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Thanks for the tips 😉 I just got my driver's license recently, and honestly, I probably screwed up the whole plan—should've gone to business school first, but whatever, it's done. Getting that license was a massive stretch financially; my folks had to chip in, lend me some cash, and I scraped together what little I could myself... wouldn't have stood a chance without them. Plus, I passed on the first try, because if I'd failed, who knows if $333 would've even been able to cover the retake? I'd owe them big time... anyway, my main goal is just to finish high school before the clock runs out. Have you guys seen the job postings lately? It feels like every single opening requires an AFL-CIO certification or a diploma now—it wasn't always like this. Even at the employment office, they told me straight up that I’m not qualified for anything... I mean, sure, I can always hustle for some quick cash, and I know plenty of old-timers out in rural areas who never finished school but still pull through, but it's tough. I've basically been working under the table this whole time—night shifts, farm work in the summer, all that—but now even warehouse jobs and security gigs are asking for a diploma. Still, I can't lose hope, right? Hopefully, I can land something temporary soon just to save up enough for school... I did take an IT course a while back, too, but it doesn't mean squat without that high school diploma
I'm genuinely terrified of what my future looks like if I don't wrap this up and find a steady gig.
Hey
I don't even know where to start—my life has been a total mental wreck for as long as I can remember. I'm 28 and honestly, nothing has ever gone right. I find myself thinking about ending it almost every single day. I look at everyone else and just *know* they’ve got it way better than me. I'm constantly on edge, but the biggest hit is that I can't land a decent job because I never finished high school. Every employer I've talked to has passed on me, so I'm broke, I can't go out, I can't do anything. I've even ghosted a few girls lately—not because I wasn't interested, but because I'm terrified of what happens when they realize the truth: that I've got no diploma and zero cash in my pocket 🤷 it's a brutal spot to be in. It's not like I'm lazy! I've taken whatever odd jobs were thrown my way, but without that high school diploma, I can't get anything steady 🤷 so everything I pull in is basically peanuts 🙂 I want to enroll in night school to get my GED, but it's too expensive, and my parents can't exactly bail me out... maybe if a friend could lend me the cash to get through it.
Bottom line, my mental state is trashed. All my relatives are killing it—driving luxury cars, landing huge corporate roles, the whole nine yards
I didn't mention why I dropped out of high school earlier, but some stuff went down back then—it was another hellish chapter of my life, but I won't get into the weeds right now.
I've lost hope of finding enough work to pay for classes. If I put myself in an employer's shoes, I get it—why would I hire someone without a diploma when there's a line of people who actually finished school?!
I even tried using a connection to get a foot in the door, and even that flopped
I was pulling some shifts at a warehouse earlier this summer, but now I can't even find something like that.
I feel like I'm on the edge, like I'm dead inside. Nothing brings me joy anymore. I'm just sinking deeper every day, and I've lost weight just from constant stressing -.-
A lot of my acquaintances and even Fred's crowd have no idea I didn't finish school. I'm too ashamed to tell them 🤷 and some of my family doesn't know either.
I just want to live a normal life for once—go out every weekend, have money for drinks, buy a car someday, maybe travel a bit, and see the bright side instead of always being stuck in the negative.
This past Saturday was rough too, so around 2 AM I headed to a bar, grabbed a few beers, and some girl was flirting and pinching me—for a second, I actually felt better. But the moment I got home and woke up the next day, reality hit: no job, no nothing. I spiraled right back into a depression. It feels like I'm never going to make it, and I'm running out of strength and hope to change things.
If anyone has advice, or knows someone without a diploma who's actually making it work, please let me know! I'm planning to sign up for night school in October if I can scrape together the cash by then.
The worst part is knowing my best years have just been wasted on stress and misery 😢