I just dropped out of college, homeless and broke. Advice!!!

[fanatis]

I'm not sure how writing a thread works so sorry if i mess up anything. I'm 21, i dropped out and so my parents cut me off. i'm an international student so i can't just get a job otherwise i'd get deported, i just thought the school system was feeding me lies "preparing me for the real world" when more than half the professors haven't been in the real world since their teaching career. i'm really just freaking confused since my idealisms can't provide me shelter or food. if there's anyone whose been through this, your advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

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[mrarcher]

I'm not sure how writing a thread works so sorry if i mess up anything. I'm 21, i dropped out and so my parents cut me off. i'm an international student so i can't just get a job otherwise i'd get deported, i just thought the school system was feeding me lies "preparing me for the real world" when more than half the professors haven't been in the real world since their teaching career. i'm really just freaking confused since my idealisms can't provide me shelter or food. if there's anyone whose been through this, your advice will be greatly appreciated.

You couldn't have stuck at it until you got your visa?

 

[458]

There's always exceptions. Go back to school brah.

 

[JAJT]

Well this sounds like it might end up being a great life lesson in "thinking before acting".

In all seriousness - you need to figure out what your legal options are here and decide from those choices. And I don't mean "ask the internet what your options are". I mean go talk to a professional about what your legal options are here. Someone paid to give you proper, real, legal advice.

Once you know what you CAN do, you can decide what you WANT to do from those choices.

 

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[Scot]

Hate not giving constructive advice, but you probably should have thought of these things before dropping out of school. At the very least, you didn't have to go to class and could have taken till the end of the semester, living in the dorm, until you needed to take action.

Agreed with @JAJT, you need to figure out what your legal options are. In the meantime, maybe look into saying sorry to your college administration at least so you have a place to sleep until the semester ends.

There's this stupid romanticized notion out there that you have to eat ramen noodles and sleep in your car to succeed in business. You don't.

Also, I feel like @MJ DeMarco is trolling us. Is this a test?? Haha

 

[Sean SMR]

I'm not sure how writing a thread works so sorry if i mess up anything. I'm 21, i dropped out and so my parents cut me off. i'm an international student so i can't just get a job otherwise i'd get deported, i just thought the school system was feeding me lies "preparing me for the real world" when more than half the professors haven't been in the real world since their teaching career. i'm really just freaking confused since my idealisms can't provide me shelter or food. if there's anyone whose been through this, your advice will be greatly appreciated.

Let me start from the top gents. i am just adding my 2 cents. choose a service you'd like to help with ppl. Something that gets you of bed not for the check. make the service cheap. become in demand. get your licenses
simultaneously get your visa green card n all. there is always a problem when you dont know what to do. then, this comes with the journey you chose, remember, nobody knows anything. Even I n the people dont KNOW what we are doing. its a concrete jungle. you opted for the raw class session. others like being civilised (unhappy n twisted which is that societies happiness) READ EVERYDAY. you have chosen to use natural raw talent. not someone else. so much i could share. soak up the tools. use them. but dont cling to everyones adice (tools) you need to figure you out, now. think different. class rules cannot apply to the concrete jungle. shift your paradigm. be peaceful. cultivate patience. build relationships with detachment. learn EVERYONES PATH OF SUCCESS but do not yield to them. hsve your own. Build mental blinders. other pplz success is a bitch but only if u are jealous of their progress in contrast to yours. ignore the 'you dont listen'. they are reflecting back to thenselves what they are spewing at you. Trust yourself. Trust your instincts more than your mind. your instints are your gut. intuition. its CONCRETE JUNGLE. Massive action towards not only knowing yourself (congratz on putting yourself first n not the government/private sectors) Irs all you.its a journey. listen to floyd may's success tips. 1)a day at a time. school is already planned out for you. life..... Well... lets see the life decisions you make. i suggest you start a journal. you will need it. have seperate journals. one for your life n sanity. another for your gift to the world. im open to all questions. idk why, but already like you all, just for reading this. Im Sean. brand new to this. but a lot of tools i have for use. i am allowing you all free range of choice. each weapon i have is intangible. until made tangible

 

[ApparentHorizon]

i just thought the school system was feeding me lies "preparing me for the real world"

They are preparing you for the real world. One where you hone a skill and exchange your time for money. Just because it's not your ideal world, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The biggest lie is the one you told yourself where you thought you were ready for the real world.

BUT...

You have no choice now.

You have to succeed.

You're at rock bottom, or close to it. So the only direction you have left to go, is up.

Like Elon Musk, figure out what the minimum amount of money you need to live where you are and get that. Then use the rest of your time finding a problem to solve.

 

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[Sean SMR]

They are preparing you for the real world. One where you hone a skill and exchange your time for money. Just because it's not your ideal world, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The biggest lie is the one you told yourself where you thought you were ready for the real world.

BUT...

You have no choice now.

You have to succeed.

You're at rock bottom, or close to it. So the only direction you have left to go, is up.

Like Elon Musk, figure out what the minimum amount of money you need to live where you are and get that. Then use the rest of your time finding a problem to solve.

soak this up too. im 23. i did the exact same thing you did at 21. plot your future n create a big picture now. ps, you will b okay. Say this to yourself n breathe this 3x a day. remember, its your life.

 

[BellaPippin]

i'm really just freaking confused

my idealisms can't provide me shelter or food

There's your answer.


What were you thinking?? That you can drop by Walgreens and get a Green Card??


If it's possible go back, regroup and come up with a plan. Yes, professors can sound mediocre that's why your critical thinking skills filter out the good in what they're teaching and MEANWHILE you get something going on for you. ESPECIALLY in your situation. Escaping the system doesn't mean be reckless! Have a plan.

 

[arfadugus]

"Ready, Fire, Aim!"

 

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[Chazmania]

Ok students here's your Common Sense 101 final exam:




Option A: Go to school and listen to the instructors, even if they aren't fastlaners, and have shelter, food and then the worst thing is you end up with a college degree, with food in your belly and a roof over your head...

(or)

Option B: quit school immediately and be unemployable in a distant country, broke, cut off and F*cking homeless living under a bridge...





Please take as much time as you need to think through this problem carefully.

 

[Sean SMR]

Ok students here's your Common Sense 101 final exam:




Option A: Go to school and listen to the instructors, even if they aren't fastlaners, and have shelter, food and then the worst thing is you end up with a college degree, with food in your belly and a roof over your head...

(or)

Option B: quit school immediately and be unemployable in a distant country, broke, cut off and F*cking homeless living under a bridge...





Please take as much time as you need to think through this problem carefully.[/QUOTE


or tough it out, hustle 3-5 years on a plan and come out with YOUR PROJECTED INCOME w/ the same people that went to school that are or could b working for you. paradigm shift. and even if man... you will b okay. Breathe

 

[Chazmania]

Yeah you could absolutely hustle for 3-5 years and be employing your classmates - but you kinda should have some capacity to fill a need/solve a problem (..ya know - a viable business model...) before you go and make yourself homeless through some foolish act, and then come here looking for either a pat on the back for dropping out, or someone here to give you the *steps* of what to do.

But oh yeah.....just breathe (lol), you'll be ok.

 

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[Sean SMR]

Yeah you could absolutely hustle for 3-5 years and be employing your classmates - but you kinda should have some capacity to fill a need/solve a problem (..ya know - a viable business model...) before you go and make yourself homeless through some foolish act, and then come here looking for either a pat on the back for dropping out, or someone here to give you the *steps* of what to do.

But oh yeah.....just breathe (lol), you'll be ok.

I can see his point. He makes a viable point. Take his advice if you see it as something you would rather. The knowledge you could gain though. Well thats priceless, in my opinion. Plus I know you can make things work for you. use ALL RESOURCES. Make better relationships with ppl. Homelessness is chosen. Not something that just happens. If you dont have any drive then you will always b miserable. with drive, homeless is just a word to scare ppl from their success. Unless the people that mention homelessness were not your friends to bgin with. Friends n fam (true friends n fam) will believe in your vision. not the fear of being homeless. the guy above has grwat points. but dont let the logic of his reality, his perception scare you. Thats why you are here, right ?

 

[Mikkel]

you will b okay. Say this to yourself n breathe this 3x a day. remember, its your life.

I believe this can destroy you just as much as it has the potential to bring you up.

"I will be okay"

"I will make 10K/month in 1 year"

I will make it to the top"

NONE of that helps you get to the top. None of that gets your wealthy. None of that will make you successful.

Sure, peace of mind is great, but only when you set yourself up for success. Telling yourself you will get there, does not equate to anything.



My suggestion is either:

Suck up your pride and go back to school.

Find a way to extend your VISA, maybe by explaining that you'd like to get Citizenship.

OR

Go back home, where it is legal for you to work, and start grinding out there. You don't need to live in the United States, U.K, Germany or China to become successful.

There is a need for value in EVERY COUNTRY. Fill their need. Become wealthy, than begin to make calculated moves.


I wish you the best of luck @fanatis but being successful does not require you to drop school and be homeless. You can very well take what you learned from college to make it Fastlane. That is my game plan for college. Sure, I would love to be out there grinding, but I want to be realistic. I want to work in a specific field that has a barrier of entry that is quite high, Doctorates degree.

So going to school can very well be part of your grind.

 

[BellaPippin]

I can see his point. He makes a viable point. Take his advice if you see it as something you would rather. The knowledge you could gain though. Well thats priceless, in my opinion. Plus I know you can make things work for you. use ALL RESOURCES. Make better relationships with ppl. Homelessness is chosen. Not something that just happens. If you dont have any drive then you will always b miserable. with drive, homeless is just a word to scare ppl from their success. Unless the people that mention homelessness were not your friends to bgin with. Friends n fam (true friends n fam) will believe in your vision. not the fear of being homeless. the guy above has grwat points. but dont let the logic of his reality, his perception scare you. Thats why you are here, right ?

I see where you're going to. But hey, there is a difference in context when we talk about people "scaring" you into mediocrity and not following your dreams and an impulsive move that puts you in a hardship spot unnecessarily. He isn't a citizen/permanent resident: he can't work legally, he can't register a business, he can't file taxes, he doesn't have a SSN so forget about building credit...he doesn't even have a physical address now. Nobody is trying to be a party pooper here.

You can only get so far with an under the table gig and without a place to take a shower and sleep. Yes we have all heard about the Silvester Stallones of entrepreneurship where they're homeless and they hustle their way out of it but let's be sensible, why would you wanna put yourself through that when there is no need at all? Because you feel you're too good to listen to a lecture? He could start an online business on the comfort of his dorm room right now, enjoying a free meal probably already paid for by his parents, loans, scholarship (whatever, most likely not him), and eventually drop out, go back to his country, whatever he wants, with a fat wallet. He has between 1-4 years of a free ride to make it happen. Sucking up a lecture, homework and a test here and there is all he needs to do in exchange, it seems. It's not like he's sucking up a full-time retail job that sucks the life out of you because he has a family to support. He might be too young to put it in perspective but it makes me cringe a little, you know, wish I had it as hard, going to school full-time!

 

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[Soulrize]

Ok students here's your Common Sense 101 final exam:




Option A: Go to school and listen to the instructors, even if they aren't fastlaners, and have shelter, food and then the worst thing is you end up with a college degree, with food in your belly and a roof over your head...

(or)

Option B: quit school immediately and be unemployable in a distant country, broke, cut off and F*cking homeless living under a bridge...





Please take as much time as you need to think through this problem carefully.

I did exactly this option B. You will go back to school , you will do Option A and figure out life isn't fair.
You'll return a grown up because life isn't just your ideology , theres a reality that you are apart of wither you like it or not.
Spend some time in college figuring out what you want to do after besides working for someone, it buys you time before you enter the real world is how I looked at college. Read some books and never put yourself in a position where you will be homeless, ever.

 

[sWALK90]

I had this happen at 18 just because i didnt goto the military...but luckily i had other family to go to. untill i got myself into school and was fully on my own within a couple of months..

you didnt think it through on the other hand ..

you jumped out the plane with no idea how to build a parachute...better hop on craigslist and sell somthing you know how to do..untill your parents let you back in

 

[Niptuck MD]

soak this up too. im 23. i did the exact same thing you did at 21. plot your future n create a big picture now. ps, you will b okay. Say this to yourself n breathe this 3x a day. remember, its your life.

dont give up. its not the end of the world! try and develop something and spend lots of time at your public library if needbe. People used to sleep there i remember. What city are you in? also try and make "black money" doing services whetehr it be shoveling snow or working odd and ends jobs on craigslist that pay cash only. dont let anything be traceable until you get sponsorship or visa extension.

 

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[Niptuck MD]

I did exactly this option B. You will go back to school , you will do Option A and figure out life isn't fair.
You'll return a grown up because life isn't just your ideology , theres a reality that you are apart of wither you like it or not.
Spend some time in college figuring out what you want to do after besides working for someone, it buys you time before you enter the real world is how I looked at college. Read some books and never put yourself in a position where you will be homeless, ever.

i hated college and trust me i agree from your position but i was fortunate enough to be a US Citizen. i cant imagine the boldness of dropping out whilst being a student visa holder. figure out what you need to and start working for cash ASAP dont waste any time try and save up as many $$$ as you can. maybe you can find a group of imigrants from the country from whence you came from. maybe they can sponsor you etc

 

[E-Sharp]

Phone your parents and apologize for being thoughtless and careless with their resources. Ask them for a loan - because you don't deserve a handout from them - and use the money for plane fare back to your home country. Before you do that, make sure you come up with an actual plan you'll present to them as to what you'll do to repay them and support yourself. Be realistic about it, because delivering pizzas or working as a busboy shouldn't be off the table right now. PAY BACK the loan. Then use this as a learning experience to grow some humility.

You say your parents cut you off, but I can't imagine that they're untroubled about their 21 year old kid being on his/her own in a foreign country without money or a work visa. They are probably quite worried about you, but I can't blame them for cutting you off.

 

[mrarcher]

Assuming you are in the USA you cannot start and work in your own company on a student visa. If you are caught you will be barred from entry into the united states for at least 10 years. Either go back to college (find another course even) or youll have to go back. If you overstay your visa or breach the terms you will royally screw yourself for the future even if you do make up a successful business.

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

 

[Mr4213]

I'm not sure how writing a thread works so sorry if i mess up anything. I'm 21, i dropped out and so my parents cut me off. i'm an international student so i can't just get a job otherwise i'd get deported, i just thought the school system was feeding me lies "preparing me for the real world" when more than half the professors haven't been in the real world since their teaching career. i'm really just freaking confused since my idealisms can't provide me shelter or food. if there's anyone whose been through this, your advice will be greatly appreciated.

I've been homeless a few times.

Personally, I like being backed up against the wall. I think that's when strong people really shine. Succeed or starve has a way of...pushing people.

Seeing as the "go back to school" option has been hit on many times I will provide another viable option.

First I would look into the laws and see what options you have there.

This may seem counterproductive to the fastlane but it's an option.

Join the National Guard. Go infantry, assuming you don't get hurt or screw up you'll be home in about 15-20 weeks. Save all the money you make and use it to create a business when you return home. You'll also be made a citizen. You'll get benefits and you'll be able to proudly say you are an American because you earned it. I've always highly respected foreigners who became citizens through service.

- Benefits
- Food and shelter provided free of charge
- You'll be able to save about $7k- $10k because everything you need is provided
- Immediate citizenship. (Which you earned and looks really good)
- Depending on how you look at it. From a time perspective you'd spend 15-20 weeks of your time vs years of your time at college (which you've stated you don't like)

Obviously this option has a few drawbacks...deployments at this time are very unlikely and rare for the National Guard. But you can never rule them out and must be mentally prepared for the possibility. Presidential elections are also coming up, this may or may not have a significant influence on that.

You'd have to give up 2 days a month and 2 weeks every summer for a few years (depending on your contract)

You'd have to deal with all the other millitary drama and bs.

I've been in the National Guard over 2 years now. While I will admit this isn't always...pleasant. I have never regretted the decision to join and have always been proud.

I would take a good long hard look at how badly you do not want to be in college. Depending on your circumstances and personality, this may be a really good option for you.

Note: To my understanding you must have a green card to do this.

EDIT:

Here is my last piece of advice for you. I believe the greatest gift humans have is the gift of freewill and choice. We are the only species on earth that can say "I don't like this" and then change it. When you allow other people to influence or even worse, make decisions for you then that is one of the worst things you can do in my opinion. Going to your parents and crying makes you (bluntly speaking) a b****. Your parents are essentially trying to force you (a grown man) to do something you do not want to do by holding you hostage financially. Stop depending on them for money. If you are always depending on your mommy and daddy for money then they will always have the ability to make your decisions. Do things for yourself.

You have a choice. Would you rather be deported than go to college (free?) or would you rather go to college than be deported.

At the end of the day do what YOU want to do because you want to do it, not because you are a "victim" to outside forces.

 

[luniac]

 

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[Vigilante]

Over under on this being a drive by one and done post is such that nobody should bet against it.

Thread moved Fastlane--->Sidewalk

If I were you, I'd get yourself some cardboard and a marker:

 

[luniac]

Over under on this being a drive by one and done post is such that nobody should bet against it.

Thread moved Fastlane--->Sidewalk

If I were you, I'd get yourself some cardboard and a marker:

that's too savage...

 

[Vigilante]

that's too savage...

It's not, really. From his OP, he made a decision that made him homeless and broke.

It's a serious message to our young poster to pull his head out of his a$$.

There's almost zero advice we can lend to someone that chose that path other than GO BACK.

Stabilize and then move forward. Life can wait.

 

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[luniac]

It's not, really. From his OP, he made a decision that made him homeless and broke.

It's a serious message to our young poster to pull his head out of his a$$.

There's almost zero advice we can lend to someone that chose that path other than GO BACK.

Stabilize and then move forward. Life can wait.

oh i agree completely but...
dat pic doe... lol...
u didn't give @theag a chance...

 

[#nowhere]

It's not, really. From his OP, he made a decision that made him homeless and broke.

It's a serious message to our young poster to pull his head out of his a$$.

There's almost zero advice we can lend to someone that chose that path other than GO BACK.

Stabilize and then move forward. Life can wait.

What do you mean by "life can wait"? Do you mean "bigger plans" aka fastlane-plans?