After a search that attracted an impressive 26 applicants, Maine’s credit unions announced the winner of the Young & Free Maine spokesperson competition at a surprise event in June. Seth Poplaski, a 24-year-old from Bangor, was awarded the position.

As the spokesperson for Young & Free Maine, Poplaski works on behalf of Maine’s credit unions in a one-year contract with salary. He serves as a reporter and advocate for his age group, attending events and creating daily online content including blog articles and videos to keep YoungFreeMaine.com an information hub for the 25-and-under crowd in Maine. He has also been outfitted with tools of the trade, including a smart phone with a paid contract for the year, a Mac Book Pro laptop and digital video camera, which he will be able to keep at the end of his term. He can also be seen driving around Maine in the Young & Free Maine vehicle, a Chevy Cruze, which he has use of during his term.

Young & Free Maine includes a financial headstart with a new account called the free4ME Account, designed with 18 to 25 year olds in mind. Maine is the only New England state to offer this program, which has proven successful in connecting with Gen Y in regions throughout North America.

What does it mean to be 18-25 in Maine? Here are some thoughts and advice from Maine’s Young & Free Spokester, Seth Poplaski.

Young & Free Maine is a program powered by Maine’s credit unions, determined to bring financial freedom and fitness to 18-25 year olds. What does that entail? It means informing this age group about being fiscally smart whether you’re in college or in the work force.

As a Broadcast Journalism major and graduate of the University of Maine Orono in 2009, I was quickly thrown into adulthood without a job in my field. I had dreams of graduating, getting a job, traveling the country, and in the next few years, buying a house. Unfortunately, my student loan payments kicked in and other contributing factors affected my plans. Instead of working in the newsroom making a decent salary, I found myself serving and bartending in Bangor, and making just enough to get by.

With the state of our economy today, I find that this is the same boat that many young adults are in. We either have no financial goals going into college or the work force, or the plans for our lives are unrealistic. For me, graduation was the focus, but there was no plan for the in between time of graduation and finding an actual job. It took me a year and a half to find a job outside of the restaurant business and it was not an easy task. I applied to many jobs and my main response was that there were many qualified applicants, and the position went to someone else.

So what is my point? The reality of today is that you probably won’t find a great paying job right out of school. You may enter the work force right out of high school, or you may go to college and get a degree. Regardless of what path you choose, you have to remember that money does not always come easy. Here are some lessons I’ve learned along the way:

Prepare yourself for the hard financial decisions ahead

Seek out financial advice from reputable sources

Sit down and make a realistic budget for yourself

Track where your money goes. I tracked mine and discovered that I spend an average of $1200 a year on coffee shop visits alone

Setting yourself up for financial success at a young age is probably one of the most important decisions you can make at this point in time. Remember that Young & Free Maine is here for the “Gen Y” crowd. We’re all in this together. Let’s make this generation the generation that helps change Maine for the better.

For more of Seth’s tips on how to live Young & Free in Maine, and how Maine’s credit unions can help, visit youngfreemaine.com.

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