I live in America as a 20 year old Asian enby (I think?), and I am not sure what I want to do besides leave the house my parents live in (they are humongous jerks). The issue with me moving out is that I do not have any job prospects (I am thinking of quitting college), many connections (I only talk to a few people online), or a mentally sound mind (I have PTSD and depression among other things). What should I do?
You have decent options career wise IMO.
If you decide to reroll your career you could always go for a trade. Cliche answer but you’re in Florida which is golden for aerospace education (A&P license), that would be a 16-24 months of school before you can start working. The field is great right now because demand is still very very high and competition (people forget this career stuff is an involuntary competition) is low.
It’s also a trade broad enough to allow for people with little to no mechanical aptitude to succeed (requires more legal knowledge than anything, ha). I knew a 20-year-social worker who decided to switch things up and she’s still doing quite well 5 years in.
Another advantage is that an A&P license counts for 35-45 college credits so you can put that and what you already have towards a 4 year degree and potentially knock it out in 1.5 yrs or less.
Finally there are a surprising amount of foreign entities that register their aircraft in the U.S due to legal and fiscal benefits. This does require them to hire U.S A&P holders though- meaning that there are a variety of opportunities abroad.
I never thought about the aerospace trade before, so thanks for the recommendation! I think I might be too picky because I never got into aerospace stuff as a child and that stuff does not really interest me, but if it is a job, then maybe I should see if I need to go for it.
I’m in the same boat, never had an interest but I compared options at a job fair and now I’m pretty deep into it, I’m not a recuiter but I help a lot of former co-workers out with their career paths so if you find yourself curious at all- remember my pseudonym and feel free to reach out for more info.
The more comrades in the industry, the better.
P.S. my pro tip is that most people I know don’t care 1 crumb about planes, they’re boring!
haha did not see this comment but yeah, they are kind of boring (though I wonder why you gave me this tip in particular).
Try to finish school. It doesn’t matter if you work in the field, it shows you have grit and determination. The service industry sucks but it can be a leg up. Maybe coffee shop (not Starbucks, something indie if possible) for a more chill experience, wait tables for money. Or offer a service on your own like car washing/detailing, house cleaning, dog walking. Paste that toothpaste commercial smile on your face while interacting and tell your parents you make less than you do. Direct deposit to cashapp at least $350/month currently earns you 3¼% interest daily, and 3% discounts at some retailers. That’s less than $12/day for a month of earnings, so doable on part time income. If you work for yourself, undercut the competition, not yourself. For example, the professional detail shop wants $100 for a wash/detail, no wax. You do as good a job for $75 (plan to buy your own products, including a chamois). If you wait tables on Friday or Saturday nights and mostly smile and bring refills on beverages, you can probably make a couple of hundred on weekends, unless it’s some bs tip sharing scheme, but be prepared to tip out bussers a low percentage of your tips. They work hard to keep you working and deserve it.
What’s your major, if you’re ok sharing?
Ack, school mentioned! I actually am thinking of dropping out of college (I was majoring in political science) due to mental health issues (panic attacks from driving mixed with really bad forms of OCD really made it a horrible experience), but to be honest, I do not know how to quit college formally. My parents probably want me to go back to college (yet ironically they never went to college from what I know of them), though I have no plans to do so.
Your recommendations are pretty interesting, though I do have to say that I have social anxiety and would likely hate being in a subservient role like a waiter (due to my upbringing by my parents), so I should think hard about that. I never thought about offering my own service though (I painted for a volunteering thing that was required for my scholarship thing, which made me think that I could get into painting a few times, but I never threw myself into it).
If you stay in school, you learn the lies they tell and perhaps this would come in handy in other jobs, perhaps abroad. Reporting, perhaps.
Waiting tables wasn’t bad for me when I was young. I didn’t feel subservient, I felt rich.
I could tell you about the lies I learned from my conservative professor if you would like! And regarding what you said about staying in school, I am not sure I can deal with the mental exhaustion it gives me (on top of the stress I get from driving and the bad mental illnesses I have to deal with).
I think that I hate anything even remotely resembling subservience because that is the relationship my parents expect with me (they do not accept me defying their orders, and they threaten me with things like not making food for me or cutting off the Wi-Fi); it is also part of the expectations that racists have with Asians in general.
Well we’re nowhere close to a proletarian revo, so your choices are physically train up and get hard while living on the streets, hoping scraps you scrounge and beg are sustainable and nourishing or you be “subservient” for a short while and get a marketable skill. There may be other options, but I’m tired and not seeing them rn.
You are definitely right about me needing to get a marketable skill, and I should definitely find a way to treat my mental health so working is not such a struggle.
There may be free or low cost options in your area. I can tell you from my personal experience with that that you get a lot more bad or mediocre therapists that way, than good. Fire the bad ones, stick with mediocre until a better one is available.
That could be true, though I kinda live in a small patch between more populated areas, so I might have to travel to places of higher density to get therapy (if I do not want to risk getting online therapy). It is so unfortunate that we need lots of money just to get a necessary improvement to our mental health.
Stay in school. You will regret it otherwise later if you don’t. You might be able to find a program offering a semester or year abroad. I would absolutely take that opportunity. It will open up many other possibilities for you, including, should you wish it, moving to another country. There are countries where tuition is free or very low.
I think I should clarify that my experience in college involved very traumatic things alongside the fact that it was just super boring to me (to the point of tiring me out). I know that quitting college will prevent me from getting more jobs or opportunities, but I am just so tired of many things that I have trouble getting through my day if I also have to go to college alongside that.
I can only imagine what you are going through right now, comrade. I honestly don’t have any advice for you, I just hope that things will work out for you. 🤍
Aww thank you! What you said really does help me feel better (though I would not mind advice :>). I kind of just want to talk about stuff and chill in this community.
Edit: I was honestly just glad I got a reply at all, since I was worried no one would talk and stuff.
I am kinda in a similar situation and I would not mind advice either! lol
I think reaching out to more people (like on here) could help because other people might have resources that would be nice.
“Not sure what to do with my life.” I’m 72yo and still asking myself the same thing.
I am sorry to hear that :<.
I’m in absolute shock! I don’t think I’ve ever met a 72 year old so in touch with world happenings. Utmost respect. 🫡
Boomers are the type to say “why do you not have a job yet” when the job market is terrible, right?
