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Why does she have all summer to plan and save? I assume that she is not in school right now. If she doesn't have a job (or two or three), she should be looking now. As soon as she gets a few paychecks in the bank, she should be looking for an apartment to rent. All along she should be paying for her clothing and toiletries, car and insurance, entertainment and food (maybe buying groceries for the household). This way, her parents know that she has seriously considered this option and has taken steps to obtain her present goal. It's better to say that "I don't think that college is right for me now. I've got job so that I can start paying my own way" rather than "I don't think college is for me now so I guess that I'll be looking for a job soon."
I just went with the time frame between now (end of a school year) and when she would technically go back to college to have a goal set. I don't know when she decided this, so I was giving her benefit of the doubt that she would need some time to get a savings going. But I am saying she needs to do it now. And I did assume she already had a job. I saw where said her parents would let her live at home, so while she is she needs to get a savings built up, look for an even better job and find somewhere to go if she wants to be 100% independent. I wasn't saying she take all summer to simply find a job. I guess I should have clarified all this needed to be happening before she even talks to her parents.
And I agree she should be paying for all that stuff, but that's up to her parents. I just think that if her parents are allowing her to stay at home, she really needs to be saving and getting herself prepared to be 100% independent soon.
I am only looking for advice on how to communicate to my parents in a way that would upset them/freak them out the least when letting them know I am not going to college and how to prepare for questions.
Just tell them, be honest. They are going to freak out! They will get over it.
I was disappointed when my son decided not to go back to school. I got over it, he is happy and successful now.
Where I work right now, store managers make great money. AND they get bonuses of 70-100k. That's on top of their salary and commission. No college education required (many have no degrees past high school). All your training is done through the company. My previous job, managers made decent money, no college education required. Training done through the company. Of course you have to work your way up, it's not handed to you. You have to want it and have the drive.
My dad is a factory worker and makes 60k a year. No college education.
My brother is 21 and making 40k a year. No college education. And that's really good for his age. He's been at this current job a year and a half.
My uncle works at a car dealership, no college education. Makes around 80k.
My aunt works as a supervisor at some local company, makes around 80k. No college education.
I have a cousin who is corrections officer. She has great benefits with the state and a decent pay wage. She's not living large by any means, but she's doing just fine.
Of course these people worked VERY hard and worked their way up. You aren't going to graduate from college making 100k either (typically). You also have to know how to manage your money.
I am not dissing college education. I have a degree and I am getting another degree. But I also know what its like to have a ton of debt to go with it. At the end of the day, a typical 4 year college degree is just not for everybody. I'm sure after a few years of working min wage, working multiple jobs, etc.. the OP might look into certificates or getting a full degree, but for now she wanted advice on how to tell her parents and "get by" and that's how you get by. She'll learn. Not going back and experiencing the real world might be exactly what the OP needs. Not everybody will be the people I listed above, especially with no drive or ambition. The OP will see that.
In today's world, you can be successful without a degree, but I think it's pretty rare.
We all know 'someone' who is successful without a degree. I will say that I don't know anyone who began their careers recently (not after 2007) who did this.
The world has changed and employees need all of the advantages that they can get.
Government jobs are so competitive, that you need to know someone - at least here.
The OP is living on mom and dad's dime and want to find a way to tell them that they are dropping out of school (to do what?) and not expect them to get upset?
The OP has demonstrated, just by this post, a lack of understanding. Maybe it's age, I don't know.
In today's world, you can be successful without a degree, but I think it's pretty rare.
We all know 'someone' who is successful without a degree. I will say that I don't know anyone who began their careers recently (not after 2007) who did this.
The world has changed and employees need all of the advantages that they can get.
Government jobs are so competitive, that you need to know someone - at least here.
The OP is living on mom and dad's dime and want to find a way to tell them that they are dropping out of school (to do what?) and not expect them to get upset?
The OP has demonstrated, just by this post, a lack of understanding. Maybe it's age, I don't know.
Yep. You can't be successful without a degree and without ambition, which the OP states she doesn't have. She wants to do the bare minimum to scrape by, so I don't see a successful future at all, at that rate.
Actually, I've already "taken a year off" for a year, so that's why now I'm thinking of how to tell them it was... not actually just time taking off, but me just being done.
I might look into those organizations, hopefully they won't make me feel like, trapped.
Yes, I have priced rent and insurance (Not that I have to worry about health insurance until I'm 26). Considering my personal expenses, I won't have an issue with them because I don't go out for entertainment, eat much, etc.
And, all of my 2 years were paid with scholarships that I earned. I have not much money wasted except on books, which wasn't a big deal. Just a huge waste of time I could have spent trying different jobs.
Sorry---I forgot to add, I've been out of college for almost a year already and they expect me to go back in Fall because they think I was already taking a year off.
it's your life!!!! Do what you want and face whatever consequences come your way. That's called being an adult.You can define success as you see it Good luck.
It all depends what your definition of success is. I know a few people who choose not to do the rat race, who live unconventional lives that are happy.
Just tell them, be honest. They are going to freak out! They will get over it.
I was disappointed when my son decided not to go back to school. I got over it, he is happy and successful now.
Was he living off of you at the time?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GiGi603
It all depends what your definition of success is. I know a few people who choose not to do the rat race, who live unconventional lives that are happy.
The OP has not demonstrated the maturity so far to make that decision. That's ok, considering their age, but don't make this something that it isn't.
To be honest, I was in the same boat when I graduated high school. I already worked full time hours between my father's business and my part time job. I was so burnt out from trying to keep straight A's that when I got a scholarship I didn't use it. I told my father point blank that I didn't want to go to college and that I planned to work with him and eventually take over the company.
About two years later I met a girl (who is now my wife) who was in college in my town. When she moved back home I decided to move with her. I had no degrees and quickly figured out that I couldn't survive here in my occupation. I ended up taking low paying jobs and we struggled to get by for years. Eventually I decided that I had made a bad decision and went back to college.
It took me about 8 years to figure out my mistake and that I had to have some sort of ambition in life if I wanted to be able to live comfortably where we live. I can recall trying to figure out numerous times how to pay the rent, buy groceries, pay for insurance, etc.... because I just didn't make enough at these jobs to support myself. It was difficult to get back on track after waiting so long. I also lost about 4-5 years that I could have already had in a 401k, plus about 50% of the income I could have made had I not tried to take the easy way out. Now we can enjoy more things in life that we want to do. We travel more, we can afford hobbies, a decent house, nice vehicles, and can afford to support our family of 4 without being worried about when the next bill is coming in or if we have enough for retirement. Sure, you said that you wanted to work as long as you could but believe me.... the rat race will wear you down over time.
OP, you really should finish what you start. It seems like such a pain at the time but it has paid off in spades for my wife and I. It could do the same for you. I would urge you to spend more time thinking about the future. It isn't going to be as easy as you may think.
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