Now what?

With that damn countdown ticking away in the corner and my checking account draining away at about the same distressing speed, now's the time to figure out the answer to two pesky questions I have been determinedly trying to ignore: "What am I going to do?" and "where am I going to live?"

Up at campus I hear a lot of my classmates asking themselves these exact same questions. As for what to do, (though like me, they differ from day to day) the answers du jour are: "grad school", "internship" and "any job I can find." In slightly-less-differing comparison, the response offered in terms of living situation is echoed among most of my graduating class-- "moving back home with the parents."

In the Moneywatch video above, all of the students interviewed said they would want to give themselves the deadline of one year to move out of their parents house after college. In avoiding the Italian lifestyle choice of living at home until I'm in my thirties, I am also shooting to be out of the house and in my own place asap after getting that bachelor's degree.

Lately, much of my parents' generation has been suggesting that I look for a tiny apartment somewhere in Kent/Auburn/Renton and commute to Seattle for work--while I can see this as being very practical, it is really cramping my dreams of getting the hell out of the valley and into an cramped, overpriced studio apartment in the city surrounded hobos, prostitutes, drug dealings and the soothing sounds of incessant construction. Call it a lifestyle choice, but I want what I want; the only breaking point to living in such luxury might be my budget.

Which is why I will be introducing a new segment about the best apartment complexes (offering the best value, amenities, security, access) from a few of the various Seattle neighborhoods. I am always looking for advice, so anyone with insight into Seattle living, your comments would be greatly appreciated!