Need some advice...

Hey everyone. So, I’m 19, landed a great job, everything seems fine on paper.
The issue is my 22-year-old brother—he’s acting like an absolute child, taking advantage of me, and we barely speak because he gets defensive over every little thing. We share an apartment, and he does zero chores—nothing. He just sits at his laptop, eats, sleeps, and calls it a day. I’ve brought this up to my parents, but they haven't done a thing to step in, and honestly, I'm losing my mind. I don't know how else to prove to them that he needs to grow up and actually contribute.
On top of that, things are a bit tight financially right now. I'm doing some part-time college classes, and my parents are chipping in about $1,100 a year for my tuition. They're proud of me and happy I'm pursuing a degree, but frankly, I've lost all motivation to study. I only took the job to stay independent and not be a burden, but college is just too expensive. I'm stuck—I want to drop out, but I don't want to let my parents down. I don't want them to be angry or disappointed, but I need to tell them soon—ideally before they wire the next $550 installment for my tuition.
I could really use some advice here... I'm genuinely at a loss.

Channel all your energy into achieving true independence and moving out on your own

Plan this carefully... you don't want to "relocate" straight into an even bigger mess

And let's be realistic here... until you are truly your own boss, you're essentially at the mercy of your surroundings, which—if I'm being honest—are rarely kind😬

You have a solid foundation to work with... just be smart about it👍

Look, you’ve gotta try talking to your brother through different angles—different approaches, whatever works. But if you exhaust every single option and nothing actually changes? Then just tune him out and live your life. At least do that until you're finally in a position to move out and have your own space.

What year are you in at college? If you're already halfway through—or even further along—just grit your teeth and finish the damn thing. Seriously, having that degree might make your life a hell of a lot easier down the road. But if you're just starting out, you're going to have to sit your parents down for a real talk. There isn't some magic phrase to make this easy, so honestly, expect them to lose their minds a bit. Your only real shot at justifying it is showing them a solid, better plan. Like, maybe moving out to a bigger city to land a higher-paying job, or taking some specialized certification courses, or even starting your own small business or something. You need a roadmap, not just an exit strategy.

Good luck 🙂

Nicholas Gonzalez8 said:Look, you’ve gotta try talking to your brother through different angles—different approaches, whatever works. But if you exhaust every single option and nothing actually changes? Then just tune him out and live your life. At least do that until you're finally in a position to move out and have your own space.

What year are you in at college? If you're already halfway through—or even further along—just grit your teeth and finish the damn thing. Seriously, having that degree might make your life a hell of a lot easier down the road. But if you're just starting out, you're going to have to sit your parents down for a real talk. There isn't some magic phrase to make this easy, so honestly, expect them to lose their minds a bit. Your only real shot at justifying it is showing them a solid, better plan. Like, maybe moving out to a bigger city to land a higher-paying job, or taking some specialized certification courses, or even starting your own small business or something. You need a roadmap, not just an exit strategy.

Good luck 🙂

I suppose I spent roughly twenty years doing pretty much the same thing just to get by.👍

If they're nineteen, it’s clearly their freshman year of college. 🙂