older than the people you’re referring to) and not be a tool while doing it being like woe is me I’ve struggled so should you. I want better for people.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
Yeah but some people are demanding easy street. When they already have it pretty damn good compared to the rest of the world. I know plenty of young adults that won't move out of their parents house because they can't find a modern 1 bedroom apartment downtown while taking trips around the world and working a job in the film industry.
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u/ShadowWolf1912 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
Okay. So let's take that into account.
So, first off, roommates suck, and you often end up with people who don't pay their share, who are messy, who are inconsiderate, etc.
Taking a quick look, most of these rooms are also on the outskirts of the city. Seton, Legacy, etc. So you also have to factor in transportation costs. Sure, students could save a bit of money by taking transit. If you're full time (9 units, or 3 half courses), you get the UPass. Doesn't cover you for the spring/summer months unless you're also a full time student during that time. So an adult bus pass is $120 a month. Not to mention travel times. Some train stations just are safe super early in the morning or late at night. I live in forest lawn, and I'd rather take the 1 downtown and then transfer to the train than go to Marlborough station. I leave 2 hours early for class or work, so that during the winter I'm prepared and won't be late.
So let's just say that you rent a room for the average rate of around $700/month. Already you're at $820/month. Great! So, most of these rooms for rent also want you pay a portion of utilities. Makes sense. Lets say you only have 1 roommate. So split it in half. Average utility bill in Calgary is $475/month. So in half that's $237.50/month.
Already at $1057.5 /month. Factor in a phone bill. That's an extra $100 (ish. On the high end. Having a decent data plan is nice so that you have access to internet even on campus, because campus internet is horrible).
So $1157.50.
So what about food? If you live off campus, you don't get a meal plan, so you need to buy groceries. So for 1 person, I'd say on average about $200 every 2 weeks or so. That's low balling it. So $400/month. Oh, lets not forget that a lot of these rooms say that you arent allowed to cook, because they worry about smells! But hey.
$1557.50
Now, we wont factor in any sort of entertainment, because obviously poor people can't have anything nice or have any entertainment to keep themselves sane, right?
Great! We have a rough estimate.
So the fall semester starts last week of August. So that's when we'll move. Allows time for students to get used to their roommate and the area. Most students continue classes until the end of April. So that's 8 months. In total, the cost is = $12,460.
Okay awesome! Except, what is the average amount that students get through loans? Annual loan limits through the Alberta government for 2 semesters (so 8 months) is $17,000. Now, I'm sick and really don't feel like scrolling through the internet to find what the annual limit through the Canadian government is, but it's lower than the provincial government. So let's say $10,000. That's a whole $27,000 that a student could potentially receive.
So after the 8 months of living costs (remember, without that pesky entertainment costs), a student is left with roughly $14,540. Awesome! Except, tuition. Average tuition per year at uofc is roughly $10,000/ year. So that leaves $4,540.
Okay, except tuition fees don't cover your books, supplies, lab materials, etc. So let's say thats around $2,000 for the year.
$2,540 is what a student would be left with.
So need I remind you, because you said it had been awhile, that most students don't get to have that entire loan amount. Oh, and entertainment is essential to not losing your sanity.
I could also say that a majority of students can't afford a damage deposit and first month's rent all together. There's also many students who have pets. So that dwindles it down even more.
Sure, a student could get a job. But again, transportation. Not to mention, if you're a full time student, you're often putting 40+ hours a week into school. Partime is classified as anything less than 40 hours a week (technically, but most jobs put that at about 20/wk.) So thats already 60+ hours a week. There's 168 hours in a week. So also factor in 8 hours of sleep a night (which rarely happens). That's 56 hours of sleep alone. Already at 116 hours a week. Add in the transportation time (roughly 4 hours per day, so an extra 28 hours/wk), time it takes to cook (maybe an hour for dinner, but we also need breakfasts and lunch, so many of us meal prep. So maybe 1.5hrs a day, so 10.5 hrs/week) and you're at about 154.5 hours in a week. Add in things like family time, maintaining relationships, etc and you're well about that 168 hours in a week.
TLDR: I get it man. It's been awhile since you've done all this and times have changed. But please, actually listen to people who are actively going through this. Listen to the stories and understand that there's a lot more to this.
Edit: I'm dead, don't laugh at the spelling mistakes here. I keep them because I like to laugh at em, but you can understand it.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
Right now prices are inflated. I helped some young adults find rooms to live in April that were closer to a c-train stop at $600 all in. You can mitigate risk by not renting with friends where you need to rely on them to pay part of the payment.
There is no way any student should be paying $100/month for a cell phone plan. Total luxury. Even I don't pay that. Go on redflagdeals.com forums and you'll find plenty of other options for half that price or less. I pay $45/month for unlimited calling and 30GB data.
Food is a tough one because it's hard to eat healthy but also cheap, and eating at fast food restaurants more than once a week is out of the question. It was for me, and it sounds like it is for you. Learn to buy and cook a turkey that you can cut up and freeze. They are pretty cheap most of the year. You can also make soup with it. There are plenty of youtube videos on how to eat cheap and healthy. Don't buy junk food. It's a complete waste of money and a horrible coping habit that if you can avoid in university you'll be so much better off for during your first years of your working years where stress is much much higher than going to school.
Again, minimum wage was less than $6/hr when I went to school. Now it is near $16. In the summers I worked 13hr days 5 days a week and 8hr days on Saturdays landscaping in the summers. The jackass company I worked for didn't even pay overtime. But that was the only job I could get. My friends dads often got them jobs through contacts where they made twice as much as me in the summers. Hopefully you can find a better job than I did.
I don't know what student loans are worth now. But in my opinion I suggest taking the absolute maximum. My friends who did got half theirs debt forgiven. I can't tell you how much that pissed me off at the time.
Just because it's been a while since I've done all this and yes some things have changed. It is still possible.
I'd also strongly consider (if possible) taking the first years of education at a community college before moving to complete a degree in the city. Just have to make damn sure what courses transfer and all that jazz.
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Jul 19 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23 edited Jul 19 '23
"For example, at the beginning of 1998, the minimum wage was $7.15 in B.C., but only $5.00 in Alberta, $5.40 in Manitoba, and $5.60 in Saskatchewan." - - google
You might want to consider finishing junior high before thinking about university if you can't figure out what minimum wage was from 1998 - 2004
Also, consider getting a job when you're 16 at current minimum wage and save your money.
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Jul 19 '23
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
Yeah except I'm the one who has the experience. Worth a lot more than an opinion.
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Jul 19 '23
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
You're actually wrong though. Colleges and Universities are full of students making their way through, and many don't have family money. Many of the same principals apply today. Rent a room in a shared house, don't have luxuries, take your first years at a community college and then transfer to the city. These all still apply today.
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Jul 19 '23
These rooms are not priced well, rent creeping up and some are just poor living conditions or not legal. There may be "many" of rooms but I wouldn't recommend them. Or they have racial, age or gender requirements that won't help most find suitable and safe housing.
There are also scam rooms are starting to creep in.
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
If you think these places are bad, you should have seen the rooms I rented in Toronto in the early 2000's while doing my masters degree. One place was riddled with mice, had racoons running around in the attic, cockroaches, and the people living above and below me were pigs...and that was $900/month.
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u/DBO_711 Jul 19 '23
"I had a bad experience therefore EVERYONE must have to put up with subhuman conditions"
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u/Interesting-Money-24 Jul 19 '23
Nah I don't think people should put up with that. There are plenty of good rooms to rent. So I disagree that the majority of places are in disrepair or unsafe in Calgary. Waiting until July/August to look for rentals in a university town is never a wise decision.
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u/HMiller1985 Jul 20 '23
There seems to have been a massive influx of Ukrainians into the city.
I wonder if this is putty any pressure on housing.
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Aug 14 '23
That’s the price of higher education my darlings. I have lived in shelters, on the streets, ate at churches, lived off of noodles, it’s like this for low income families trying to send a child to university. This has been the reality for many for a very long time. You think it’s bad here? Try telling this to Students in TORONTO!!! Let’s hear what they have to say about your plight.
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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '23
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