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What you're really asking is how can I have all the upside of a college degree without any of the work. You could order one of fake diplomas online with fake transcripts and live in fear for your incredibly short office job career. OR you can do as another poster said and go to CC and get those grades up. You could just suck it up and learn a trade. I'm not sure what you were told about the military but unless you're an officer you will be some sort of trade work as an enlisted solider/airmen. Some just happens to be more technical than others.
I don't want to go to community college because I don't want to miss out. I don't want to be lonely. I read at community college everyone usually just goes to school and leaves right away and doesn't care to talk to anyone. But in regular college people come up to you. I wonder if I'll ever have a group of real friends. Not short term friends or acquatiences who only talk to you for a few weeks on Facebook. I haven't had a girlfriend either. And it sounds like I might not for many years to come (unless it happens outside of college). How can I focus on work/school without even a true friend or girlfriend to emotionally support me? I don't care to be alone for life, that's a losers life. My life would be empty.
I am willing to go to a community college (wherever I end up living) and work towards going to a university. I've visited a trade school and it was so depressing I felt like it was a black hole sucking out my soul. It was machinery and welding and stuff and there was barely anyone there, and even worse it was pretty much just guys. College is supposed to be fun. You're supposed to make friends and party if you want (I don't want to drink because it led to my parents divorce and my dad still drinks, I probably have the alcoholic gene in me), meet someone special and have a study dates, start becoming independent and learning who you are, maturing (well some people, others will take longer to mature), fork study groups with friends. I've already missed so much if life, money alone won't fill the void. I feel I have creativity which shouldn't be locked in my brain forever. I ain't a blue collar guy, I might not even be a white collar guy, I wanted to be a content creator really passionately. I daydream about my dream future life everyday. I'm sure we all do, at least from time to time.
I am willing to go to a community college (wherever I end up living) and work towards going to a university. I've visited a trade school and it was so depressing I felt like it was a black hole sucking out my soul. It was machinery and welding and stuff and there was barely anyone there, and even worse it was pretty much just guys. College is supposed to be fun. You're supposed to make friends and party if you want (I don't want to drink because it led to my parents divorce and my dad still drinks, I probably have the alcoholic gene in me), meet someone special and have a study dates, start becoming independent and learning who you are, maturing (well some people, others will take longer to mature), fork study groups with friends. I've already missed so much if life, money alone won't fill the void. I feel I have creativity which shouldn't be locked in my brain forever. I ain't a blue collar guy, I might not even be a white collar guy, I wanted to be a content creator really passionately. I daydream about my dream future life everyday. I'm sure we all do, at least from time to time.
College is about learning everything else is a byproduct. I'm sure if you went to a CC you could make friends and find all the fun you want. If you wanted to not be a blue collar worker why did you not try harder in HS? A GPA of 1.8 isn't going to be kicking down doors. If your GPA is so low in HS how do you expect to do well in College? Some people just aren't college material and blue collar fields are not horrible fields. Some are very well paying.
This is the problem we see with so many people in the world. I see it especially related to how people handle money. People want money and financial security, but they aren't willing to do the hard work to earn the higher income and/or aren't willing to give up some comfort/luxury to cut spending so they can save more; and then they get angry and resentful at people who are willing to do those things and who are better off financially as a result.
You're pretty much doing the same thing....You put so many limits on what you are willing to do that your odds of succeeding are only slightly better than playing the lottery..Then you come on CD and ask us to come up with some magical solution when there is none. There is no magic. There are no shortcuts. There is no easy. When you accept that and adapt accordingly, life actually starts to get easier (but not easy). Most jobs suck at least part of the time. This is life.
Furthermore, you really shouldn't trust your ability to predict what jobs you'll like and which ones you won't. Most of us are really bad at that. A lot of times it boils down to the people you work with/social environment you work in than the job itself...or at least that is a major component.
I think you should really listen to this podcast called "Why 'Follow Your Passion' Is Bad Advice"
It turns out, passion often comes AFTER months/years of doing the boring/mundane grunt work and learning to do something really well, not the other way around.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 09-04-2014 at 01:19 AM..
You don't need college to earn good money, there are plenty of college grads in my area working the counter at 7-11, Starbucks etc... College doesn't guarantee anything. I'm not knocking it, just saying that it doesn't come with guarantees of anything, nothing does. A college edu is definitely not going to hurt though.
Also if you've never had a job then how can you possibly know that an office setting will be your ideal job? Is it because you perceive it to be a cozy, warm, friendly place that's free of stress and rolls by at a leisurely pace until it's time to go socialize after work with your new friends? Plenty here could/would probably set you straight about that perception.
Your biggest limiting factor IMO is your dismal limited mindset which will hold you back whether you have a college degree or not.
The roommate idea seems the most promising. After working for a while and starting to save some money, identify a 2 year college and make an appointment with a counselor there. Most likely, you will spend the first semester or two taking remedial courses before you can even start making progress toward a degree. Do not take out loans to pay for remedial course work, and beware of for-profit colleges that encourage you to apply for loans.
That's why they call it work. It's what you do to make a living. It's not party central, social networking, or funtime. It's a J O B. And that's probably all you can get with your education and experience. You can't compete when half the people working part time at Starbucks have degrees.
It's good you want to go to school but your ideas are still skewed. Most students schedule their classes all on the same days one after the other so they can work at least part time. Maybe there are still those ivy covered halls filled with students making plans for the big homecoming game but those are privileged folk attending on Mom and Dad's dime.
I didn't know you could graduate HS with a 1.8GPA. What were you thinking? And the obvious question. Are you even college material? If HS was beyond the pale for you, higher education is not your best bet.
The economy sucks for the workers and it's not going to change any time in the near future. I have multiple degrees and experience. All *I* can get are crappy jobs. I always tell people to become plumbers or electricians. Look for jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. Jobs where you can work for yourself or someone else.
Go volunteer at the homeless shelter. You have a lot to learn and they will teach you for free.
It turns out, passion often comes AFTER months/years of doing the boring/mundane grunt work and learning to do something really well, not the other way around.
I didn't know you could graduate HS with a 1.8GPA. What were you thinking? And the obvious question. Are you even college material? If HS was beyond the pale for you, higher education is not your best bet.
Exactly right. College is not just High School II. In high school you get fed everything on a platter, and you get a lot of hand-holding. Unless you have a learning disability... hmmmm, is that a possibility?... it's pretty hard to do as badly as you did unless you actually work at trying to fail. College is much more self-directed, and you won't have anybody checking up on you to see why you're not in class, why you're not studying, why you're not handing in assignments, why you're failing tests. In college nobody cares... you're on your own... and if you can't motivate yourself, nobody else will.
In that regard, you could say that college is more like real life than you've apparently experienced so far. Nobody is going to push you to do anything.
Sitting around thinking about things won't get you any results in life. Only actions produce results. You have to be in motion, taking actions, to get results. So go do something. Get in action.
And for goodness sakes, get interested in something. Your whole pitch here has been morose and sad and drippy. Why would anybody want to hire someone like you? Why would a girl want to be in a relationship with someone like you? You need to change that. Getting interested in something, and getting in action are proven ways to begin to create change. Not watching more YouTubes.
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