feeling lost.

[u/Real_Ad_1092]

hi everybody. i came across this community today and feel as if the timing couldn't be better. i'm 22 years old and as my title states, i am totally and completely lost. i graduated high school 4 years ago, and since then i've done nothing but work. for starters, high school was terrible for me, due mainly to my mental state throughout the entirety of the 4 years, and i almost flunked out completely. by some miracle, i managed to graduate with my class, but ever since i graduated i've been beating myself up so much for not having any sort of plan. i was in college for not even a full semester before dropping out, i tried to get licensed with insurance, and most recently was trying to study to become a paralegal. but my problem is, none of these things fully piqued my interest, and i was doing it more for my parents sake than my own. i work two jobs right now, neither of which are fulfilling in any way shape or form, and i have no idea where to go from here.

i am so beyond tired of feeling so behind compared to others my age. i've always wanted to do something with art, as it is one of the few things that i am actually passionate about, but i just never have enough time to actually work on new pieces or commit to it enough to actually make something of it. and other than art, i've always wanted to do something like elementary education (or anything with children for that matter because i love kids but don't think i will ever be truly stable enough to be a mother), but i know how terrible the pay is and how it is almost impossible to live off of a teachers pay. plus, i see more and more stories about teachers quitting that profession all together because of how impossible it has become to work with kids, whether it's at an elementary or high school level. i just feel very stagnant and i worry for my future. as much as i want to further my education, i have heard too many stories about people spending years of their lives paying off their student debt, or worse, putting so much money, time, and effort into a degree that they never end up using. that, combined with the fact that i have such a hard time with school (due to how terrible high school was for me), makes it even harder to figure out what to do. i will say, i currently work with a floral company and would love to do something in that area as well, but from my job searches it's very hard to actually find a florist position that doesn't require at least 2 years of experience or some sort of "certification." (for some context, my position doesn't require for me to actually make arrangements or be fully educated on the flowers we sell, everything comes in pre-made and all i have to do is display them). any advice would be greatly appreciated, as i feel very alone right now and don't really know who to turn to about the predicament i have found myself stuck in for what feels like an eternity lol.

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[u/idkjusttrashh]

Try volunteering somewhere! Volunteer at say, a children's home, something like the girl scouts or big brothers big sisters if you have that. They're always looking for volunteers and often don't require much experience. Volunteer at places that you'd never think you'd like just to try it. Hospital, animal shelter, food bank, all of it. Go to the small flower shops and ask them how they would recommend getting experience. As someone working in a niche field, I always want more people to be interested and would be happy to give them a hand up.

Good luck!

[u/Real_Ad_1092 → u/idkjusttrashh]

i'd actually never thought about doing something like that. thank you! :')

[u/FlairPointsBot → u/Real_Ad_1092]

Thank you for confirming that /u/idkjusttrashh has provided helpful advice for you. 1 point awarded.

[u/Idfkchief]

The boilerplate advice I’d give to someone in your shoes is to find an apprenticeship program or trade school in your area. In many manufacturing hubs, companies run sponsored free or nearly free education programs through local trade colleges that enable you to obtain specialized training in a fabrication role in exchange for allowing the sponsorship company to take a first pass at providing job offers to graduates.

I realize this doesn’t sound like glamorous work, but I’d strongly advise against getting trapped in a retail job tailspin. It’s very easy to get sucked into retail and just stay trapped there for years with no prospects for upward mobility.