Hey, as some of you may know me, I'll bet most of you reading this don't. It's been awhile since I actually stuck to the forum, and to be honest, I'm not sure how likely it is for me to do so again. However, I once again find myself back here to ask you, the people of this lovely community for advice. If you take one quick glance at my side info, you will see that I live in Florida, Longwood, blah blah blah, but the main thing I want you to look at is my age. I am currently 17 years old. A lot of things happen at this age, graduating from high school (to most people this age) worrying about colleges, hanging out with friends, going outside, generally avoiding family, etc etc. Now, here's what I'M actually like. My name is Greg, I do not attend school, I haven't since 2012 or 2013, I can't even remember it's been so long. I haven't given college more than a simple 'I'm going to it' glance, I have no idea what I want to make of myself as I get older. I have 2 friends that have stuck by me since 5th grade, who happen to be brothers. I work at a McDonald's, have no permit or license, and am currently invested in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend in Maryland for over a year and a half. As you can see, I am not what you would call your 'typical' 17 year old boy. And that's excluding the whole main reason for me being here and stuff. My main issue indeed lies within my future, as some of you may have gathered from reading the title alone. The truth is... I'm scared. And I'm sure a lot of kids my age are also, but for some reason I just can't shake the worrysome from my mind. So many things come to mind when I think about it, getting an education, going to college, upgrading from a job like McDonald's to something like an office job, or to follow one of my passions. I worry that I lack the knowledge or intuitiveness to reach for it, and I worry about life away from my family, and living on my own, or with my lover. I usually go through my day to day life with having a very vague goal in mind.. Turn 18>Acquire my GED>Move to Pennsylvania to live with my grandmother long enough to afford an apartment>Attend a community college>Move onto a normal college>Get a good job, and so on but I find myself pondering the ways for me to do this. It can be as easy as just saying this and having it be true, there's so much more to it, and it terrifies me. So basically, what I ask from you guys, is just some advice, how am I gonna make it through life? And does it ever get easier to cope with? Thanks in advance guys, you're the best.
Hey ScatteredEarth, You want to know how to "make it through life", which is definitely not an easy question. There is quite some literature on the matter, and people disagree. It's also subjective. I want to know.. What are your passions? What are some of your likes? What do you enjoy, in terms of knowledge and activity? You want to get a better job, so it might help to get a clear idea of what job you would like to have. =) (*hug*)
Well basically, my interests lie in technology, I've always held a passion for it, whether it be something as typical as videogames, or more complex like coding and the interworkings of computers. I want to get a job that reflects something like that. I used to have this dream of becoming a big time game designer for the big companies like Activision or Ubisoft, but more and more I find it highly unlikely to achieve, seeing as my resume is probably crap, and my lack of actual knowledge on the subject matter.
Listen, Greg. And I really want you to listen to what I have to say. When I was your age, I thought exactly like you. I was determined to graduate, get into college and take my art courses to become a professional artist. When I turned 19, life happened. And I mean, LIFE HAPPENED. I went to college, yes, but it was for job education and I still don't have a typical job. I'm an amateur artist and I'm also a drag performer. I'm 26 and if you would've asked me at 17 if I'd be here where I'm at right now, I would've said no. I was disappointed and I felt as though I failed every hope and dream I wanted to accomplish and that maybe I should just settle for what I have now. But here's the thing, Greg. Putting too much pressure on yourself could set you up for a lot of failure. You have a job, you're making money for yourself by working hard. Yes, you haven't finished school but the only reason why you'd need to finish is to get the kind of job you actually want. I've known people who didn't go back to finish their grade 12 year until their 30's because they simply didn't need to. One of them hiked their boots up at 16 and started working at a mill which pays a whole lot of money. Now I'm not saying that you should go work at a mill but what you need to do is take all of this one step at a time. Keep your goals in mind but don't think of them at the same time. You said you want to get your GED first, right? Alright, do that first and forget about the rest until you do that. Once you've done that, move in with your grandma and so on and so forth but just concentrate on one thing at a time. In the mind it seems like a small task but graduating is quite the task, I don't know if it's different down in the US but it does take a lot of work in general so just focus on that only until you get it done because there is a chance that other things could come into your path and suddenly life is taking a different course. It's easier to be like, "Okay, I got this done" then to be like "But I haven't gotten B, C, D and E done!!". Other than that, I wish you luck from here on out.
Thanks, I do get where you're coming from here, and I appreciate the parallels you drew. But I do usually think like you recommended me to do so, while still keeping that metaphorical timeline in the back of my head, but the issue stems from me reading deeply into what each thing entails. And I'm worried I'm gonna chicken out or give up halfway through something and end up on the street like some reject.
