u/MeatyLeftnut

Hello am moving from Maryland to MA for work. Am going to work at the Air Force base in Hanscom so I’m looking to rent a studio that is MAX $2000 preferably under and a short commute to work and Boston as-well.

Waltham popped up as a nice city to live in for a new grad like me and the fact it’s close to work and Boston.

The job will pay me 80k and I do have close to $7k saved up from internships and a relocation bonus. I have found studios under $2k .

Am wondering if those studios are good places to live in or if anything is fishy? Will Waltham give me for what am looking for or will I be disappointed? Also if not Waltham is there any places in MA that are affordable on my salary and still being a good city to live in for a new grad ?

Hello, I am moving to a different state for a new job out of college.

I will be earning a salary of 80k and heard online that rent should be 30% of your income. So for me, it should be $2000 max, and I would ideally like it lower.

I am hunting apartments and studios for the first time and was wondering if 30% includes the housing costs like electricity, wifi, gas, parking, etc. Some apartment complexes come with that stuff, and some don't.

Am trying to save as much money as possible, so when weighing my options am trying to see if the $2050 studio with some utilities included is compared to the $1750 studio when all utility costs are separate.

I'd appreciate any advice. I will say this role is not forever(Gov contract role), and once it ends am planning to move back with my parents.

Salam so I’ve been watching the World Cup games and have been getting fomo from people sports betting on it. So I opened an app I think it’s called Bet365 or draft Kings whatever so it was like if you deposit $5 they give you $200 in bonus bets.

In my head I assumed it was halal because it”s not my $200 , it’s the companies that gave it to me. So anyways I used that money to bet on a team and the team won and I got over $100 in profit.

So the next day I head to the grocery store and get ready for the mosque and when I get to leave I can’t find my AirPods 4”s which ironically are $100 right now.

Am getting frustrated looking for it and thinking am so stupid for losing it. Then I realize it might be a sign from Allah telling me to stop. All that profit I made is gone because I have to get new ones.

So I am a recent grad from the DMV.  I got an offer from a recruiter who knew me to reach out for a role that would sponsor a security clearance. It's a hybrid, although the location is 8 hours away in Massachusetts. It's a cloud infrastructure role and skill/career-wise, it sounds good for me since I'm an IS grad.

The thing is, I would have to move and pay rent each month. I am getting interviews for other tech jobs, with some asking for public trust as well. I haven't got any other offers yet, but now I've been aggressively applying, tailoring my resume, and I've at least gotten a couple of interviews.

Am thinking if it's possible for me to decline that clearance role, maybe get a role that asks for public trust, and from there apply to places that would sponsor a clearance near me. I do have internship experience, so I am thinking I can get a job closer to me, but then again, the job market sucks right now.

Would I be lowkey stupid if I did not take this offer? Or would I be able to find something closer ot me?

Hello so am an upcoming grad from the DMV. I got a recruiter who knew me to reach out for an interview about a role that would sponsor a security clearance. It's a hybrid, although the location is a couple of states away. It's a cloud infrastructure role and skill/career-wise, it sounds good for me since I'm an IS grad.

The thing is am several states away from it. Relocation assistance is not guaranteed to. It's on the East Coast in MA, so it's not too boring up there. I am getting interviews for other tech jobs, with some asking for public trust as well. I haven't got an offer yet, but now I've been aggressively applying, tailoring my resume, and I've at least gotten a couple of interviews.

Am thinking if it's possible for me to decline that clearance role, maybe get a role that asks for public trust, and from there apply to places that would sponsor a clearance near me. I do have internship experience that spans over a year, so I am thinking maybe I can secure an offer close to me, despite how bad the job market is, but then again, it's really hard.

Should I tell the recruiter I won't be able to pursue the job because of the location, or am I lowkey stupid if I rejected the chance?

Hello, so basically the FBI on their job postings asks applicants if they have consumed marijuana within 1 year of their application, so if I applied today, then any weed use from today to last year. The thing is, I have only done it twice, and that was 8 months ago for a weed edible. Other than that, I have not done it at all. I don't even drink alcohol or do any other drugs. Basically am wondering if I should be truthful on the FBI job application because I am worried it will automatically disqualify me because of that.

I heard of people being honest about their use and still getting a clearance. I believe I don't seem like the type to keep doing it as well, and it was a one-time thing.

Hello, so I got an interview for an IT support role working in a federal lab with IBM.

From what I understand from the job role, It's focused on IT support, working with Windows/Linux/macOS systems, troubleshooting, and supporting specialized/scientific equipment.

For reference am going to graduate soon with an Information Systems degree. I had a system administrator internship, so I worked with IT support and monitoring tools like Grafana, VMware, and Linux. Then, right now I have this remote End User Support internship since September 2025 with a health non-profit, so a lot of Microsoft tools like Intune, Entra, Exchange Admin Center, etc.

Basically am wondering what to expect. This is honestly my 2nd full time interview. I had internship interviews before, so I understand things like when they say tell me about yourself, don't say your hobbies(like I did before god), just professional stuff, ask good questions at the end, and be confident.

So basically am asking on behalf of my 2-day ones. One is graduating Comp Sci from a state school with zero internships and 0 work experience. Another is graduating from an online university in Cybersecurity with zero internships, though he has worked at the front desk for hospitals and dentists' offices during his time studying.

To be blunt, it is sort of their fault that one has a doomer mindset like "oh, I probably wouldn't even get an internship," so he didn't apply to that much. The other was focusing on working full-time at first, then realized kinda late that a degree doesn't guarantee you a job. I did give them advice during junior year.

But basically, I'm imagining a life after college with them and was wondering about it. Do they have a chance at an entry-level help desk? Or maybe something like Micro Center and Best Buy? They both did seem to study and learn the material during school.

Hello, so basically, all the way in January, I applied for a new grad role at some gov tech company. I got to the phone screen, and we chatted bout the usual stuff like why do you want ot work here, are you okay with this salary and this location, and what's your experience in these tools, etc....

So she said she'll send the resume to the hiring manager, and they will decide. To be honest, my resume was more IT support-focused, so I'm not surprised I didn't move forward. Though the recruiter reached out after I sent a follow up that, they've moved on with someone else, but they would love for me to pursue future opportunities and to keep in touch.

Would it be appropriate to send her my updated resume and to be considered for similar opportunities? It's been 4 months, but I have gained more relevant experience in my current Internship since then, and the job is still getting reposted on LinkedIn. Also, my workday application still says interview, so I might still be in the system, perhaps?

Hello, so basically, all the way in January, I applied for a new grad role at some gov tech company. I got to the phone screen, and we chatted bout the usual stuff like why do you want ot work here, are you okay with this salary and this location, and what's your experience in these tools, etc....

So she said she'll send the resume to the hiring manager, and they will decide. To be honest, my resume was more IT support-focused, so I'm not surprised I didn't move forward. Though the recruiter reached out after I sent a follow up that, they've moved on with someone else, but they would love for me to pursue future opportunities and to keep in touch.

Would it be appropriate to send her my updated resume and to be considered for similar opportunities? It's been 4 months, but I have gained more relevant experience in my current Internship since then, and the job is still getting reposted on LinkedIn. Also, my workday application still says interview, so I might still be in the system, perhaps?

Hello, so basically, all the way in January, I applied for a new grad role at some gov tech company. I got to the phone screen, and we chatted bout the usual stuff like why do you want ot work here, are you okay with this salary and this location, and what's your experience in these tools, etc....

So she said she'll send the resume to the hiring manager, and they will decide. To be honest, my resume was more IT support-focused, so I'm not surprised I didn't move forward. Though the recruiter reached out after I sent a follow up that, they've moved on with someone else, but they would love for me to pursue future opportunities and to keep in touch.

Would it be appropriate to send her my updated resume and to be considered for similar opportunities? It's been 4 months, but I have gained more relevant experience in my current Internship since then, and the job is still getting reposted on LinkedIn. Also, my workday application still says interview, so I might still be in the system, perhaps?