Where would the best (safest) place in Indianapolis be for a college student? (Carmel: apartment complex)

[Healthbar]

Seriously, I've been searching for months. I'm in a really awkward spot here. I make $9.00 an hour currently and work only 24-28-ish hours a week because I go to Ivy Tech again starting on Monday. My parents are absolutely insane and have started making up random bills for me to pay for their conspiracy alternative medicines and are also taking money out of my account to "borrow" without even asking me first.

For the record, I'm 19, going on 20 soon and have lived a very sheltered childhood. I started learning how to become independent when I was 16 but still have a long way to go. Also, hilariously enough, I have a few disabilities that prevent me from working in any sort of retail environment for too long. I have extreme OCD, (which causes me to get cut, burnt or injured, so stocking shelves and doing other silly retail work has never been kind to me), Tourette's Syndrome - which really doesn't affect my job that badly, but it still causes me a great deal of stress when it acts up - and I have ADHD. Due to growing up in a family of anti-vaxxers, I was never encouraged to get on any medication once they started getting into the crazy things. Honestly, I can appreciate it because I'd rather be myself. But now that college is coming, I'm probably going to see if I can try adderall. We'll see how it works out this time around.

I've had about 7-8 jobs, most of them in retail, except for a contract I have with an apartment complex in Indianapolis to work as their concierge. I don't do that job much anymore because it's only a backup and it has me sit there for 10 hours a night watching security cameras and checking people in or patrolling the premises for only $7.50 an hour of untaxed wages (since I have to file a 10-70, I barely make anything from that job after all the taxes I have to pay out). I have been rejected from so many jobs when I am overqualified for most jobs your average teenager would try to get, so I started looking into office work, but even with a typing speed of 115WPM and 100% accuracy, I still can't find a job that pays remotely enough for me to get a place to escape.

While I may sound like a vegetable after listing my disabilities, I am actually a very capable computer/office/desk worker. I've just never been given the chance. I just need a job that doesn't mess with my head and I would be a dang good worker. I have talked to OfficeTeam, but missed out on a great $15/hr full-time opportunity thanks to Ivy Tech's awkward class hours and days. OfficeTeam is looking for part-time positions for me but they explained it will take a long time for part-time.

I'm trying to start freelance transcription but the requirements to actually start on a site are hardcore. I almost passed a test to be able to start for a low rate of 0.33 cents per minute of audio, and it would've given me a start to build up a great career, but so far I haven't managed to pass it, and it won't provide me even minimum wage from the get-go, so it'd have to be side-work until I got better.


Anyway, I'm getting off track here. My current situation is this:


I have a brother who just returned from Alabama who managed to escape for a while, but his room mate bailed on him so he's back at home with me. My girlfriend also just moved in with me at the beginning of the summer to go to college with me. She also just turned 18, so she is now a legal adult, which opens a wide arrange of job opportunity for her, thankfully.

I also have a friend in Pennsylvania that I've known for over a decade and have met in real life once as kids. He's only worked one job, however, and was homeschooled. He's very weak when it comes to getting work because he will only call a place once before giving up. I'm trying to bring my brother, girlfriend, and I together to get a three bedroom apartment, and then bring my friend from Pennsylvania over to escape his awful family and town where he is stuck working for under minimum wage for his family's business so he can start a fresh life here and become more confident and successful.

Also, I love him to death because he's my best friend and I really want to be his roomie. I don't feel financially confident enough to live with just my girlfriend alone right now-- ESPECIALLY in a highly expensive city like Indianapolis as a college student.

So now that I've summarized that, the plan was to find a place relatively close to Ivy Tech's central campus on north meridian, and all four of us could work 20-30 hours and be able to pay for a three bedroom. The problem is that I'm from the upper class suburbs that live in lala land full of Soccer moms and annoying, snotty children. So, I grew up in a very sheltered environment and have very little actual experience within Indianapolis. I've been there many, many times, but haven't explored the city anywhere else than North Meridian and around the monument.

Does anyone know of a place where I can live where I don't have to worry about getting my place broken into (or have a very, very low chance of it) and not get shot? Our max budget is $900-1000 a month for a 3 bedroom. Everywhere we look that seems promising, it's either in the straight up ghetto or the apartment has serious management problems with hidden fees and scumbags that live there.

Apartments in Zionsville, Carmel, and even Whitestown now, are absolutely stupidly expensive. Whitestown used to be a farm town with almost nothing and was probably so much cheaper, but now it's hugely entitled and almost as expensive, if not more expensive, than Zionsville.

Wherever it is, I'd prefer Brighthouse to be accessible there, because I currently pay 55 a month for 200mbps internet and my friend who just moved near Ivy Tech also has the same deal, so I know they're in that area. Also the apartment I contracted for has Brighthouse, but they're out of my price range.

I don't care if the place is old. As long as it's sanitary and not an absolute dump, I'm perfectly okay with not living in silly luxury apartments. I would also prefer that the reviews be okay to a point where the only complaints are about stupid things such as appearance or a little bit of late maintenance. As long as there's no scamming, or hazardous situations, or me possibly getting shot or robbed, I am happy with it.

Also, due to my awfully unstable work history due to my disabilities, I feel like that will look bad when applying to an apartment. So, I guess the last thing I would ask is for someone who is willing to work with someone like me and the people I want to bring with me (Doesn't discriminate against young poverty and disabilities).

I may have come from a rich town, but my family doesn't have money to send me to college and I have worked for every single dime I have spent since I was 16. I have worked unnecessarily hard for such little reward for the kind of effort I have to put in versus other people. It sucks. I just want to get a start on my life and escape this entitled town full of idiot drivers and my conspiracy-brainwashed parents. And of course, my parents are wonderful people and I love them, but they are holding me back from saving any sort of money. I need to do what's best for me.

One more thing: I have considered moving to a whole new city entirely, but the chances of me getting hired anywhere else and be able to move and make enough to afford moving before bringing people with me are slim to none.

Any help or advice would be very appreciated. Thank you for reading.

[Serious Conversation]

You seem well-spoken and intelligent, and Indy is a city with a good job market. I've seen the Aldi in Carmel start at $11-$12/hr, and there is a Tractor Supply distribution center in Pendleton is starting somewhere around $16/hr.n

[artemis]

Check out the Aldi distribution warehouse if you can. My son worked there when he was in college, and they paid very well. They worked around his class hours too.

[Healthbar]

Originally Posted by artemis

Check out the Aldi distribution warehouse if you can. My son worked there when he was in college, and they paid very well. They worked around his class hours too.

I might check it out. I absolutely hate sounding picky but I did work at an Amazon warehouse for a couple weeks. Unfortunately, warehouse work wasn't the kind of job I was able to do for long. I wasn't fast enough for their ridiculous speed standards because of my OCD causing me to be perfect about everything.

If I were to find any sort of job, it'd have to be something that properly utilizes my talents and doesn't hinder me. I hate being an inconvenience for employers. I want to be useful to somebody-- if you understand what I mean.

[MortonR]

I have two family members who work for Amazon in their distribution centers. If you're even remotely OCD you'll never survive. I'm surprised you lasted at all.

I would think ALDI would be far less stringent as far as work compared to Amazon, as you well know Amazon has a "system" that you must work within, with any deviations affecting your performance ratings.

Good luck,

RM

[eok]

A job doing cleaning might be appropriate. Employers appreciate employees getting obsessed with doing a perfect job of cleaning. Especially the kind of job where you do the work at night when the boss isn't there, and he sees the results of the work the next morning.

[artemis]

Originally Posted by Healthbar

I might check it out. I absolutely hate sounding picky but I did work at an Amazon warehouse for a couple weeks. Unfortunately, warehouse work wasn't the kind of job I was able to do for long. I wasn't fast enough for their ridiculous speed standards because of my OCD causing me to be perfect about everything.

If I were to find any sort of job, it'd have to be something that properly utilizes my talents and doesn't hinder me. I hate being an inconvenience for employers. I want to be useful to somebody-- if you understand what I mean.

It's not like that.

[Healthbar]

Originally Posted by MortonR

I have two family members who work for Amazon in their distribution centers. If you're even remotely OCD you'll never survive. I'm surprised you lasted at all.

I would think ALDI would be far less stringent as far as work compared to Amazon, as you well know Amazon has a "system" that you must work within, with any deviations affecting your performance ratings.

Good luck,

RM

Thank you, I will see what ALDI has to offer then. Hopefully they might work with me.

As for cleaning, as Eok suggested, I have thought about janitorial work too. I really don't want to go back to doing night shifts but I will do what I must.

I have also considered applying as a security guard for Ivy Tech since I have some mild security experience (as an unlicensed contractor, lol). Those course reimbursements seem very appealing to me.

[Serious Conversation]

Honestly, at $9/hr in Indy, you can do better with just about anything. You can find virtually anything paying $10-$12/hr. You need to make those jobs work, then you can move on to something better once you have a better track record.