I need to make my life better. I work 3 jobs and I'm only 19. Can anyone give me advice?

Question

I graduated from high school in 2006. After that my parents said I couldn't live with them anymore. So far I have been living in a small apartment with 2 of my friends and we split the rent 3 ways. I work almost 60 hours a week and I am just so tired of this lifestyle. I can't afford to go to college and my parents wont pay for it. All the good jobs want me to have a college education. Any advise for me?

Answer 1

Get started as a tradesman. If you go the union route in any trade you can be making a hundred thou in less than five years if you want to.You would be plenty young enough to try something else at the end of your apprenticeship ie.(college) and you will always have a trade certificate to fall back on. It sounds like you don't mind working and you have a high school diploma so you have all you need to get started.

Answer 2

Well, you already covered the three basic needs, which are:

- Food and drink

- Clothing

- Housing

Now you want to focus on to have some luxuries.




As for work.

You should work 7 days a week, DO NOT work 5 days a week or even 6 days a week.

7 days a week, that should be your motto.

Feel free to take the day off if you need it though.


How long you want to work each day is up to you, but if you spent more than 8 hours a day (including commuting, short break, etc) working, then you need to reconfigure your working hours.

Personally, 6 hours a day is much better, with 4 hours a day is more relaxing.


You should limit the amount of jobs you do each day, ideally one job a day. However if they are easy and can be quickly done, then a few jobs a day is okay.


You should look for jobs that you can do best, the ones close to your housing, the ones you're comfortable with, and so on.



As for college.

Going to college is a luxury, and the money earned for college requiring job might not pay both your lifestyle and the money spent on college education.

Answer 3

OK,
lets go to Realityland:
Get some restaurant experience (or make some up) and move to New York.

You will make some good money, and pretty much everybody in the restsurant service industry down here has another project they are working on.

Plus, working in the restaurant, even catering industry doesn't require the time commitment that a regular 9-5 job has (most of the work is in the evening, for instance) And it pays well.

First off, this time of year is slow. Save as much as you can
$3,000--4000 if you can handle. Even $2000 can work.

Visit newyork.craigslist.org
to maybe find a place to live, a bit of work initially.

Once you are down there and working, your options open up, bot educationally and professionally.

It isn't easy, not right away, though.
But it has been done by millions!
And you will definitely have a lot of cool experiences along
the way!

You just gotta do it, man! And don't lose hope!

....just a suggestion

Answer 4

First let me say that I've pretty much been on my own since I was 17, my choice, but I was already out of school and working anyway, and I didn't get along with my mom. My parents didn't have money to put me (or my brother or sister) through college either, but that's the case with over half of the country. If you're working 3 jobs, that means you're a hard, & dedicated worker. I don't know what type of jobs you have now, but try getting your foot into some office work, or retail job that pay base + commission. I'm a PBX Operator / Admin Asst. and I make very decent money, with great benefits, stock options, 401K, a HUGE amount of vacation time... but I had to work to get to that point, and I had to start somewhere (I'm 29)... & without a college degree. So don't get discuraged. Eventually I will go to college, when I decide what I want to go for. And I'll pay for it myself.
Also, why are you working 60 hours a week to pay bills when you have two roommates? Either your jobs pay very, very low... or you're paying way too much for your cost of living. If it's your cost of living then cut it down, and you won't have to work 60 hours a week... or cut your cost, still work 60 hours and save to go to school. If it's your jobs then a basic office job usually has a good start pay for individuals with no experience... retail usually starts at min. wage + commission if you try a place like Macy's or Dillards, and they hire w/ no experience (one of my first jobs was at Macy's).
Good Luck.

Answer 5

1: Determine if your appearance fits the enviroment you want to be in. If you're trying to get a job in a stuffy corporate setting, leave the nose and tongue rings and weird hair stuff home.
2: Make the most of any job no matter how crappy. Learn everything possible about the crappy job. Be upbeat. Be flexible. Don't say no to any task you're assigned at work.
You can work your way up within a crappy job to a better position. Upward mobility always looks good on your resume.
3: When you've moved as far up as you can at your primary job, look for a job a step up. If you've gotten as far as assistant manager at a fast food restraunt and you feel you can't move further up: move on. Find a better job with what ever skill you learned with your previous job.


As far as your education. A ton of companies offer tuition reimbursement to employees in entry level postions. This goes for hospitals too. What do you want to do? Find a company in your area that offers to help with your education.

Answer 6

i have to agree with rich11, trades is were it is at.
for example i was a maintenance technician (all on the job training) making 80,000 a year with awesome benefits(no union).
My boss was a graduate from Purdue, 80,000 to graduate from there, my boss made 36,000. i work about 55 hours a week(10-11 hour days. my boss worked alot more.

A degree is good in some fields, but great in others.
another example is my wife will finish her degree in nursing soon, she will start out at $38 an hour, where her college costs will total a little over $25,000....not thats good math.

Answer 7

go to college!!! get student loans if that what it takes. the difference in the amount of money you make after college will more than pay for the student loans and afford you a better life. just be sure to study a field that does pay well.

Answer 8

First you might want to try to reconcille that relationship with your parents. There has to be a reason they said you can't live with them anymore. What did you do? Try to work that out.

Second, yep- it's hard on your own. I married at 16 divorced at 21. Raised a kid on my own for 5 years after that- with no room mates. It's hard to change your life- but it's worth it if you want to.

Answer 9

Go to your state university - live on campus - fill out the financial aid forms/apply for scholarships & grants.....Do it now.....your current debt load/responsibilities will NEVER be as low as they are right now!!!!!! Otherwise, you'll be 30 saying, "all the good jobs require a college degree."

Answer 10

if you are on your own apply for college thru FAFSA. They will pay for it. My son applied when I had no money and he went to school for 2 years for free. In our state we have award money for good grades on MEAP tests- check to see if you qualify. Go to your local Jr College and talk to a counselor, they will direct you and test you on where you will fit. You can work and go to school at the same time. Find a mentor and attend a church. You will be amazed at the people who employ others from their church.