$25,000 a year, Received first paycheck. I'll start bitcoin and let time do the work. RANT.

Got my first paycheck Friday last week, spent the whole weekend thinking about what to do with it. It was a slog to get that job. I get $25,000 USD a year, or $481 a week. I realized it was less because apparently, employers withhold a little bit for taxes. No one ever taught me that. And it might seem stupid to some, but I felt I was betrayed learning about things and systems generally designed to financially fuck with the average person.

Got no house, living with parents. No car. $2k in debt (0% APR for a few months), since I've been attending an online college (WGU) with hopes for a better future. I shouldn't be complaining since there's other folks who have it worse. There's probably a ton of folks in my position from Generational Alpha.

Been lurking in the thread for a year now, if I had a job back then, I would have started back then. In my younger years, never would I have thought that I would feel so defeated using my first paycheck.

I don't want the newest shiny. I lived with hand me downs my entire life. I just want the feeling of safety that has eluded me this entire time. A place to rest comfortably, and maybe somebody cool to share that place with. This is another dream, out of many lost dreams.

I'll DCA BITCOIN in strike for $100 a week. And maybe when I have extra cash, I'll pop in a cheeky lump sum. I'll get a hard wallet at some point, then do that shenanigans, because I am incredibly skeptical of everything. If strike pulls an FTX, it is what it is.

Lots of regrets in life and knowing my luck, I'm probably buying at the top. If shit hits the fan, it is what it is. I might come back to this post after a few years, but honestly I hope my future self can just look back, see some progress, and be a little grateful I started here now.

TLDR. Life sucks. Low energy, took me an hour to write this before work. Going for homerun with bitcoin. Withdraw to cold storage. I ain't touching this for years. And I got to get to work.

Edit: Thanks for the information guys. Sorry about lashing out about the taxes, I know why it's important and I'm always grateful that taxes can be used to give everyone a fair chance at schooling, for good roads, to help the elderly in retirement, and to help those who need it most. I had a small crash out, after realizing 20% of my pay was deducted. Taxes are not theft. And I need to do my research.

A few corrections and details.

I'm Gen Z not Alpha. Early 20s. Sorry about the confusion. Studying at WGU for my Bachelor of Information Technology for about 1 and 1/2 years. 63% done.

I did know about taxes, I originally had the impression, that you would pay them at the end of the tax year, like a utility bill arriving to your door (now that I think about it, I'm kinda dumb thinking like that). I will research the basics of taxes, as I will work and pay them of the rest of my life.

One guy asked for my job. I'm in D2D home remodeling sales, compensation is $25,000 with 2% commission. I pay for gas, and drive around the neighborhood to sell windows, roofs, and siding. I'm grateful and very fortunate for the opportunity to work and I believe that this job will help me with my confidence. I learnt a lot of new things every day and I'm thankful for my mentors at work. And yeah, I haven't sold anything in 3 weeks, so I do feel kinda incompetent, but I believe that's a work in progress.

As for advice, I'm really glad I posted this because the advice in the replies solid foundation to work on.

Here's a basic breakdown of my finances. Around $1600 a month, after the withheld wages.

- $655 to pay off college monthly

- $300 to pay off my 2k debt. I believe I have around 7-8 months left of 0% APR.

- $450 to set up Bitcoin DCA (estimated a month).

- The remainder is for fuel, groceries, and stuff I may need (around $150) (maybe a bit low, but I do ask my parents for money, only for necessities). Thankfully, my family is really accommodating so they'll help me out for fuel expenses, toll expenses, and food (since I'll be driving around a lot, and we are a big family). They also let me use their spare car. I don't really eat out or buy things, aside for $18 for 5 dozen eggs, since I like the sound of frying eggs, cooking them, and eating them. I'd rather fry 5 eggs than eat a fast food meal.

What I learnt:

I know the 2k debt, even with 0% APR, is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. So if in practice, it isn't enough, I'll cancel the DCA, for something like $25-50 a week. But the most important part is paying of debt. I still want to build the habit of buying bitcoin, so I will get started with $100 this week.

In conclusion, I'll focus on doing a good job at work, and graduating college. I will prioritize paying off my debt within the 0% APR timeframe, and will stop Bitcoin DCA if I fall behind on the credit card payments.

I will set up a Roth IRA in the future after the debt is paid, I remember having this in my notes somewhere.

Comparison is the thief of joy. One step at a time, I need to keep this in mind. Thanks for the advice and those who reached out to me!