#LifeChanges #CareerPath #SelfDiscovery
Hey everyone! 😊
So, I’m 23 years old and currently living with my parents. I haven’t followed the traditional path; I didn’t go to college after high school and instead spent a year doing unskilled labor, followed by two years in retail, a year in a coding bootcamp (which honestly hasn’t helped me land a job), and then a year just… floating around as a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
Right now, I have $40,000 saved up, but the catch? I have no resume and I’d essentially be starting a career from scratch. 🤔
Here’s the kicker—
- I have no friends and haven’t spoken to anyone my age since high school.
- I’m physically fit and very open-minded (maybe too open-minded?) but really indecisive about what to do next.
- I’m considering going to college, but the thought of committing four years and still being uncertain about my employability is holding me back.
- I’d love to experience the social side of college, but I’m not sure how that would work since I’d be commuting and, let’s be real, I’m 23 and feel a bit out of place.
- Oh, and dealing with my narcissistic parents has become overwhelming—I’m really craving some independence, but I’m unsure how to break free financially.
So here’s what I’m thinking:
- What are some pathways I could explore to kickstart my career?
- Have any of you been in a similar situation? What worked for you?
- Would community college be a good option for meeting people while figuring out my next steps?
Any tips or experiences you could share would be super helpful! Let’s chat! 💬
Check your local employers, see if any entry level ones will pay you to go to school if that’s a route you are committed to.
If you want to start looking for career options I can’t recommend enough finding a union labor position that uses a bid system for promotions. They allow you to trial jobs quickly as long as you have the most seniority out of the people asking for them!
we’re the same age in pretty much the same boat except you have $40,000 more in savings than I do. I’m assuming you’re a very risk averse guy as that alone is enough to move out and get your own small apartment. I think you should go to college or some other specialized school it seems you need some external structure in your life
Well…just a thought…you could invest some of your savings in a pickup truck or cargo van, and make a living driving. With a pickup you could do things like RV Transport or Hotshot; with a cargo van you could do Expediting.
Live on the road. Get away from your parents. No rent or mortgage… more of your hard earned money stays in your pocket.
Learn a foreign language while you’re driving…
The clown world is a scam. Don’t get yourself too deep into this nonsense. Pack your bags and get the fuck out of mommy’s house and backback to some countries that excite you and find yourself. Do not do something insane like get yourself into debt to get a degree for a job that you will hate but will make you money. Go be brave and figure out who you are and then make future decisions accordingly. You are not in a mental state to properly make decisions regarding your future. You seem to be in a weak defeated mental state and your decisions will reflect this.
Military, maybe in cyber? Air Force isn’t as “military” as the other branches as far as QOL and you can try to get into a role that’s employable after your 4 years. They also pay up to $4k/yr while in to get schooling/certifications and GI Bill after you get out gives you free schooling.
If you don’t have any passions or things u are particularly interested in you could get a trade. Just pick one of the higher paying ones like electrician or plumber. I have a friend who did this who was in a very similar boat to you and he is enjoying his electrician apprenticeship so far. He started at 24 as well so it’s perfectly doable.
Social opportunities seem to be the field of study you need most.
When you go to college, make sure you take advantage of social opportunities. Don’t sit in your dorm crying because no-one invites you to parties. Join clubs, invite yourself to things. It’ll be awkward. You’ll learn a lot about people.
Join the military. Maybe you’ll love it and stay a while, or maybe you do an enlistment and get out in three years.
I had nothing going for me at 30 and joined the Navy. It was pretty cool. Lots of helicopters, jets and big ships. And lots of laughing! I honestly have never had a job at which I’ve laughed more or harder with people.
Some parts really sucked, and a lot of people sucked worse, but it was totally worth it. I would have stayed in for 20 if I hadn’t pissed off everyone above me. I bet if I had joined at 23 or so I would have assimilated much more easily.
Anyway, go join the military. Nothing else you will be able to do will be anywhere near as exciting or meaningful.
a lot of my peers at my art + design school were older than me, in freshman level design classes. it was cool getting to know all kinds of people. I hope you don’t think you’ll be shamed for being older. my favorite coworker at my student job was a 28 year old grad student. unfortunately I dropped out right before Covid and got stuck driving a Zamboni for four years
Sounds like you are in a prime position to fuck off and do some travelling my friend!
I recently had to pay a home inspector and paid $400 for ~20 mins of inspection (of a 1BR condo unit). I looked up the profession afterwards and it seems like a pretty low barrier to get a certification, there will always be a need for it, and you get to take a peek into how other homes are designed! Sounds like fun to me, and makes a decent living without you needing to go to school.