New and need advice.

[Crashedandburned]

Im 18 and rather new to the boards. Im closing on the last few weeks of high school and ive already been accepted into college. But the problem is ive been kicked out now and im currently hopping between peoples houses. A good friend of mine has offered me a place to stay permanetly if I get my life straight....job...bank account....do my laundry...etc.. I hate feeling like a burden and I dont know what to do. Ive considered squatting around and maybe calling up one of the local anarchist collectives for a place to stay. The thing is ive lived in this city 18 years and have been to plenty of anarchist events and punk shows in the area yet ive never been able to socialzie properly. They probably have seen me but ive never quite been able to hit it off. Im lost as to what to do. I want to finish school and I will. And if I stay at my friends ill have the luxury tooo but ill be living a 30 minute drive in the morning from the school and well that means my friend must wake up at 6 to drive me every morning.

 

[Angela]

Welcome to stp! I know the feeling of trying to go to school and find a place to stay at the same time. It didn't really work out for me. I ended up finishing school but paying money for a place to live while I was there. I don't have any regrets about my education since it was something I wanted to do anyway, but if your doing it to get a "respectable" job then I would maybe put it off for awhile since right now most of the folks that come out of school with a degree end up just drowning in debt and unable to find work. Sorry if that sounds a little depressing but I don't want to give you false illusions.

 

[Crashedandburned]

For college I was hoping to major in something along the lines of ecology and activism.....Its never been my intention to pursue my education for a career because educations is to me simply to educate myself....not turn a profit.

 

[Angela]

Good choice. My degree was in Anthropology with a minor in sustainable deveopement, definitely not something to support myself with if you know what I mean. At least you know what your getting into.

 

[veggieguy12]

Is there nowhere near the college where you might crash, so that you can bike, walk, or catch a bus to school instead of having to drive/ride in?
What about on-campus housing? If you're kicked-out from your parents' place, you should see to getting the benefits of being recognized as an "independent"; I don't know if it requires being formally, legally emancipated through the courts, but it's worth checking into: being an independent entitles you to welfare (housing subsidy, food stamps, child care assistance), school funding, lessens your federal income tax burden (perhaps completely), and probably makes you available for more grants than a dependent can receive. Moreover, if your parent(s) has/have expelled you, why let them take their own tax benefit from claiming you as a dependent?
I suspect IBRRHOBO, knowledgeable as he is in all things around the laws, can add more good advice, but where the hell is he these days?

 

[Poe Boy]

Since he's 18, there's no declaring independence needed for welfare and such.

For student loans and grants, the school can provide paperwork for him to prove that he's not still a dependent of his parents (required if you're under 24), and will greatly increase the amount of loans available.

Crashedandburned, if you to take loans, I'd advise against college, especially since you're not going for a career. Do it piecemeal as you can afford, or just buy/inter library loan (ILL) the books and learn it yourself as you hobo around and/or work. If you aren't buying a piece of paper saying that you can work in a given field (all a degree is), there's no reason not to self-educate.

 

[finn]

In plenty of colleges, you can squat large classes if you don't care for it being on an official transcript/not going for a degree, if you really want to be officially a student, you can pay for only one class and stick around until you learn everything you want to.

 

[Crashedandburned]

Update on my life at current.....I have to get out of my friends place by the end of summer....still jobless....went through the whole college process to realize the loans ill have to take out are way to much.....I know am pretty sure I cant pay for my "dream school" even with the max financial aid....so all and all....no family for support....a few friends....no cash....no plans....I think I need some life fixing. Anyone know of any anarchist free schools in the states?

 

[gingerail]

Eugene, Oregon has a free school program. Check it out at eugenefreeschool.org. Pretty much it's people in the community sharing the skills and knowledge that they have. There's a calendar on the website that will give you a better idea of what it's all about. It's no traditional school though....

 

[natalieee_]

do you really want to go to college?

 

[Matt Derrick]

i agree... you're pretty young, you got many many years ahead of you. go explore the world until you're at least 24. that's what i did and i got almost a full ride on free grants/loans. too many people are in a rush to get a career. ive never understood that.

 

[IBRRHOBO]

i agree... you're pretty young, you got many many years ahead of you. go explore the world until you're at least 24. that's what i did and i got almost a full ride on free grants/loans. too many people are in a rush to get a career. ive never understood that.

Matt has some good info there. After you hit 21, you can waive the P/SAT based on 'life experience'. Did it myself when I went. Also, Pell and SEOG's are usually coupled with work scholarships. That said, it is quite possible, unless u r pursuing something like computers or graphic design, that all the diplom is is fire starter. I've been in project management in construction for 15 of the 20 years w/o a formal education. I wouldn't hire someone w/a degree to work for me anyway as they have too much 'book smarts' and not enough practical experience. I own my own company now and got where I am today by learning my trade while freight hopping. Now, over a twenty year career I obviously got off the boxcar long enough to ply my trade and learn.

As to not having enough for ur dream school, 1+1=2 in ANY school.

Good luck.

 

[genghis braun]

I think that school is pretty overrated. I dropped out when I was in 11th grade, and got my GED, and it's been the best decision tht I 've ever made in my life. as far as college goes, I agree with the others. you're 18, and you have your whole life ahead of you. as a kid who's 19, I've realized that now may be the only time in my life where I am free to explore and do whatever I want to do, and I've decided to go for it. eventually, I'm going to get a 2 year degree, but I have a long time that I can sit on it.

In the end, it's your life and you have to decide what's right for yourself, but I say that it would be a shame to waste all the freedom that you have to move around now.

 

[Crashedandburned]

Everyone here in my town is pushing me to college. They keep telling me im wasting my mind if I dont. A few of them told me I needed to pick a more practical major so that I could get a job after. Fuck I need a job now this kind of sucks.

 

[ianfernite]

Don't let anyone push you toward anything.

 

[natalieee_]

Everyone here in my town is pushing me to college. They keep telling me im wasting my mind if I dont. A few of them told me I needed to pick a more practical major so that I could get a job after. Fuck I need a job now this kind of sucks.

learning is extremely important in life but college is just the norm. what do you want to learn?

 

[Crashedandburned]

To be honest my course load was gonna consist of classes on globalism,underdeveloped countries,aids pandemic in africa, and a whole bunch of stuff on indigenous struggle. It was basically a major geered around social change.

 

[moe]

i totally get you, man.
i came here asking for advice not too long ago, and got it.
don't let others ruin you, and put voices in your head. this is your life, and noone else's to live and own it.
as for looking for a placee to stay, explore man. or find someone on here, to get out with keep you company. ask relatives tat'd be cool enough to let you crash with them.

i have one more year of high school. and then ill be fucking tripping. it'd be hard. to like really be on your own. i've been with mommy and daddy and that whole bit don't wor for me either. i want to learn for my own good and fun and all, not to be tied down with a norm career with a condo and shit. i know that's what my parents hope i achieve. but that ain't for me. they got something else in surprise.

 

[natalieee_]

hm. well if you really want to learn all about that and get really involved in social change thats not too bad of an idea. i'm not familiar with the actual benefits of classes like that i think if you just got really involved in social change without an education it would pretty much have the same outcome .. but hey what do i know. it sounds like you should focus on helping yourself before trying to help millions of other people i mean you dont seem very satisfied and there are plenty of people already in the field.. but just do whatever makes you happy thats all that matters anyways

 

[Crashedandburned]

Update on my life...............


Decided to go to school mostly in part due to an anarchist girl that inspired me to go as she had just got out with the same major as me. Parents are somewhat fine with me now and well I dont live with them anymore. Got my shit sorted out. Everyday I wake up and me and my girl friend garden. I feel like im living in a dream.