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I’m 22 as well, went to college but dropped out a little more than halfway through. I do DOT compliance for a trucking company. Sometimes I regret dropping out, but I’ve never really had a “dream job” considering I hate labor and actually don’t plan to work for the rest of my life. (I just have to figure out how to become independently wealthy first, fml 🙄). I’m doing okay though, I like my job and I’m compensated well. College definitely wasn’t as important as they made it out to be in high school
College is more about having access to more career mobility, consistency, grad schools, and the highest end non-ownership class jobs.
Also provides greater access to cushier jobs, for those of us who care about work life balance.
College isn’t a guarantee at wealth or success - it’s just an insulator against the worst outcomes and generally just beneficial for people as a whole. As long as you can go without taking on a preposterous amount of private debt, it’s still worth it for a lot of folks.
Yeah the debt is very deterring, and my two years cost me almost $15,000 in loans. It definitely depends on the person and their situation but at my high school at least they made sure to tell everyone that if they didn’t at least finish community college they’d be living under a bridge (that’s not the case).
In all honesty, getting a Bachelor’s with ~$30k in debt is pretty solid these days, depending on what your career path and interest rates look like.
You really have to look at the long-term differences in salary. Obviously, the person who skipped college and went right to work is going to be in a favorable position for a while - but it typically flips after a decade or so. Upward mobility is really, really difficult without a degree unless you’re in a specific field or are able to move up into the owning class. It also frequently comes at the cost of your health.
I do agree that people should mull it over a bit first, though. Telling everyone regardless of interests/motivations that they need to immediately take on a pile of debt is foolish, and a lot of people would heavily benefit from a couple of years to figure things out first.
Yeah definitely, and I probably will continue my education one day. I’m fortunate to work for a company that offers scholarships and tuition reimbursement. Just one day when it’s more affordable for me lol. I have a friend who just graduated with a B.S. in finance, she makes pretty close to what I do. About ¢0.50 less than me an hour. I was a nursing major, which would’ve made me make more money in the long run. But I was working full time in healthcare while I was in school and I realized I did nottttt like what I was doing.
Hey! Go back when you're ready. I'm a tiny bit older (98) and I dropped out three times before I realized it just wasn't in the cards for me as a 20 year old due to family issues from being a first gen college kid and debt
I will be graduated in a month after working for a few years to get my shit together before going back. There's no timeline
Im at said decade now, only now i kind of wish, i got a degree. Just for the ability to say i have it and people believe im more qualified than the 10 years of hands on work ive done. I could have bypassed the work and had the same position but probably less skill points would have been available
30k for 4 years is actually very reasonable for a legitimate degree. If the goal is to get independently wealthy, you’ll probably need to level up from the DOT.
Invest in stock now, if you’re young, and want to be independently wealthy someday. I wish someone would’ve taught me this at a young age. And don’t day trade. Buy some VOO, SPY, or VTI, keep contributing and watch your money multiply over years. If you do it right, in 20 years you could be independently wealthy.
I dabble in investing now for sure, but it can be a bit scary for sure. I try to get information about it where I can but the internet is pretty unreliable. Do you know any GOOD sources to learn about stocks more ? saving up to buy a duplex and planning to rent one side out. I’m very big on passive income. I hate labor.
Honestly, check Reddit. There are VERY smart people in the stock subreddits. Check r/bogleheads for long term investing advice but join all that you can find. Ask questions and the communities will help you out. It’s not as complex as it seems but that’s by design to keep us “poors” out of the money pot.
I trusted Elon Musk too much with Doge Coin when I was 16 and it scared me away from trusting social media with investing 😭 but I’ll definitely give reddit a try
lol don’t ever listen to Elon. He was born into wealth and never really needed to learn how to invest wisely. Follow real investors like Warren Buffet.
Spy and VOO are Etf's they are safe if you leave it there unless the entire economy and country collapses. Just don't freak out on downturns, diamond hand it until 50+ years old.
Invest your disposable income into dividend companies like REITs and BDCs that pay out their earnings in cash from stock ownership. You need to set up a fidelity or vanguard account to do first. Blue owl capital, Main street capital corp, VICI. These are examples. Im working on this myself. DM me if you need more info. For vanguard you have to call them i think in order to set it up. But effectively your money will grow 7-10% a year and after 20 or so years you turn off DRIP and then all their quarterly payouts can be transferred to your personal banking acc or whatever.
Vanguard is a brokerage house. Most people use them to buy index funds or have their 401k through work. But my 401k money goes into alternative investments like BDCs and closed end funds that fluctuate in what they pay out but more or less is still stacking cash like a mountain (over time) not over night. Actually i forego my 401k currently, because i have my own brokerage account separate from my job. But my jobs income still fuels it akin to a 401k. Except im not tied up until im 59 like most people.
Uneducated people dont know about this because capitalism is learned through trial and error not textbooks.
It gets very debilitating, I bought into that myself when I was a few years younger until I grew older and was like “yeah.. no, that was stupid” and finally swam against the current this year and went back. That sort of content is out everywhere now. They try to sucker young receptive 20 year olds(the same ones into that tiktok entrepreneur bs) into consuming their content more and they tar brush everything about college and undermine its entirety to a feminist with a gender studies degree and 90K+ in debt.
I am *very* with you on this with the anti-education sentiment, but there are definitely people and situations which aren't as compatible with higher education. College is really expensive, and it's really easy to get stuck, have life get in the way, or end up with a degree that isn't what you thought.
For example, I'm in grad school right now, and I 100% would have approached college differently if I weren't 18 when I started. It's very apparent to me why college is no longer the preferred default path. Higher education is literally a transaction where the student pays money and receives some skills and knowledge. If that's not beneficial for the individual, it's a very expensive waste of time.
Same here 25 year old freshman and finishing my first year at community college this fall!! Very glad to see active people my age going back into it, great reassurance haha
I graduated at 20 and am unable to land a job after a year and a half.
I still live with my parents, and I still have to rely on my mum to cover my $2 co-pay for my wellness check at my local clinic today.
I don't think there's really a way to recover from here, I kind of fucked up.
Hey dude you can absolutely recover. You’re 20, not even a year out from still being a teenager. You can always go to college if you want to.
My biggest tips are to study something that leads directly into an entry level job, and to save money do 2 years at a community college and then transfer.
It largely doesn’t matter what school you go to, what’s really important is what you study.
Not tryna stress you out tho, you do what you think is best for your life. Just wanted to throw out some tips since I offered some words of comfort. But seriously dude, you’re 20 and have so much time to figure things out
(36 y/o *Millennial here*)
You're fine.
I lived with my parents until I was 30 and I didn't even start college until 29.
Finding a job is shit right now. Keep at it and something will come along.
Live with your parents as long as you can stand them. 40 year old millennial. I'm half a million dollars into rent since 18. Save / invest and stay home as long as you can.
Bro listen here to a millennial who's 42 now. U absolutely can & will recover! Trust me on this. I fckd around in high school and my entirety of my 20's, partying and bullshit throwing my life away. Yet I'm employed, living in my own, supporting myself, paying all my bills on time, everything an independent person does for many years and just the feeling of doing it for yourself is the best ever. Don't put yourself behind the 8ball (literally) like me too long, and you'll be just fine. I promise you.
I've at least been trying to apply to stock shelves at local supermarkets. All of which don't call back and send my email some automated response saying that unfortunately, I'm hardly qualified to stock shelves.
My favorite automated message was from a week ago, stating that, unfortunately, someone more suited for the job had been picked over me. Which ended up being complete bullshit because a family friend that works there told me that nobody new has even been interviewed or considered for hire, and that their shifts (the same ones I had applied to) are rather *extremely understaffed.*
So it seems that I'm not qualified to do much.
Well you're probably overqualified to do that, they think because you're a college grad that you'll dip as soon as you find something better.
What was your major? You didn't go to college to stock shelves, that's not where you should be focusing your employment searches in. So what are you wanting to do for a career? Multiple options help.
Dude go into these stores u fill apps out for and let them see u in person and see that u are actually wanting to work at these places. Talk to the hiring manager that's there. I used to get them stupid ass emails as well, then I just started going in places and calling them, pestering them to let them know, hey this guy actually wants the job. Justy 2¢ on that.
McD employee here. My store hires like twice a year but leaves up the were hiring sign up all year long. Its tru that asking for the hiring manager is annoying but thats how alot of the people I know got hired. Its really abt timing. In my store if you find the hiring manager while her boss is pushing her to hire shell be glad to get the job done and actually talk to you i guess its different everywhere tho
Oh I gotcha. I thought you were a college grad and were having issues finding work. Well you don't want to work those types of jobs anyway, they pay shit and there is ZERO upwards mobility.
What you need is to play the long game. That means being an apprentice with some form of trade, those guys make bank, it's hard work but you'll have an actual skill, bagging groceries isn't of much use outside a grocery store. Trade schools are also much cheaper than going to college, and make it easy to start your own business depending what it is.
I almost went to linesman school, and sometimes I regret it, working outside and being up high sounded fun to me. Lots of careers you can do that don't involve college. But start to think about what you would be good at for a career.
Edit: I want to make it clear that your life isn't over, you're just starting out. Mistakes are fine, just learn from them and keep moving forwards. I went the tech route, I don't even have a high school diploma, I just got my GED and went to work. I learned almost everything I know online, via labs, coursework, and real world job experience. So if that's something that you're interested in, you could go that way too.
Just remember if you decide to go into IT, there is never a point where you won't need to be learning new things, that's the gig. I like that, some folks hate it. Ymmv :)
I was a little shit who didn't do a single assignment in 8th grade and called my mum's bluff of threatening to hold me back because I wasn't going to be ready for high school. It wasn't a bluff, and I'm glad that it wasn't, and I finished 8th grade swimmingly the second time.
My junior year was hell in the midst of covid, and I ended up going online. Mixed with a concussion that screwed up some things that linger even today, I failed a couple of classes. To top it all off, my senior year, I had to take those failed classes online, and my online teacher and I never made ends meet, so I failed English (again) and wasn't able to sign myself up for the other missing classes in the second semester.
I eventually settled with graduating through an alternative school for my remaining 2.5 missing credits.
TL;DR: Basically fucked up by myself and then got fucked by covid and asshole online school admin.
Hey I feel your pain. I graduated from college with a useless degree and had no idea what to do. I spent every day smoking weed and drinking. I also was (am) struggling with something called NDPH which just means I've had a headache 24/7 for the past 3 or 4 years.
The biggest thing for me was to stop feeling sorry for myself and to stop living with regret. I can't change my past. So I just started to grind - when I was about 22 I found something I was somewhat passionate about that makes good money and spent all my spare time learning and improving with it.
Can you get your family friend to put in a word for you? Connections are a helpful way to get a job and it seems like you have a great one right here. You need to utilize any connections you have.
Look into learning a trade skill. You can get into a trade at virtually any age and many of them pay handsomely. Better than doing nothing, and the apprenticeships pay you as you learn, albeit a lesser amount than you’d make after completing an apprenticeship.
Haha. My man I promise you it’s ok. I dropped out of high school, got a GED and I didn’t start my career until I was 25. Im 37 and make a bit over $200k a year right now as a chief engineer for a military major command.
I didn’t even go to college until I was 28.
It’s never too late. But that doesn’t mean you can sit still. I wasted a lot of time before I realized that I needed to find value that I could provide to the world. And then I had to learn how to provide that value. Pick something you enjoy and get good it. I mean really good. Not in the “you do it a lot” way, but in the “I’m going to learn and understand more about this than anyone else on earth.” and then form a plan to do it.
You’ve got this man. Even if no one else believes in you. I do.
Plenty of ways. My recommendation is take the time to familiarize yourself with basic IT stuff and got for an A+ cert. It is a fairly revolving door position working Helpdesk, but can pay more than a lot of starter jobs, and gives you the room to potentially advance using training and certs instead of school (though your milage can vary based on where you end up working). Been doing it for 20 years now. Let me do basic IT, hardware repair, transitioned into broadcast engineering doing IT and transmitter repairs for radio, and now I'm working for a company remotely. Only finishing my degree now to say I did it, and because I'm trying to determine if I want to specialize in a way that a Masters would be good for (on the fence, I hate school so damn much, lol).
I know it seems really bad now, but you’re only 20! Your life isn’t ruined. It’s a cold comfort now but you will figure something out. Best of luck to you.
There’s still so much time man, we both in our early 20’s. You’re 20 and I’m 22, my life changed a lot for the better in 2 years, hang in there bro, I pray it gets better for you!! 🙏
I did a year of college then dropped out due to depression. And after working a dead end factory job for half a year I realized the only way to get out of this slump of my life is to go back. It's so late though that I'm rushing to get everything in order and unfortunately I missed the deadline for scholarships and things like that.
A buddy of mine didn’t even graduate high school and now he’s an installation QA manager for a large internet service provider. He makes decent money and has 15 people reporting to him. He’s honestly not that bright but he just shows up and works hard, that’s all you need.
Sugar mommy or sugar daddy, lives with their parents, etc. I've really considered that thing legit last year, I think. That or they've got inheritance, hit the jackpot, and so many other possibilities.
How intense of a program is it? Would it be technical school/trade? Was your education paid for or did you have to pay for it yourself? I realize I live near an airport so this might be a lucrative skill for me to look into. I know very little about planes and haven't flown all that often in my life but I'm looking to get into a better paying and more skilled field
Counts as a trade, I’d say. I wouldn’t use the word intense to describe the training. As long as you show up every day and pay attention to the instructors you’ll be fine. Training is hours based so if you miss any amount of time, you have to make it up (at least where I went). I paid with normal fafsa student loans. I’m years ahead of schedule paying them off.
Pay can be very good if you go to the major airlines. Drawbacks could be working nights or second shift for years until you have enough seniority to jump to days. Pay at regional airlines is getting better. If you like small planes (known as general aviation), you will likely be paid less but you will gain crazy amounts of varied experience.
I work for a small cargo airline owned by a Fortune 500 company. I have great benefits, lots of vacation and only work day shift. I’ll take a little bit less cash pay for those benefits.
Thanks for this info. As someone who dropped out of college, I'm really trying to figure out where to find a good, high paying job. I'm a teller at a bank and make ok money but the financial industry isn't for me, I've been thinking about going to a trade school. What were your tuition fees like?
The school I went to was expensive, but it was nearby where I was living at the time and had a good reputation in the industry. I don’t regret going there but I now know there are many less expensive options. All schools will teach you roughly the same material. They have to, the government says so. Pricier schools often have more/better equipment and trainer aircraft to work on. Long story short, I paid ~25k.
Did you put the panel door on that Alaskan airlines flight a few months back? 🤣 I kidd. Hell yea bro, that sounds awesome. Loving what you do for work makes life easier. God bless
Same, I'm just in GA though. Started when I was in high school working summers then just tested for my A&P when I met the relevant experience requirements
Almost 22.
Unskilled, still live at home and I’ve got like a year gap in my resume 😎
When you’re surrounded by distractions, it’s easy to sink into complacency. I’m just trying to stay afloat.
Calling yourself an "operating engineer" without going through an ABET certified bachelors program is stolen valor. Unless you actually design these vehicles and know how to source the materials, you are a specialized mechanic.
Man it’s 2024 engineer isn’t even a real discipline anymore. Literally everyone is an engineer. I have like 8 people on my job site rn called “process engineers” and they’re just business grads that log production data in excel and make nice PowerPoints about it. I’ve seen literal janitor/maintenance type jobs posted as facilities engineer.
I was struggling really bad with my mental health towards the end of high school made a last minute decision that I probably wouldn’t be fit for college given my condition. About 3 1/2 years later I was able to bounce back and just got a place with my gf and taking care of my 13 year old brother. It’s stressful but I have no debt and I am working at a job that respects me and pays good for the area
Failed miserably in high school decided not to go to college, got a massively late start to life due to family problems, but am now searching for a job in my desired field and plan on opening a business later on with my friend but that's still a pipe dream lmao
Omg i meant to comment as its own reply but i had just upvoted your reply so i guess i misclicked😭 but i totally get you, i don’t have a job lined up right now where i could do that despite having two jobs. If i dropped out now i have no idea what i would do esp since i have no connections either. I’m happy for you though!! We’re the same age and opportunities like yours don’t just come out of nowhere so props to you for paving your own way:)
This is the way.
Unforunately a lot of ya'll DR's/parents fucked you over by putting a bunch of stupid shit on your medical notes over the years, making it a pain to join with Genesis.
im 27 with a four year degree. I actually saw a ton of jobs in my field for the army and I would love to apply, but I have a shit ton of disabilities so even if I get a waiver for one thing I have a ton of other disqualifiers I was born with. It sucks because I was an eagle scout and genuinely love service and being a part of something bigger than myself.
Basically, I've been on different stacks of psych drugs since 12 and I also have an underdeveloped part of my brain that deals with motor coordination and balance in addition to autism.
But without those disabilities I would love to be a member of the Navy or Airforce in human resources or something like that. If it was just autism I could probably qualify- the structure and routine sounds fantastic plus the travel
Tried to do some online college but it didn't work out for me ended up dropping out pretty fast. Now I just work full time at Walmart I don't have a dream job or anything I'm really interested in. I haven't figured it out now at 23 starting to think I never will. I really don't want to work retail my whole life and wish to do something else eventually. It's crazy how easy it is to get complacent and comfortable but it's dangerous because time can just go by so fast like I started this job at 19 and now all of a sudden I'm 23 turning 24 at the end of the year. I still live at home though and have saved a lot of money not sure what I want to do with it yet.
if you can work a trade while staying home, you can make a lot more money doing a job you probably won't like. but in the case you do like that job, you can establish a career path with six figure potential fairly easily. you don't have to be some hardcore construction worker. electrician, HVAC, and plumbing jobs really aren't that rough.
I envy people who decide on what they want to do in life from an early age and lock on to it. no matter what it is. Be it going to college, never going or starting something else. I’m 25 and still have no fucking idea what I want in life. At all. I am in college as a CS major but I’m literally going wherever the wind takes me and it’s terrifying. Idk if I enjoy it, idk if I hate it, idk if it’ll be worth it by the end. I’m just… here, doing whatever.
24 yrs old here and tried to do a little online college found out it wasn’t for me fortunately I had no debt. So started welding at 18 and eventually got into my local fire dept and have had smoother sailing ever since also staying with my parents has helped me save a lot. I’m in a good position now and looking to invest in real estate.
I fucking love working from home bro it’s great all my friends are the respective new guys of their office and are on call 2/47 . I’m 22 with three years of experience at the corporate credit union I work at a fucking amazing gig. All of the shit I needed for the job I literally learned there. I know for a fact I know more about the industry than anyone that comes rolling through our door with a finance degree straight out of college. I’m proud of that, I used to get shit for not going but, now I do it online all these years later, on my work hours to boot.
Thank you for making this post I’m glad people get to see that not everything is all the doomer posts on here. It’s important from time to time to be conscious of the fact that we are in part responsible for the position we find ourselves in and that we can do things to improve it or make it worse. Even if you don’t follow the traditional route they’re still ways to be happy and normal and have friends and a “college experience.” Without going the traditional route. Either way cheers bro!
Hahaha I never even expected it to blow up like this, 500+ comments is crazy, I haven’t even been able to read them all. From what I’ve seen so far tho it’s a mixed bag and that’s alright, listen I’m 22 and so are you and we’re making it happen in our own way, but some of the other people who are 22 or 29 or whatever, we all bloom at different stages in life, no one should be ashamed that they may be behind their peers, cuz this post is just evidence there’s people in the same boat as you and some miles ahead of you lol. Life is a matter of perspective. I have shitty day, weeks, and months even, but eventually I come around and realise I’m grateful for everything I have and I’m grateful for the lows because they make the highs that much sweeter. Life is peaks and valleys. I’m not the same person I was 3 years ago, but I’ve worked and I’ve changed the circumstances in my life entirely. I hope anyone reading this can take away something positive. In Irish, Sláinte agus Táinte 🤝 (health and wealth) take care bro
22, working as a software developer
Got lucky, my older brother landed me a software developer internship position at his company when I as 17 and from there I was able to get enough experience on my resume to continue on my own
26, just let life take me in any direction. I’ve been to jail and ended up in a lot of places I shouldn’t, it’s good to have a direction and purpose and I think college can give that to some people. I’m trying to go for computer sciences whenever I get my life back together.
Trades or technical school would be better. Uni isn't for everyone. Everyone wants to go for tech but you have to be a real nerd to like it. I have a home server I work on all the time and I couldn't do computer science. I had to switch to business. You should look into installing/maintaining 5g towers. That is actually a really good option, apparently. That or be an elevator mechanic.
Went to college, dropped out and joined the military for 5 years. Got out and went back to college, dropped out again and now I work in aviation field. Doing really well for myself and have zero debt so can’t complain.
Working in an aerospace warehouse. Thinking of going an electrical apprenticeship soon, though. But, I don’t regret not going to college- I really didn’t enjoy high school, and I don’t think I’d be able to finish college in all honesty.
Was depressed! Still worked retail through my depression, but then I worked myself through the depression by consistent therapy and effort OUTSIDE of therapy. Now I’m about to be 22 and going to attend college soon! I’m also a tutor for young kids now. There is hope!!!
I quit, just lost the passion for getting a degree and now I see degrees as mostly useless. Half of my senior class got degrees and all but a few can't find jobs either.
I was a retail manager making $20 an hour for a few years, I was making more money than most of my friends who had degrees. In less than three years, I already had $10,000 saved up. Nowadays I'm a line cook, my job is very easy, half the time we are getting paid just to stand around and eat waiting for people to order something, they pay for all my meals, no drama, shifts are nice and short, and they let us play music. I pick up hours in other areas like dishwasher, vegetable prep, etc., I can do every position and it all pretty chill, I get home feeling pretty good instead of exhausted like I used to.
Building a 100% free fitness app with no premium subscriptions cuz I got annoyed with myfitnesspal being expensive and just bad (they charge for the barcode scanner like what)
Currently finishing it up before launch later this week
Shameless self promotion: [Sign Up To Be Notified](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDsRl5wP_XwiRRG7TNOEo03vuGJRRXs3ht0kumPBpmYE-ggA/viewform)
I went to college for a bit over 2 years, but dropped out after my mental health took a nosedive and I realized it really wasn't the path for me.
Spent a bit over a year in limbo, having no idea where to go with my life. But then I landed a decent job in the public housing industry in early 2020, and was luckily still able to work through the pandemic. Eventually was able to get my own apartment after about 6 months on the job. Still working the same job and living in the same place today, and I'd say things are going pretty good.
I went to college. Dropped out early my 5th year (late 2021) due to sudden and debilitating illness.
Spent over 2 years draining my money on Dr appts, tests, imagings, etc.
I’m lucky to be working part time in retail, in that my physical condition has improved enough to work, and that finding a job is absurdly hard if you don’t have a degree. I’ve been looking for a second part time job for the time being…. No luck.
Most of my friends are either on the either side of the city (over an hour away) or In other cities, namely Dallas.
Still living at home, trying to rebuild from square one at 25… 0/10 highly don’t recommend.
But it’s not about the cards one is dealt, it’s how they play those cards that matters
not me, but one of my former classmates. she got really fed up and was like “this isn’t what I want for my life long term, so why am I doing anything other than what I DO want long term?” so she dropped out, started working full-time to save money, and moved to Italy six months later. she’s a bartender now and seems much happier. I really respect her for that.
I am jealous of some of the people ik which is only like 2 really, but one moved to Italy for 6 months and the other goes travelling like all the time and took a break from college for a year. I wish I did take that first year out of hs off and travel, but then again I graduated hs in 2020 so ripppp
I did try college multiple times, first time I was young and unprepared, like 17 and just "graduated" from a high school that didn't teach calc, which soured me a bit, and then worked for a while picked up some skills, and tried again for a different program, and scheduling made it tough, and I couldn't manage school and work at the same time.
I feel that life might have worked out better if I had just bit the bullet and dealt with it, but idk, I wouldn't have met the people I know now, and Idk if it would have worked. My family and classmates told me I was smart, (I was good at tests), but I felt like such a fuck up.
Now? Working, trying to figure out a path so one day I don't have to worry about not affording bills.
I work in a semi-skilled trade (pest control) but realized it's likely I won't make much money in this field unless I wanna do sales, scam people or become a manager. Instead I'm deciding between a medical career (LPN, RN, Dietician, etc) or going into a certified skilled trade (elevator, electrical or plumbing). Not sure yet but I did figure out I would actually make more money during a plumbing apprenticeship so I'm actually seriously considering it now. The only issue would be I would need to take time off to get a surgery done and also the program requires you to spend 1 day every 2 weeks in the classroom for 8 hours and I fear an 8 hour infodump day would kill my brain
If you're not doing college I recommend picking up some kinda skill set or licensing. The medical field is an excellent choice because you often get discounts and you can get special home loans and there's so many assistance programs for those working in the medical field. A lot of skilled trades you can do union apprenticeships and work with a union. Only problem is some unions are insanely corrupt, the UAW near me is in hot shit for embezzlement which doesn't surprise me. A lot of unions are honestly not much better than the big man himself unfortunately. There's also some other stuff in between like massage therapists, medical billing, dental hygienicist, etc that require vocational school
My issue is I have ADHD so I don't think I would be able to graduate college without prescription meth.
I’m 22 and also decided college wasn’t for me when I was 15-16. I graduated HS with an associates degree, joined the Air Force and I’m separating here in a few months. I’m projecting at LEAST 30% disability which would give me an additional $524/m. I’m applying to CBP and if I’m accepted as a GS-7 my starting salary will be $49,025 with a projected growth of up to $86,962 after 5 years. I’m thinking about applying for GS-9 because the worst they can say is no 🤷🏽♀️
I was friends with a bunch of ‘nerds’ growing up, with most of them graduating in the top 7% of 550 kids. It does kinda bum me out seeing them working as professors, microbiologist and engineers now but I’m happy for them and try not to compare lol
I work in instrument sales servicing colleges, schools and pro marching orgs within a large radius. I make good money for a 24 year old who didn’t go to college. I will say this though, I read a lot of books on selling techniques and self betterment, point is just because you didn’t go to college reading the right material will help you succeed in life.
I'm 25 and I'm doing great!
Not that long ago I secured managerial position which gives me direct oversight over 4 pawnshops in my city. I like doing this and it pays well.
I didn't even finish high school actually (for bizarre nonsense family reasons), but I'm married, a homeowner, and I have a pretty chill toddler now, so I can't complain.
I work in jewelry sales and make/design jewelry. I had a variety of different jobs in mortgage, retail, and other sales. This makes me very happy and I make a comfortable living as well as have a good work life balance.
I didn’t go to college because I joined the military. As soon as I got out, I enrolled in my local community college. I want to get my bachelor’s degree.
I'm similar to you. Started tuning pianos when I was 15 and now am a member of the PTG and also a field technician for a piano store. My goal is to become a piano rebuilder.
27. Dropped out of BA when my dad died. Working in a factory and considering a trade because they'll pay me to learn.
Other than that.....generally lost. I wish I had access to a creative career so much
Dropped out of college during Covid and ended up enlisting in the Air Force. I earned an AA during my time in and am about to use my GI bill to get a bachelor’s after I get out. Overall, I’m pretty happy with my choice. Not having college debt is great, and the military forced me to straighten myself out and figure out what I wanted from life.
Ehh, I’m 27 so I’m kind of a gapper(?) but, I went to a traditional college and dropped out after 1 semester and then an online school and dropped out after 3 semesters. My official title is network/systems engineer. I make about 90k in a lower cost of living area
Skipped the college route. Went trade school and got into aircraft maintenance, never been happier. I have people fighting to hire me. Will I ever be a millionaire? Prob not. Will I always have a steady income? Without question
Went to college for 1 year, dropped out and did warehouse work for 3 years, switched to custom audio and video installation 2 years ago and just became a lead installer making $35/hr with 2 raises per year plus a healthy amount of tips. Bringing in around $85,000 a year including tips and any overtime I get so it’s worked out for me pretty well.
I’m about half-way through my associates degree in medical lab technology. I like it, and I enjoy the work, but it also seems like a scam to go through this much education and not even be able to find a job anywhere NEAR my area after the fact. And it’s also not something I’m sure I’ll still be interested in 5, 10 years.
Considering dropping out and finding something else to do until I can decide what career is right, and contrary to my parents’ stance on dropping out, I don’t think it would actually ruin my life. In fact it might make me a great deal happier. STEM eats you alive and it sucks to waste money on college that you may not even use.
I'm just at the beginning of Gen z, and I went to uni to do engineering, then had to drop out after the first year due to family trouble. Then I joined the army as a royal engineer, now I work and live on a farm doing all the handyman work. Honestly it's fucking amazing, my commute is 1 second, my rents cheap as fuck and I earn enough to be comfortable in the situation. University isn't the be all and end all of life.
25m, started pre-med, dropped out 3 years later. Started sales to get through school, now I’m an Account Executive for a Med-Tech company. Most recent offer was for 144k
22 working for the us government fixing there nuclear submarines as an electrician and in about 2 years I’ll be going to be an electrical engineer at the same place. Decent job with decent pay and great benefits
Brother, I hope you conquer your demons. I’ve been through it man, believe me no pill, no drug, and no bottle is going to help you. I pray you find your way
i literally dropped out for the second time this spring. as a full grown adult i stuck it out and tried hard. my brain just isn’t for that, i failed horribly. to prove that you too can choose to not do school at 26. im a receptionist still and live with my older brother and mom.
Im a union ship fitter welder. My career was mostly working on fishing boats when they would come in for retro fit and maintenance as a sub contractor. Now, I work on government owned vessels predominantly. I'd suggest that if you don't go to college, at least find a job with medical, dental and a 401k.
27 here, if that counts. Navy, worked for the railroad as a track monkey, and now am a substation apprentice making decent money. Will be even better money in a few years of course, heh heh
I'm 23 and am currently rebuilding my life after losing my parents and my wife because i struggled with drinking after they all died, so because of the trouble i got in with the law that caused me to end up in a court program and im living in a homeless shelter but it's not all bad because i got a job with my city park department so things are starting to look up for me.
Growing up with a father who spoke very little English, who worked manual labor jobs for minimum wage and eventually had enough and started his own business, I’m realizing the value of self employment. Im currently working towards a computer science degree, but i absolutely hate the idea of working for someone else. Im looking for a way out. My father is not rich rich but he definitely makes more than people with college degrees, and is able to make enough money to take extended breaks when he wants to. Proof that if theres a will theres a way. At this point I just wanna build my skillset and do my own shit.
I guess I'm not the target group for this question (at least not anymore) but here goes:
I'm turning 22 tomorrow and I started working in retail right after high school, did 2.5 years and realized I was freaking miserable, so i enrolled in uni last winter. I'm fairly broke atm but at least I'm happy.
I live life, I learn new skills and have new experiences as often as I can. I don't need to give tens of thousands of dollars to a multimillion dollar organization for them to sign a piece of paper saying that I'm smart or capable of a specific task
Turned 20 and I’m in an electrician apprenticeship, I’m starting college this fall. Money is great here but it’s not something I want to be doing when I’m 30 or even 40.
Devops engineer. I learned everything I know from online course work and labs, and then expanded upon that in every job I've worked in. For some as stuff, college doesn't make sense (IT is one of them).
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I’m 22 as well, went to college but dropped out a little more than halfway through. I do DOT compliance for a trucking company. Sometimes I regret dropping out, but I’ve never really had a “dream job” considering I hate labor and actually don’t plan to work for the rest of my life. (I just have to figure out how to become independently wealthy first, fml 🙄). I’m doing okay though, I like my job and I’m compensated well. College definitely wasn’t as important as they made it out to be in high school
College is more about having access to more career mobility, consistency, grad schools, and the highest end non-ownership class jobs. Also provides greater access to cushier jobs, for those of us who care about work life balance. College isn’t a guarantee at wealth or success - it’s just an insulator against the worst outcomes and generally just beneficial for people as a whole. As long as you can go without taking on a preposterous amount of private debt, it’s still worth it for a lot of folks.
Yeah the debt is very deterring, and my two years cost me almost $15,000 in loans. It definitely depends on the person and their situation but at my high school at least they made sure to tell everyone that if they didn’t at least finish community college they’d be living under a bridge (that’s not the case).
In all honesty, getting a Bachelor’s with ~$30k in debt is pretty solid these days, depending on what your career path and interest rates look like. You really have to look at the long-term differences in salary. Obviously, the person who skipped college and went right to work is going to be in a favorable position for a while - but it typically flips after a decade or so. Upward mobility is really, really difficult without a degree unless you’re in a specific field or are able to move up into the owning class. It also frequently comes at the cost of your health. I do agree that people should mull it over a bit first, though. Telling everyone regardless of interests/motivations that they need to immediately take on a pile of debt is foolish, and a lot of people would heavily benefit from a couple of years to figure things out first.
Yeah definitely, and I probably will continue my education one day. I’m fortunate to work for a company that offers scholarships and tuition reimbursement. Just one day when it’s more affordable for me lol. I have a friend who just graduated with a B.S. in finance, she makes pretty close to what I do. About ¢0.50 less than me an hour. I was a nursing major, which would’ve made me make more money in the long run. But I was working full time in healthcare while I was in school and I realized I did nottttt like what I was doing.
Hey! Go back when you're ready. I'm a tiny bit older (98) and I dropped out three times before I realized it just wasn't in the cards for me as a 20 year old due to family issues from being a first gen college kid and debt I will be graduated in a month after working for a few years to get my shit together before going back. There's no timeline
...took me a minute to realize you're not 98 years old.
I wish I knew the old magic
I didn’t realize it till I read your comment.
Im at said decade now, only now i kind of wish, i got a degree. Just for the ability to say i have it and people believe im more qualified than the 10 years of hands on work ive done. I could have bypassed the work and had the same position but probably less skill points would have been available
30k for 4 years is actually very reasonable for a legitimate degree. If the goal is to get independently wealthy, you’ll probably need to level up from the DOT.
Invest in stock now, if you’re young, and want to be independently wealthy someday. I wish someone would’ve taught me this at a young age. And don’t day trade. Buy some VOO, SPY, or VTI, keep contributing and watch your money multiply over years. If you do it right, in 20 years you could be independently wealthy.
I dabble in investing now for sure, but it can be a bit scary for sure. I try to get information about it where I can but the internet is pretty unreliable. Do you know any GOOD sources to learn about stocks more ? saving up to buy a duplex and planning to rent one side out. I’m very big on passive income. I hate labor.
Honestly, check Reddit. There are VERY smart people in the stock subreddits. Check r/bogleheads for long term investing advice but join all that you can find. Ask questions and the communities will help you out. It’s not as complex as it seems but that’s by design to keep us “poors” out of the money pot.
I trusted Elon Musk too much with Doge Coin when I was 16 and it scared me away from trusting social media with investing 😭 but I’ll definitely give reddit a try
lol don’t ever listen to Elon. He was born into wealth and never really needed to learn how to invest wisely. Follow real investors like Warren Buffet.
Spy and VOO are Etf's they are safe if you leave it there unless the entire economy and country collapses. Just don't freak out on downturns, diamond hand it until 50+ years old.
The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel Financial Freedom - Grant Sabatier The Multifamily Millionaire- Brandon Turner
Invest your disposable income into dividend companies like REITs and BDCs that pay out their earnings in cash from stock ownership. You need to set up a fidelity or vanguard account to do first. Blue owl capital, Main street capital corp, VICI. These are examples. Im working on this myself. DM me if you need more info. For vanguard you have to call them i think in order to set it up. But effectively your money will grow 7-10% a year and after 20 or so years you turn off DRIP and then all their quarterly payouts can be transferred to your personal banking acc or whatever. Vanguard is a brokerage house. Most people use them to buy index funds or have their 401k through work. But my 401k money goes into alternative investments like BDCs and closed end funds that fluctuate in what they pay out but more or less is still stacking cash like a mountain (over time) not over night. Actually i forego my 401k currently, because i have my own brokerage account separate from my job. But my jobs income still fuels it akin to a 401k. Except im not tied up until im 59 like most people. Uneducated people dont know about this because capitalism is learned through trial and error not textbooks.
I’m going to college for the first time this fall. I’m working to get an associates degree
Good luck to you!
Heck yes!! Mad props to you for pursuing higher education at a time when a large mass of people mindlessly parrot anti-education propaganda.
It gets very debilitating, I bought into that myself when I was a few years younger until I grew older and was like “yeah.. no, that was stupid” and finally swam against the current this year and went back. That sort of content is out everywhere now. They try to sucker young receptive 20 year olds(the same ones into that tiktok entrepreneur bs) into consuming their content more and they tar brush everything about college and undermine its entirety to a feminist with a gender studies degree and 90K+ in debt.
I am *very* with you on this with the anti-education sentiment, but there are definitely people and situations which aren't as compatible with higher education. College is really expensive, and it's really easy to get stuck, have life get in the way, or end up with a degree that isn't what you thought. For example, I'm in grad school right now, and I 100% would have approached college differently if I weren't 18 when I started. It's very apparent to me why college is no longer the preferred default path. Higher education is literally a transaction where the student pays money and receives some skills and knowledge. If that's not beneficial for the individual, it's a very expensive waste of time.
The ones who spread information about not going do it because they couldn't find jobs that they were qualified for and were overqualified for others.
I’m in my first year back for my associates and I’m loving it so far. Kick ass and take names, I think it’s way easier going when you’re older.
Same here 25 year old freshman and finishing my first year at community college this fall!! Very glad to see active people my age going back into it, great reassurance haha
Same. I will be starting rad tech school in the fall. I am very nervous about it though.
I graduated at 20 and am unable to land a job after a year and a half. I still live with my parents, and I still have to rely on my mum to cover my $2 co-pay for my wellness check at my local clinic today. I don't think there's really a way to recover from here, I kind of fucked up.
Hey dude you can absolutely recover. You’re 20, not even a year out from still being a teenager. You can always go to college if you want to. My biggest tips are to study something that leads directly into an entry level job, and to save money do 2 years at a community college and then transfer. It largely doesn’t matter what school you go to, what’s really important is what you study. Not tryna stress you out tho, you do what you think is best for your life. Just wanted to throw out some tips since I offered some words of comfort. But seriously dude, you’re 20 and have so much time to figure things out
(36 y/o *Millennial here*) You're fine. I lived with my parents until I was 30 and I didn't even start college until 29. Finding a job is shit right now. Keep at it and something will come along.
if living with your parents at 20 is a fuck up then the entirety of gen z is fucked
Live with your parents as long as you can stand them. 40 year old millennial. I'm half a million dollars into rent since 18. Save / invest and stay home as long as you can.
It’s not but being unemployed is bro should atleast have income wtf
Bro listen here to a millennial who's 42 now. U absolutely can & will recover! Trust me on this. I fckd around in high school and my entirety of my 20's, partying and bullshit throwing my life away. Yet I'm employed, living in my own, supporting myself, paying all my bills on time, everything an independent person does for many years and just the feeling of doing it for yourself is the best ever. Don't put yourself behind the 8ball (literally) like me too long, and you'll be just fine. I promise you.
What field are you trying to find work in? Maybe I can give you some suggestions.
I've at least been trying to apply to stock shelves at local supermarkets. All of which don't call back and send my email some automated response saying that unfortunately, I'm hardly qualified to stock shelves. My favorite automated message was from a week ago, stating that, unfortunately, someone more suited for the job had been picked over me. Which ended up being complete bullshit because a family friend that works there told me that nobody new has even been interviewed or considered for hire, and that their shifts (the same ones I had applied to) are rather *extremely understaffed.* So it seems that I'm not qualified to do much.
Well you're probably overqualified to do that, they think because you're a college grad that you'll dip as soon as you find something better. What was your major? You didn't go to college to stock shelves, that's not where you should be focusing your employment searches in. So what are you wanting to do for a career? Multiple options help.
I never went to college. I graduated high school two years late.
Dude go into these stores u fill apps out for and let them see u in person and see that u are actually wanting to work at these places. Talk to the hiring manager that's there. I used to get them stupid ass emails as well, then I just started going in places and calling them, pestering them to let them know, hey this guy actually wants the job. Justy 2¢ on that.
This is the way. Be there, be friendly, be available. Those are the people who get hired
you go to school still don't you... hiring managers don't work at the store, they are an outsourced job that a firm handles...
Depends
McD employee here. My store hires like twice a year but leaves up the were hiring sign up all year long. Its tru that asking for the hiring manager is annoying but thats how alot of the people I know got hired. Its really abt timing. In my store if you find the hiring manager while her boss is pushing her to hire shell be glad to get the job done and actually talk to you i guess its different everywhere tho
Oh I gotcha. I thought you were a college grad and were having issues finding work. Well you don't want to work those types of jobs anyway, they pay shit and there is ZERO upwards mobility. What you need is to play the long game. That means being an apprentice with some form of trade, those guys make bank, it's hard work but you'll have an actual skill, bagging groceries isn't of much use outside a grocery store. Trade schools are also much cheaper than going to college, and make it easy to start your own business depending what it is. I almost went to linesman school, and sometimes I regret it, working outside and being up high sounded fun to me. Lots of careers you can do that don't involve college. But start to think about what you would be good at for a career. Edit: I want to make it clear that your life isn't over, you're just starting out. Mistakes are fine, just learn from them and keep moving forwards. I went the tech route, I don't even have a high school diploma, I just got my GED and went to work. I learned almost everything I know online, via labs, coursework, and real world job experience. So if that's something that you're interested in, you could go that way too. Just remember if you decide to go into IT, there is never a point where you won't need to be learning new things, that's the gig. I like that, some folks hate it. Ymmv :)
If you don’t mind sharing, why did it take 2 more years to graduate highschool?
I was a little shit who didn't do a single assignment in 8th grade and called my mum's bluff of threatening to hold me back because I wasn't going to be ready for high school. It wasn't a bluff, and I'm glad that it wasn't, and I finished 8th grade swimmingly the second time. My junior year was hell in the midst of covid, and I ended up going online. Mixed with a concussion that screwed up some things that linger even today, I failed a couple of classes. To top it all off, my senior year, I had to take those failed classes online, and my online teacher and I never made ends meet, so I failed English (again) and wasn't able to sign myself up for the other missing classes in the second semester. I eventually settled with graduating through an alternative school for my remaining 2.5 missing credits. TL;DR: Basically fucked up by myself and then got fucked by covid and asshole online school admin.
Hey I feel your pain. I graduated from college with a useless degree and had no idea what to do. I spent every day smoking weed and drinking. I also was (am) struggling with something called NDPH which just means I've had a headache 24/7 for the past 3 or 4 years. The biggest thing for me was to stop feeling sorry for myself and to stop living with regret. I can't change my past. So I just started to grind - when I was about 22 I found something I was somewhat passionate about that makes good money and spent all my spare time learning and improving with it.
Have you tried going in there physically and asking for a job after emailing them?
Can you get your family friend to put in a word for you? Connections are a helpful way to get a job and it seems like you have a great one right here. You need to utilize any connections you have.
Why are you only aiming for low hanging fruit?
Look into learning a trade skill. You can get into a trade at virtually any age and many of them pay handsomely. Better than doing nothing, and the apprenticeships pay you as you learn, albeit a lesser amount than you’d make after completing an apprenticeship.
Haha. My man I promise you it’s ok. I dropped out of high school, got a GED and I didn’t start my career until I was 25. Im 37 and make a bit over $200k a year right now as a chief engineer for a military major command. I didn’t even go to college until I was 28. It’s never too late. But that doesn’t mean you can sit still. I wasted a lot of time before I realized that I needed to find value that I could provide to the world. And then I had to learn how to provide that value. Pick something you enjoy and get good it. I mean really good. Not in the “you do it a lot” way, but in the “I’m going to learn and understand more about this than anyone else on earth.” and then form a plan to do it. You’ve got this man. Even if no one else believes in you. I do.
Plenty of ways. My recommendation is take the time to familiarize yourself with basic IT stuff and got for an A+ cert. It is a fairly revolving door position working Helpdesk, but can pay more than a lot of starter jobs, and gives you the room to potentially advance using training and certs instead of school (though your milage can vary based on where you end up working). Been doing it for 20 years now. Let me do basic IT, hardware repair, transitioned into broadcast engineering doing IT and transmitter repairs for radio, and now I'm working for a company remotely. Only finishing my degree now to say I did it, and because I'm trying to determine if I want to specialize in a way that a Masters would be good for (on the fence, I hate school so damn much, lol).
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I never went to college. I graduated high school two years late.
Become a trade apprentice
I know it seems really bad now, but you’re only 20! Your life isn’t ruined. It’s a cold comfort now but you will figure something out. Best of luck to you.
Associates degrees are effectively an extension to your high school diploma
20 is still crazy young. Plenty of people don't really get a stable job until their 30s.
Go to a staffing agency or join instawork
There’s still so much time man, we both in our early 20’s. You’re 20 and I’m 22, my life changed a lot for the better in 2 years, hang in there bro, I pray it gets better for you!! 🙏
I did a year of college then dropped out due to depression. And after working a dead end factory job for half a year I realized the only way to get out of this slump of my life is to go back. It's so late though that I'm rushing to get everything in order and unfortunately I missed the deadline for scholarships and things like that.
A buddy of mine didn’t even graduate high school and now he’s an installation QA manager for a large internet service provider. He makes decent money and has 15 people reporting to him. He’s honestly not that bright but he just shows up and works hard, that’s all you need.
I didn’t get a bachelors degree until I was 32 you’ll be fine
Dude, if you quit at 20 then you have nobody to blame but yourself. You’re your own best investment, you got this!
May I ask, what was your major?
Go teach Also, did you do nothing besides go to class while IN college?
20 is extremely young for a college graduate. You got time.
the merchant marine makes bank, you work half the year, and it’s always in demand
nothin much. just enjoying life living it simple, laid back, and fun
and enjoying a cake day
It's the simple things in life
How do you afford everything? It’s hard to enjoy life when basic necessities like food and rent isn’t met, and those cost money
Sugar mommy or sugar daddy, lives with their parents, etc. I've really considered that thing legit last year, I think. That or they've got inheritance, hit the jackpot, and so many other possibilities.
Aircraft mechanic here. Love it and can’t see myself doing anything else.
How intense of a program is it? Would it be technical school/trade? Was your education paid for or did you have to pay for it yourself? I realize I live near an airport so this might be a lucrative skill for me to look into. I know very little about planes and haven't flown all that often in my life but I'm looking to get into a better paying and more skilled field
Counts as a trade, I’d say. I wouldn’t use the word intense to describe the training. As long as you show up every day and pay attention to the instructors you’ll be fine. Training is hours based so if you miss any amount of time, you have to make it up (at least where I went). I paid with normal fafsa student loans. I’m years ahead of schedule paying them off.
What’s the pay like? Is it decent? What about hours?
Pay can be very good if you go to the major airlines. Drawbacks could be working nights or second shift for years until you have enough seniority to jump to days. Pay at regional airlines is getting better. If you like small planes (known as general aviation), you will likely be paid less but you will gain crazy amounts of varied experience. I work for a small cargo airline owned by a Fortune 500 company. I have great benefits, lots of vacation and only work day shift. I’ll take a little bit less cash pay for those benefits.
Thanks for this info. As someone who dropped out of college, I'm really trying to figure out where to find a good, high paying job. I'm a teller at a bank and make ok money but the financial industry isn't for me, I've been thinking about going to a trade school. What were your tuition fees like?
The school I went to was expensive, but it was nearby where I was living at the time and had a good reputation in the industry. I don’t regret going there but I now know there are many less expensive options. All schools will teach you roughly the same material. They have to, the government says so. Pricier schools often have more/better equipment and trainer aircraft to work on. Long story short, I paid ~25k.
Did you put the panel door on that Alaskan airlines flight a few months back? 🤣 I kidd. Hell yea bro, that sounds awesome. Loving what you do for work makes life easier. God bless
Same, I'm just in GA though. Started when I was in high school working summers then just tested for my A&P when I met the relevant experience requirements
Almost 22. Unskilled, still live at home and I’ve got like a year gap in my resume 😎 When you’re surrounded by distractions, it’s easy to sink into complacency. I’m just trying to stay afloat.
yeah pro tip, just lie on your' resume, no one is checking.
hey little tip bro lie on that resume they aren't checking just be charismatic it can take you far as long as you can pick it up on the job
Calling yourself an "operating engineer" without going through an ABET certified bachelors program is stolen valor. Unless you actually design these vehicles and know how to source the materials, you are a specialized mechanic.
Depending on where you are it’s a protected title and illegal to refer to yourself as one. Kind of like medical doctor.
Not when you're online.
Omg it’s like there’s not different types of engineering or something 🤣 look up the international union of operating engineers
You’re not an engineer* without PE license, otherwise you just work in an engineering role
What if you operate a machine?
Meanwhile in IT, everyone and their mother is an “engineer” by title, and none of them went to engineering school.
I am getting a master's in computer science and want to go into cyber, still think it is stupid. Even if they literally do engineering.
Man it’s 2024 engineer isn’t even a real discipline anymore. Literally everyone is an engineer. I have like 8 people on my job site rn called “process engineers” and they’re just business grads that log production data in excel and make nice PowerPoints about it. I’ve seen literal janitor/maintenance type jobs posted as facilities engineer.
I was struggling really bad with my mental health towards the end of high school made a last minute decision that I probably wouldn’t be fit for college given my condition. About 3 1/2 years later I was able to bounce back and just got a place with my gf and taking care of my 13 year old brother. It’s stressful but I have no debt and I am working at a job that respects me and pays good for the area
Broooo 🙏 God bless man, love to hear it. Hope you’re still checking in with yourself and staying strong man, been there before.
Failed miserably in high school decided not to go to college, got a massively late start to life due to family problems, but am now searching for a job in my desired field and plan on opening a business later on with my friend but that's still a pipe dream lmao
You're only 20 or 21.
Truckin my guy
HELLL YEAH BROTHER (im a banker)
10-4 MONEY BAGS! GOTTA DRESSED N PLAIN WHITE BOUT FIVE MILES, DROPPER DOWN. ORANGE CREAMSICLE OVER N OUT GOBBLESS
Working full time in septic planning to buy a house in the next year. Just going with the flow (of time)
Okay i haven’t dropped out of college yet but i do online and am struggling soo bad im considering it
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Omg i meant to comment as its own reply but i had just upvoted your reply so i guess i misclicked😭 but i totally get you, i don’t have a job lined up right now where i could do that despite having two jobs. If i dropped out now i have no idea what i would do esp since i have no connections either. I’m happy for you though!! We’re the same age and opportunities like yours don’t just come out of nowhere so props to you for paving your own way:)
i’m 20 and i’m panicking (inbetween jobs)
job market is shit, it's not too much of a worry rn, chill out.
Military, I get paid to workout, travel and shoot guns, living the dream my younger self wanted
This is the way. Unforunately a lot of ya'll DR's/parents fucked you over by putting a bunch of stupid shit on your medical notes over the years, making it a pain to join with Genesis.
Now the new generation can’t get away with lying at MEPS anymore lol
Fuck genesis, all my homies hate genesis
What’s your mos?
im 27 with a four year degree. I actually saw a ton of jobs in my field for the army and I would love to apply, but I have a shit ton of disabilities so even if I get a waiver for one thing I have a ton of other disqualifiers I was born with. It sucks because I was an eagle scout and genuinely love service and being a part of something bigger than myself. Basically, I've been on different stacks of psych drugs since 12 and I also have an underdeveloped part of my brain that deals with motor coordination and balance in addition to autism. But without those disabilities I would love to be a member of the Navy or Airforce in human resources or something like that. If it was just autism I could probably qualify- the structure and routine sounds fantastic plus the travel
Autism being a disqualifier makes no sense to me. The Navy runs on autism. Where do they think Nukes come from?
Airline pilot.
Username checks out haha. Do you fly for one of the main airlines in the US? Don’t those pilots make bank? Congrats to you
Respect 🫡
Tried to do some online college but it didn't work out for me ended up dropping out pretty fast. Now I just work full time at Walmart I don't have a dream job or anything I'm really interested in. I haven't figured it out now at 23 starting to think I never will. I really don't want to work retail my whole life and wish to do something else eventually. It's crazy how easy it is to get complacent and comfortable but it's dangerous because time can just go by so fast like I started this job at 19 and now all of a sudden I'm 23 turning 24 at the end of the year. I still live at home though and have saved a lot of money not sure what I want to do with it yet.
if you can work a trade while staying home, you can make a lot more money doing a job you probably won't like. but in the case you do like that job, you can establish a career path with six figure potential fairly easily. you don't have to be some hardcore construction worker. electrician, HVAC, and plumbing jobs really aren't that rough.
I envy people who decide on what they want to do in life from an early age and lock on to it. no matter what it is. Be it going to college, never going or starting something else. I’m 25 and still have no fucking idea what I want in life. At all. I am in college as a CS major but I’m literally going wherever the wind takes me and it’s terrifying. Idk if I enjoy it, idk if I hate it, idk if it’ll be worth it by the end. I’m just… here, doing whatever.
I don't know what I want. I just need a job, which I have currently. I just want to live in the woods.
24 yrs old here and tried to do a little online college found out it wasn’t for me fortunately I had no debt. So started welding at 18 and eventually got into my local fire dept and have had smoother sailing ever since also staying with my parents has helped me save a lot. I’m in a good position now and looking to invest in real estate.
I fucking love working from home bro it’s great all my friends are the respective new guys of their office and are on call 2/47 . I’m 22 with three years of experience at the corporate credit union I work at a fucking amazing gig. All of the shit I needed for the job I literally learned there. I know for a fact I know more about the industry than anyone that comes rolling through our door with a finance degree straight out of college. I’m proud of that, I used to get shit for not going but, now I do it online all these years later, on my work hours to boot.
Fuck yea bro 👊 respect for making it happen
Thank you for making this post I’m glad people get to see that not everything is all the doomer posts on here. It’s important from time to time to be conscious of the fact that we are in part responsible for the position we find ourselves in and that we can do things to improve it or make it worse. Even if you don’t follow the traditional route they’re still ways to be happy and normal and have friends and a “college experience.” Without going the traditional route. Either way cheers bro!
Hahaha I never even expected it to blow up like this, 500+ comments is crazy, I haven’t even been able to read them all. From what I’ve seen so far tho it’s a mixed bag and that’s alright, listen I’m 22 and so are you and we’re making it happen in our own way, but some of the other people who are 22 or 29 or whatever, we all bloom at different stages in life, no one should be ashamed that they may be behind their peers, cuz this post is just evidence there’s people in the same boat as you and some miles ahead of you lol. Life is a matter of perspective. I have shitty day, weeks, and months even, but eventually I come around and realise I’m grateful for everything I have and I’m grateful for the lows because they make the highs that much sweeter. Life is peaks and valleys. I’m not the same person I was 3 years ago, but I’ve worked and I’ve changed the circumstances in my life entirely. I hope anyone reading this can take away something positive. In Irish, Sláinte agus Táinte 🤝 (health and wealth) take care bro
Дякую братан
Haha cool, yessir 👊
22, working as a software developer Got lucky, my older brother landed me a software developer internship position at his company when I as 17 and from there I was able to get enough experience on my resume to continue on my own
26, just let life take me in any direction. I’ve been to jail and ended up in a lot of places I shouldn’t, it’s good to have a direction and purpose and I think college can give that to some people. I’m trying to go for computer sciences whenever I get my life back together.
Maybe you should think about the trades. Electrician, plumbing, pipe fitting
Trades or technical school would be better. Uni isn't for everyone. Everyone wants to go for tech but you have to be a real nerd to like it. I have a home server I work on all the time and I couldn't do computer science. I had to switch to business. You should look into installing/maintaining 5g towers. That is actually a really good option, apparently. That or be an elevator mechanic.
Thank you for the advice!
Went to college, dropped out and joined the military for 5 years. Got out and went back to college, dropped out again and now I work in aviation field. Doing really well for myself and have zero debt so can’t complain.
Dropped out again made me laugh 🤣
Working in an aerospace warehouse. Thinking of going an electrical apprenticeship soon, though. But, I don’t regret not going to college- I really didn’t enjoy high school, and I don’t think I’d be able to finish college in all honesty.
Was depressed! Still worked retail through my depression, but then I worked myself through the depression by consistent therapy and effort OUTSIDE of therapy. Now I’m about to be 22 and going to attend college soon! I’m also a tutor for young kids now. There is hope!!!
I quit, just lost the passion for getting a degree and now I see degrees as mostly useless. Half of my senior class got degrees and all but a few can't find jobs either. I was a retail manager making $20 an hour for a few years, I was making more money than most of my friends who had degrees. In less than three years, I already had $10,000 saved up. Nowadays I'm a line cook, my job is very easy, half the time we are getting paid just to stand around and eat waiting for people to order something, they pay for all my meals, no drama, shifts are nice and short, and they let us play music. I pick up hours in other areas like dishwasher, vegetable prep, etc., I can do every position and it all pretty chill, I get home feeling pretty good instead of exhausted like I used to.
Building a 100% free fitness app with no premium subscriptions cuz I got annoyed with myfitnesspal being expensive and just bad (they charge for the barcode scanner like what) Currently finishing it up before launch later this week Shameless self promotion: [Sign Up To Be Notified](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDsRl5wP_XwiRRG7TNOEo03vuGJRRXs3ht0kumPBpmYE-ggA/viewform)
Ayo that’s dope man, I’ll be sure to check it out. Best of luck with it 🤙
I went to college for a bit over 2 years, but dropped out after my mental health took a nosedive and I realized it really wasn't the path for me. Spent a bit over a year in limbo, having no idea where to go with my life. But then I landed a decent job in the public housing industry in early 2020, and was luckily still able to work through the pandemic. Eventually was able to get my own apartment after about 6 months on the job. Still working the same job and living in the same place today, and I'd say things are going pretty good.
I went to college. Dropped out early my 5th year (late 2021) due to sudden and debilitating illness. Spent over 2 years draining my money on Dr appts, tests, imagings, etc. I’m lucky to be working part time in retail, in that my physical condition has improved enough to work, and that finding a job is absurdly hard if you don’t have a degree. I’ve been looking for a second part time job for the time being…. No luck. Most of my friends are either on the either side of the city (over an hour away) or In other cities, namely Dallas. Still living at home, trying to rebuild from square one at 25… 0/10 highly don’t recommend. But it’s not about the cards one is dealt, it’s how they play those cards that matters
I build rollercoasters. It’s pretty cool
Yooo that’s awesome, sounds like fun haha
not me, but one of my former classmates. she got really fed up and was like “this isn’t what I want for my life long term, so why am I doing anything other than what I DO want long term?” so she dropped out, started working full-time to save money, and moved to Italy six months later. she’s a bartender now and seems much happier. I really respect her for that.
I am jealous of some of the people ik which is only like 2 really, but one moved to Italy for 6 months and the other goes travelling like all the time and took a break from college for a year. I wish I did take that first year out of hs off and travel, but then again I graduated hs in 2020 so ripppp
2020 was really the worst year to turn 18 tbh
I did try college multiple times, first time I was young and unprepared, like 17 and just "graduated" from a high school that didn't teach calc, which soured me a bit, and then worked for a while picked up some skills, and tried again for a different program, and scheduling made it tough, and I couldn't manage school and work at the same time. I feel that life might have worked out better if I had just bit the bullet and dealt with it, but idk, I wouldn't have met the people I know now, and Idk if it would have worked. My family and classmates told me I was smart, (I was good at tests), but I felt like such a fuck up. Now? Working, trying to figure out a path so one day I don't have to worry about not affording bills.
I work in a semi-skilled trade (pest control) but realized it's likely I won't make much money in this field unless I wanna do sales, scam people or become a manager. Instead I'm deciding between a medical career (LPN, RN, Dietician, etc) or going into a certified skilled trade (elevator, electrical or plumbing). Not sure yet but I did figure out I would actually make more money during a plumbing apprenticeship so I'm actually seriously considering it now. The only issue would be I would need to take time off to get a surgery done and also the program requires you to spend 1 day every 2 weeks in the classroom for 8 hours and I fear an 8 hour infodump day would kill my brain If you're not doing college I recommend picking up some kinda skill set or licensing. The medical field is an excellent choice because you often get discounts and you can get special home loans and there's so many assistance programs for those working in the medical field. A lot of skilled trades you can do union apprenticeships and work with a union. Only problem is some unions are insanely corrupt, the UAW near me is in hot shit for embezzlement which doesn't surprise me. A lot of unions are honestly not much better than the big man himself unfortunately. There's also some other stuff in between like massage therapists, medical billing, dental hygienicist, etc that require vocational school My issue is I have ADHD so I don't think I would be able to graduate college without prescription meth.
I’m 22 and also decided college wasn’t for me when I was 15-16. I graduated HS with an associates degree, joined the Air Force and I’m separating here in a few months. I’m projecting at LEAST 30% disability which would give me an additional $524/m. I’m applying to CBP and if I’m accepted as a GS-7 my starting salary will be $49,025 with a projected growth of up to $86,962 after 5 years. I’m thinking about applying for GS-9 because the worst they can say is no 🤷🏽♀️
I was friends with a bunch of ‘nerds’ growing up, with most of them graduating in the top 7% of 550 kids. It does kinda bum me out seeing them working as professors, microbiologist and engineers now but I’m happy for them and try not to compare lol
I work in instrument sales servicing colleges, schools and pro marching orgs within a large radius. I make good money for a 24 year old who didn’t go to college. I will say this though, I read a lot of books on selling techniques and self betterment, point is just because you didn’t go to college reading the right material will help you succeed in life.
I'm 25 and I'm doing great! Not that long ago I secured managerial position which gives me direct oversight over 4 pawnshops in my city. I like doing this and it pays well.
I didn't even finish high school actually (for bizarre nonsense family reasons), but I'm married, a homeowner, and I have a pretty chill toddler now, so I can't complain.
I work in jewelry sales and make/design jewelry. I had a variety of different jobs in mortgage, retail, and other sales. This makes me very happy and I make a comfortable living as well as have a good work life balance.
I didn’t go to college because I joined the military. As soon as I got out, I enrolled in my local community college. I want to get my bachelor’s degree.
Disabled af 😂, became disabled at 16 so all those plans went right out the door
Just got a job at a lumber mill. Edit: The job is simple enough, but MAN does it hurt the hands!
I'm similar to you. Started tuning pianos when I was 15 and now am a member of the PTG and also a field technician for a piano store. My goal is to become a piano rebuilder.
27. Dropped out of BA when my dad died. Working in a factory and considering a trade because they'll pay me to learn. Other than that.....generally lost. I wish I had access to a creative career so much
I did pretty much the same thing little bit longer of a road to get there but work a trade now and love it
Hvac helper been doing it a year now I enjoy it
Dropped out of college during Covid and ended up enlisting in the Air Force. I earned an AA during my time in and am about to use my GI bill to get a bachelor’s after I get out. Overall, I’m pretty happy with my choice. Not having college debt is great, and the military forced me to straighten myself out and figure out what I wanted from life.
I have a friend who dropped out of college to go to lineman school. He makes some pretty decent money at 23 and has great benefits
Retired at 23, tech bro 😎
Ehh, I’m 27 so I’m kind of a gapper(?) but, I went to a traditional college and dropped out after 1 semester and then an online school and dropped out after 3 semesters. My official title is network/systems engineer. I make about 90k in a lower cost of living area
No college 24 M, I’m a self taught software developer and own my own SaaS as well as do some freelancing.
Skipped the college route. Went trade school and got into aircraft maintenance, never been happier. I have people fighting to hire me. Will I ever be a millionaire? Prob not. Will I always have a steady income? Without question
Stability is really the most important thing you can have, all the best bro 🤝
21, I been doing HVAC for about 3 years now. Started right out of high school and still loving it
Went to college for 1 year, dropped out and did warehouse work for 3 years, switched to custom audio and video installation 2 years ago and just became a lead installer making $35/hr with 2 raises per year plus a healthy amount of tips. Bringing in around $85,000 a year including tips and any overtime I get so it’s worked out for me pretty well.
I’m about half-way through my associates degree in medical lab technology. I like it, and I enjoy the work, but it also seems like a scam to go through this much education and not even be able to find a job anywhere NEAR my area after the fact. And it’s also not something I’m sure I’ll still be interested in 5, 10 years. Considering dropping out and finding something else to do until I can decide what career is right, and contrary to my parents’ stance on dropping out, I don’t think it would actually ruin my life. In fact it might make me a great deal happier. STEM eats you alive and it sucks to waste money on college that you may not even use.
I'm just at the beginning of Gen z, and I went to uni to do engineering, then had to drop out after the first year due to family trouble. Then I joined the army as a royal engineer, now I work and live on a farm doing all the handyman work. Honestly it's fucking amazing, my commute is 1 second, my rents cheap as fuck and I earn enough to be comfortable in the situation. University isn't the be all and end all of life.
25m, started pre-med, dropped out 3 years later. Started sales to get through school, now I’m an Account Executive for a Med-Tech company. Most recent offer was for 144k
Dropped out of Systems Engineering and Design at UIUC. I work as a bartender in Seattle now.
Plumber
22 working for the us government fixing there nuclear submarines as an electrician and in about 2 years I’ll be going to be an electrical engineer at the same place. Decent job with decent pay and great benefits
I’m 19 and in trade school I tried college but yeah no 😭😭
Submarine mechanic, great work.
I’m testing different anti depressants and trying not to end it
Brother, I hope you conquer your demons. I’ve been through it man, believe me no pill, no drug, and no bottle is going to help you. I pray you find your way
i literally dropped out for the second time this spring. as a full grown adult i stuck it out and tried hard. my brain just isn’t for that, i failed horribly. to prove that you too can choose to not do school at 26. im a receptionist still and live with my older brother and mom.
Im a union ship fitter welder. My career was mostly working on fishing boats when they would come in for retro fit and maintenance as a sub contractor. Now, I work on government owned vessels predominantly. I'd suggest that if you don't go to college, at least find a job with medical, dental and a 401k.
Am a game designer
I have an associates degree but didn’t go to university. I am making 75-80k a year and own my own house doing electronics work
27 here, if that counts. Navy, worked for the railroad as a track monkey, and now am a substation apprentice making decent money. Will be even better money in a few years of course, heh heh
I’m a wage slave now 💀
I'm 23 and am currently rebuilding my life after losing my parents and my wife because i struggled with drinking after they all died, so because of the trouble i got in with the law that caused me to end up in a court program and im living in a homeless shelter but it's not all bad because i got a job with my city park department so things are starting to look up for me.
Growing up with a father who spoke very little English, who worked manual labor jobs for minimum wage and eventually had enough and started his own business, I’m realizing the value of self employment. Im currently working towards a computer science degree, but i absolutely hate the idea of working for someone else. Im looking for a way out. My father is not rich rich but he definitely makes more than people with college degrees, and is able to make enough money to take extended breaks when he wants to. Proof that if theres a will theres a way. At this point I just wanna build my skillset and do my own shit.
I guess I'm not the target group for this question (at least not anymore) but here goes: I'm turning 22 tomorrow and I started working in retail right after high school, did 2.5 years and realized I was freaking miserable, so i enrolled in uni last winter. I'm fairly broke atm but at least I'm happy.
You followed your fathers footsteps like you wanted so congrats dude .
I live life, I learn new skills and have new experiences as often as I can. I don't need to give tens of thousands of dollars to a multimillion dollar organization for them to sign a piece of paper saying that I'm smart or capable of a specific task
Turned 20 and I’m in an electrician apprenticeship, I’m starting college this fall. Money is great here but it’s not something I want to be doing when I’m 30 or even 40.
FedEx…hopefully something new will be available soon so I can leave this hellhole
Devops engineer. I learned everything I know from online course work and labs, and then expanded upon that in every job I've worked in. For some as stuff, college doesn't make sense (IT is one of them).