No one is trying to take away your independence, or your adulthood. I didn’t own a car until I had a job that could only be reached by car, in the suburbs, and that paid me so much (about 82K/yr in today’s dollars) that it was worth buying a car in order to be able to reach it. That was when I was about 26, if I recall. Until that time, I used public transportation and designed my life around places that I could reach by public transportation, because I couldn’t afford a car.
None of my children had cars while in college. They got cars when they had jobs that necessitated them, and paid well enough that it was no financial hardship to have a car.
It is pretty much impossible for an engineering student at Purdue to work so much, and clearly, my first instinct that you were supporting a car was correct. I thought that you were not yet 18, in which case you would not yet have credit card debt, but since you talk so emphatically about having bills, I’m worried that you’re in trouble with that, too. So which do you want - to do as well as possible in your program at Purdue, or to work too many hours a week to support a car? Please don’t blame underfunded schools for your having trouble with school, when you’re working 28 hours/week to support a car.
I know that this is really, really hard for a teenager with a car to hear. It’s like that other genie they talk about that you cannot put back into the bottle. Once you own a car, it’s really hard to imagine going back to using public transportation. But you cannot do well in a demanding college program while working so many hours. Even someone who had gone to the most expensive prep school in the country would have trouble managing Purdue engineering while working 28 hours/week, or now 24. You seem to be very motivated, a really hard worker, both in and out of school. But what good will it be, if you wind up not doing well in school?
I’m assuming that you’re carrying a 15 credit load. General rule of thumb is to spend 3 hours/wk prepping for every hour of class/wk. That would mean 60 hrs/wk spent on class and out of class schoolwork. I know that is what I did when I was serious about my schoolwork in very challenging classes. Not everyone has to do this, but since you seem to feel that you’re unprepared for the challenge you’re meeting at Purdue, it is not at all unreasonable that you would. There is just no way that you can manage that plus 28, or now 24 hours/week of work.
Success in life is about deferred gratification. Take a serious look at what’s going on. Take a serious look at your expenses. Consider what you want out of life, what you need to get there. I’m assuming that for you, it’s getting that engineering degree and then getting a good job that pays well. It is unlikely that you’re going to be able to get there while working so many hours. Consider selling the car (used cars are worth a lot these days), and cutting your spending so that you won’t be so stressed by bills. There are cheaper ways to get textbooks - you can rent them, often at a very low rate through a company called Cengage, or other sources. Consider every penny you spend, and see if you can do without, so that you don’t have to work so many hours while in school, so that you maximize your chances of doing well in school, with the goal of getting that highly respected engineering degree from Purdue.