I'm worried and unsure about my future

[juliaguliaxo94]

I just turned 16 and I am currently unemployed. The last paying job I had was last summer at a restuarant type place. I sucked at it and I got fired on my second day there. It was horrible! I was so nervous and unconfident, and everything just went badly. I'm wary of looking for a new job because I fear more failure.

Money-wise, I only have about $1,100 in my bank account. I have no idea how I will buy a car or afford college. I pray that my parent have a secret college fund set up for me, otherwise I am screwed. I figure they will help me with my car, but that's the least of my worries right now.

I love art, and I think I'm pretty damn good at it . But art is hard to make a good paying career out of. Other than that, I don't know what I'm good at. I am extremely naive when it comes to how a person lives independently, and because of this, I fear leaving home in two years, also because of all this scary stuff you hear on the news everyday..

Any advice?

 

[Sicy]

You're so young. When I was 16 I dont think I even had anything close to $1000 lol. I worked at a pizza place for a while and then for a grocery store for 8 years. I'm sure you can find something pretty easily. Are your parents kicking you out when you turn 18 or something?

 

[sisterinthemoon]

Art can be applied to sooo many aspects of life. I don't know what type you enjoy doing but you could add your love of art to other jobs like retail. You can get a career in doing the window fronts of stores and doing the layout of the store. Being a buyer for galleries and stores. The possibilities are endless! Don't worry yet.

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

Well, I don't think they will. But I can't stay at home forever.
I like to think that my parents will be lenient with helping me pay for college. I actually asked my dad yesterday if he has a college fund set up for me somewhere. Without missing a beat, he said as-matter-of-factly, "No, we don't."

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

Art can be applied to sooo many aspects of life. I don't know what type you enjoy doing but you could add your love of art to other jobs like retail. You can get a career in doing the window fronts of stores and doing the layout of the store. Being a buyer for galleries and stores. The possibilities are endless! Don't worry yet.

True. There's architecture, graphic design. I could be flexible with my talent. Thank you for that.

 

[lauramullen]

You could always try and get a schlorship or financial aid too.

 

[ryancoke71]

My parents did not have the money to start a fund for me. However, it was incentive for me to work my butt off in school, and I got scholarships. Make sure you look into that! I was able to apply for some that not many people knew about, and I got almost my entire 4 years paid for. It is impressive that you are thinking ahead, many don't

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

You could always try and get a schlorship or financial aid too.

My parents did not have the money to start a fund for me. However, it was incentive for me to work my butt off in school, and I got scholarships. Make sure you look into that! I was able to apply for some that not many people knew about, and I got almost my entire 4 years paid for. It is impressive that you are thinking ahead, many don't

Starting next year, I'm in pre-advanced placement art class. Then, senior year it's advanced placement art. At the end of senior year, I'm supposed to hand in an exceptional portfolio to college directors. If they grade me at least a 3 out of 5, I get a scholarship.
Hopefully, if I put enough work into this, I can get a scholarship, putting a load off of my shoulders.
And yes, I have a tendency to worry about a lot of things. This is one of those things.

 

[Purplereign]

. . . try to balance your worries with some fun huh? No point getting to where you think you need to be and realising that you've forgotten to smile along the way . . . you sound like you have your head screwed on right so just remember to play a little too wishing you luck and happiness and sunshine to boot

 

[ryancoke71]

Starting next year, I'm in pre-advanced placement art class. Then, senior year it's advanced placement art. At the end of senior year, I'm supposed to hand in an exceptional portfolio to college directors. If they grade me at least a 3 out of 5, I get a scholarship.
Hopefully, if I put enough work into this, I can get a scholarship, putting a load off of my shoulders.
And yes, I have a tendency to worry about a lot of things. This is one of those things.

That's great! but Like purple said, make sure to have fun too! You know what they say about all work and no play...

 

[Vlad n U 2]

From another teenagers point of view, it seems as if you're panicking and worrying a bit too much. I don't think I even have my "own" money yet, only $150AU or thereabouts. Live your life a day at a time.

I say try and take your mind off it by being awesome in art at school.

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

I'll be sure to have lots of fun whenever I can. I know how to make myself happy, even if I may have a worrying problem. But personally, I think my play to work ratio has been out of proportion, with my play being more than my work. I'll be sure to work more, probably starting my junior year, but I'll find a good balance between having fun and working eventually.

 

[ryancoke71]

Good thing about Interference...you can get many different points of view!

 

[bono_man2002]

Hey I'm 22 and I still don't know what I'm doing. Granted I've just bought a car and a few things, Have been working the same job for the last 3 years, and yeah...I still don't know what I wanna do for the rest of my life.

I've a steady relationship for the last 3 years as well and I don't know what's gonna happen in the long run.

I'd just stick to enjoying yourself for the next couple of years before having to make big decisions.

 

[Liesje]

I paid (well, am still paying) for my college myself, it is really not that complicated or uncommon, though it seems more and more common for parents to foot the bill. My college was about $25K per year, there's no way I could earn that at 16 given child labor laws, lol. My mom paid for her college without loans by working during school but now with college prices increasing by like three times as much and the minimum wage being the same (it increased *after* I graduated) it's just not possible to do anymore, even as a student like I was working 3 jobs and full time all summer. My work money paid for my rent, utilities, books, supplies, etc during college but the tuition was paid for via student loans and scholarships. When you apply for college make SURE you fill out your FAFSA (assuming you live in the USA?) and also contact the financial aid offices where you are applying to make sure you apply for all the aid possible. Whatever is not covered by what is awarded based on your FAFSA and what the school has to offer, you can get private student loans with very low interest rates. For example I have several loans through Citibank and every 6 months I pay on time, I get .25% lower interest rate. You are given a grace period after graduation before you have to start paying them back, and there are different choices for repayment plans.

 

[bigjohn2441]

invest in gold and silver

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

Hey I'm 22 and I still don't know what I'm doing. Granted I've just bought a car and a few things, Have been working the same job for the last 3 years, and yeah...I still don't know what I wanna do for the rest of my life.

I've a steady relationship for the last 3 years as well and I don't know what's gonna happen in the long run.

I'd just stick to enjoying yourself for the next couple of years before having to make big decisions.

I paid (well, am still paying) for my college myself, it is really not that complicated or uncommon, though it seems more and more common for parents to foot the bill. My college was about $25K per year, there's no way I could earn that at 16 given child labor laws, lol. My mom paid for her college without loans by working during school but now with college prices increasing by like three times as much and the minimum wage being the same (it increased *after* I graduated) it's just not possible to do anymore, even as a student like I was working 3 jobs and full time all summer. My work money paid for my rent, utilities, books, supplies, etc during college but the tuition was paid for via student loans and scholarships. When you apply for college make SURE you fill out your FAFSA (assuming you live in the USA?) and also contact the financial aid offices where you are applying to make sure you apply for all the aid possible. Whatever is not covered by what is awarded based on your FAFSA and what the school has to offer, you can get private student loans with very low interest rates. For example I have several loans through Citibank and every 6 months I pay on time, I get .25% lower interest rate. You are given a grace period after graduation before you have to start paying them back, and there are different choices for repayment plans.

Thanks to all for your advice and stories!

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

invest in gold and silver

Gonna have to pass on that one.

 

[bigjohn2441]

Gonna have to pass on that one.

no joke. 10 years ago silver was $5/oz and is now around $18/oz and gold was $300/oz and is now $1200/oz. there is a reason for that.

you gotta think beyond the "go to college and get a good job" stuff they pound into your head in school. its more like "go to college and get stuck with loans that you will have to pay for the next 30 years, oh yeah, and you'll be LUCKY to get a decent job." i was one of the lucky ones, but a lot of people my age (25) are hurtin' big time.

 

[AlexHamilton]

It's often the case that the smartest adolescents/teenagers are the most prone to anxiety because they have the abiltity of foresight. It's good to plan ahead, but don't forget to enjoy the moment.

If you live in the states, you won't have to pay for your college up front. And there's a good chance you won't be interested in the same things when you're 18, and especially when you're 22, so don't stress over a career that you might not even want when you're out on your own.

Of course, this is all easier said than done.

 

[Liesje]

^ True that. I changed my program 5 times, still finished in 4 years working multiple jobs.

 

[Bonochick]

I had no money saved up for college, and my parents didn't have a college fund for me. Of course, they did help me out financially a bit along the way, but I was footing the main bill. I had some scholarships, but I had to turn to student loans for the rest. I went off to a university and began to become very unsure of what I wanted to do and was therefore nervous about getting so deep into debt for something I was no longer 100% positive about. After one semester, I changed my major and transferred to a community college. I was able to live at home, and I also had a job on campus that was related to my major and was able to work perfectly around my class schedule. I loved it! I also graduated with a very small amount of student loan debt....and zero credit card debt...but I fully admit that is because I was able to still live at home (I wasn't charged rent, I didn't have to buy groceries, etc.).

It was rough getting a job after graduation. I actually ended up getting hired at a store that was the same company I worked for while in high school. Here I was, a college graduate, and my job was no better than it was in high school! But it was a stepping stone. It gave me a little money while I kept looking. Thankfully, my parents were still fine with having me live at home and not really pitch in for things, since I only worked part-time and didn't earn much. The reason they were fine with that though was that I was making a genuine effort to keep trying to find a better job. Checking job listings was part of my daily routine, and I was sending out resumes regularly.

Fast forward several years, and I am now at a job I absolutely love...and I'm not having to rely on my parents anymore!

As for you feeling nervous and unconfident when you start a new job...I think we've all been there. Starting a new job is awful. I remember the first day of my current job. I sat in the kitchen during my lunch hour, clutching my peanut butter sandwich, tears in my eyes, convinced I was never, ever going to be able to learn everything. Now? That stuff is nothing! Not to mention my position has expanded a lot since I've been there. I do tons more stuff than I learned in the beginning, and it's fine. It just takes some time. Any good employer understands that you aren't going to know everything the first day. Cut yourself some slack!

Art really is something that can be hard to make a living from. I know lots of creative folks who are amazing at what they do, but they just can't have that be their primary source of income. If you are interested in art though, that creativity can be applied to so many jobs. Do you have any counselors at school you can talk to? I bet they could give you some good ideas.

Also, don't forget...you're only 16! I think it shows a lot of maturity to already have such serious concerns, and it is good to be considering this stuff. But just remember to have a little fun being 16 while you can.

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm currently looking into a tutoring job. I'm an English honors student and I think I can pull it off. My friend is a math tutor and she gets $30 an hour. I think it would be a good start for me, moneywise. Also, for many years, I've wanted to be an English teacher. My passion for this has waned a little in the recent years, but maybe this gig will bring it back in me, and prepare me for teaching, if that's what I end up doing.

 

[Bonoa]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm currently looking into a tutoring job. I'm an English honors student and I think I can pull it off. My friend is a math tutor and she gets $30 an hour. I think it would be a good start for me, moneywise. Also, for many years, I've wanted to be an English teacher. My passion for this has waned a little in the recent years, but maybe this gig will bring it back in me, and prepare me for teaching, if that's what I end up doing.

That's great to hear that! You can always combine teaching English with your love for arts. Why not saving up some money, go back to college, study arts and come back as an arts and English teacher?

You'll be fine, you're still young and, from reading your posts, I can tell you're very mature as well!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Enjoy being 16 and don't spend so much time worrying

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

And yes, I'll be sure to have lots of fun.

 

[Got Philk?]

I tell you what...I was 25 when I figured out what I wanted to do when I grow up...and went back to school to get a teaching degree.

People talk about going to college...and I agree! The thing is, if you can't pay to go full time, you certainly can take courses and work at the same time. And if you do decide that teaching might be for you, tutoring is a great way to earn money and learn some skills! It may also let you know that teaching isn't for you, which is ok too!

My simple advice is to not worry about this too much. But, dang...I could have used some of your drive when I was your age.

You have plenty of time to figure this all out... When I was 16, all I wanted to do was get a 2.5 GPA so I could play basketball!

It sounds like you've got a good thing going on in school! Keep doing what you're doing! I hope my grammar was ok...being that I'm writing to an english expert.

 

[Chianti]

no joke. 10 years ago silver was $5/oz and is now around $18/oz and gold was $300/oz and is now $1200/oz. there is a reason for that.

The fact that the prices have appreciated that much is a better argument for not buying gold/silver rather than buying.

Also, you know that gold moved from $300/oz to $1200 in 10 years, but did you know it was at $850/oz in 1980, and obviously it fell to $252 by 1999?

 

[hiphop]

Like others said, art is great but few people can make a secure living. Don´t worry about it, you´re just 16. Life has so much to offer.

 

[dstalksalot]

If you enjoy art, you could also think about volunteering at a local art gallery or theatre in your spare time. I work at my local theatre playhouse and we have hired a few of our volunteers once they turn 18.

Good luck to you and don't forget to dream out loud......