Need Advice.

Ok, here’s my situation. I’m 21, turning 22 in July. When I graduated highschool I went straight to work because my parents were not going to pay for my schooling and I needed to make some money so I could go to school. I definitely “drifted” through HS, as I had a lot of problems with bullies and home life and school was really the last thing on my mind. Halfway through freshman year in HS I got expelled and I was sent to an alternative school. Scholarships, by the time I graduated, were no longer in question and community college was, and is still, the only option.

I’ve been working as a janitor the past few years (right out of HS) and I kind of just fell into this rabbit hole of thinking that this all I have to live for. All my money goes towards rent and food, I’m totally unfulfilled, just barely scraping by as it is but I still really want to go to a good school, get involved in the college community, and get a job that makes me happy. I just need to know how people do it. How do you juggle a full-time job and being a full-time student? Do I quit my job and go full-time? If I do that I would have no income, and would eventually end up homeless after I run through what money I do have. Do I go part-time? I’ve already waisted so much time and I am so far behind everyone else that I would prefer full-time schooling. And living with my parents isn’t an option because they live in squalor which I refuse to go back to.

Based off of all this info I gave, can I still transfer from a community college to a good college given my past? Will my HS years come back to haunt me, or will colleges just look at my accomplishments as an undergrad upon transfer? I know it’s in my power I just don’t know where to start, so any advice is welcome. Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading.

You still have a chance. Start at a CC and transfer out after getting some great grades.

Prove that you’ve matured. It’ll all work out.

Thanks, man. I appreciate the motivation and look forward to proving myself.

I agree that you can do this. Find out which schools students typically transfer to from your local Community College and do that. Biggest thing is don’t feel that you’ve wasted time here. You are still young, and college wasn’t in the cards before now. If anything, your path to here has probably ignited the passion necessary to complete a degree. Good luck!