Graduating debt-free with a job, this 23-year-old social worker still sees buying a house as out of reach

Austin Urlaub says he comes from a long line of “helpers,” including special education teachers, counselors and psychologists.

But the Michigan native is still the first in his family to go directly into social work. He says it’s a calling, that he has “a knack for helping people.” He has served in student government but said many in his social circle questioned his decision to enter the field at first, at least from a financial perspective.

But Urlaub has found that, for tragic reasons, compensation in his field is soaring.

“Everyone was saying, ‘Oh great, you’re not doing it for the money,’” he said. “But now, social workers are becoming in demand; every workplace now pretty much requires one. It’s become very incentivized, so I’m not too worried about job security.”

Primary source of income: Urlaub declined to state exactly how much he earns from the part-time, contracting job he holds while he completes his master’s in social work, but says it is $23 to $27 an hour.

“I make a healthy starting wage as a part-time employee with no experience for someone living in” the north-central Michigan area, he said.

Urlaub estimates that although social workers were once lucky to earn $50,000 per year, many entry-level positions now easily clear that, especially with the $10,000 sign-on bonus that’s becoming more standard in the industry amid booming demand.

Living situation: Urlaub is living at home with his parents while he completes his master’s. He has a girlfriend outside of Detroit.

He’s now hoping to save to buy a house with his girlfriend, though does not plan on buying one soon because prices and interest rates are still too high. He’s looking to buy a home for less than $200,000 — currently about the average in his area — and with a rate closer to 5%.

“I want to be able to have an asset and not just rent,” he said, adding that he’d contemplate getting a fixer-upper that he could sell in a short-time span.

But he says it would still be a stretch even if he lands a solid salary, and would likely require his girlfriend, a cook, to also contribute.

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