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Writer's pictureJ. Ashley Cooper

Did I Fumble the Bag?

Updated: Apr 18, 2022

The truth behind the money... 🤑

Making thousands of dollars may sound good, but how much of that is actually going into YOUR pocket? After bills and expenses what are you really making?

Before moving to South Korea I compared my offer to teach in Gunsan to my offer to work as an engineer in Delaware. After factoring in everything from taxes, groceries, savings and insurance I realized there wasn't that much of a difference. Only a couple hundred dollars.

Okay, so boom. I didn't have a car in Korea so I wasn't paying for any gas, regular maintenance or insurance. That's thousands of dollars right there. If I was living in the States I would most likely need a car to get to work, run errands, etc. Getting a car is something that most people need do, but there are a lot of expenses associated with it.

On top of the money I was able to save, my health improved as well. Not having a car forced me to walk more. Sure, I could've taken taxis everywhere or public transportation, but my city wasn't that big so walking wasn't a problem. I walked to work, the grocery store, the mall, social outings, to the bus station, and everywhere in between. I quickly became more active, lost weight, and became healthier overall. Not having a car may seem like an inconvenience, but, for me, it was the change I needed to develop a healthier lifestyle for myself.

On top of all that, my only expenses is Korea were my utilities. In South Korea, English Teachers are given housing or a housing stipend. That means you're living there RENT FREE. There's no catch. No red tape. No hidden surprises. A completely free apartment while you work as an English teacher.

As far as feeding myself, a cheap take out meal could literally last me a couple meals. If I was living in the States I definitely would not be eating out on a daily basis like I did there. I didn't really cook much of anything except breakfast so my groceries were only about $20 a week (fruit is expensive here 😭). The lower cost of living and affordability allowed me to save a lot of money without having to sacrifice anything at all. I missed no meals.

So picture this. You get to do a job you love, travel and live in a different country. You learn languages, try new food & meet new people. Definitely worth the couple hundred dollars a month. Engineering is a pretty good thing to fall back on too. Bag secured.




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Unknown member
Oct 14, 2020

@CarltonBDallas Always staying protected and thank you!

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Carlton B Dallas
Apr 29, 2020

So glad to see you are wearing your mask! Stay Safe and Healthy Cuz...you analyzed and chose well. Reach out to some engineering companies there to explore their insights who knows what connection might be made. Lastly I attended a course at Cornell back in the 90s with a South Korean, I'll see if I still have the contact information from that course; if so I'll forward it to you, just in case he's still living and working there.

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