Welp, I'm in trouble

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

Do you understand that he has no money whatsoever? Hopefully, Duke will find himself a job. That money can help him grind it out until he receives his first paycheck. ID, bus money, etc. Xbox is not a neccessity my friend.

And trying to ride out a hurricane with an umbrella is not wise either, my friend. The main thing is getting his life together and getting his mom on board. If that doesn't happen the Xbox (or money from it) is trivial.

He's still talking about watching DVD, so not quite sure it's life or death.

[Melbournelad]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

Do you understand that he has no money whatsoever? Hopefully, Duke will find himself a job. That money can help him grind it out until he receives his first paycheck. ID, bus money, etc. Xbox is not a neccessity my friend.

Anyways, I hope your mother is just scaring you with the whole military thing. But you honestly do need to get your life together. You sound like a very intelligent young man with a future. Please go get a job and make the most out of what God gave you. In case your mother does kick you out while you are looking for a job, I would explore other options such as a shelter you can stay at while trying to find one. I understand that at least in my town, you cannot work at McDonalds and afford an apartment. Hopefully your area is not the same way. Maybe if you get a job your mother will change, if not the dorms are your best choice. I wish you the best and will keep you in my prayers.

Do not want to derail this topic from Duke at all, but no, his genetics gave him what he is.

[HealyMonster]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

I would go to the recruiting center and give an honest look into the military. The Air Force might be a great option for you, to do 3 years, find yourself, have a solid roof over your head while also earning your degree. Id say the military is the best way for you to take control of your life and not rely on anyone but yourself.

[Redacted01]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

^^ That signature. No credit given to Evan for his great story-making skills?

[FlyingFinn]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

Lots of interesting perspectives/thoughts in here from different people.

Hope you're taking some the advice in here though man. You're still young so you got plenty of time to get your ish together(you're in School and you seem to be doing fine in that regard so that's a start).

2.5 GPA in this though job market wouldn't be considered fine in my book. I think some extra effort towards the school work is in order if he plans to pursue a degree.

To me, it sounds like Duke is not pursuing all his options. I paid my own way through school with grants (for low income and grades) and loans. I was able to get by. There were weeks where I would have to ask friends to sneak food from the dining hall so I could eat but hey, I made it. I lived on my own (on campus in a dorm at first) then with friends off campus and was always able to pay my rent with the money I received through grants and loans. I never worked during the school year so I could concentrate on my studies but worked 2 jobs every summer in order to save my spending money for the school year.

It sounds like his family is low income as well so Federal Grants and Loans should be available.

[buickbeast]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

I know the military path can be daunting. I was scared outta my wits when I was goin in. I didn't know anyone in the military and mostly the only things that reached my ears was w/e my recruiter was telling.

Duke, feel free to ask questions if you're thinking about going down that path. Us vets are goin' give you straight up answers.

[HealyMonster]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

^^ That signature. No credit given to Evan for his great story-making skills?

lol...guess i should give credit where its due

[DukeC]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

Okay, so you're definitely going to be homeless or what?

You're still talking about watching DVDs so...

No. Not talking about watching DVD's. I'm talking about burning DVD's.

And trying to ride out a hurricane with an umbrella is not wise either, my friend. The main thing is getting his life together and getting his mom on board. If that doesn't happen the Xbox (or money from it) is trivial.

He's still talking about watching DVD, so not quite sure it's life or death.

Burning DVD's for extra side cash to get by. I'd forgotten how to do some of it (particularly the editing needed), so I needed to give myself a refresher.

Now that's that done, off to the DMV to get that I.D hopefully before I meet the recruiter.

@Lucas

I don't think so. The lowest apartments I found around here were 525 a month.

[ABR173rd]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

I would go to the recruiting center and give an honest look into the military. The Air Force might be a great option for you, to do 3 years, find yourself, have a solid roof over your head while also earning your degree. Id say the military is the best way for you to take control of your life and not rely on anyone but yourself.

The Military's job is not to baby sit individuals nor give them a new lease on life. He is in no position to be an asset and in the event that a recruiter does enlist Duke does not mean that he will make it through the pipeline and life will be full of rainbows and unicorns. There is a good % of recruits that can't handle either the mental or physical stress of just basic training and end up getting forced out. The process is long and will leave you in a condition much worse than the one you are currently in.

Duke, I'm not trying to be harsh but the Military is good at harnessing/ redirecting motivation and directing it towards a common goal. My observation from reading through your posts is that you need to get motivated and get a job and you need to strive to do better in school (2.5 GPA?). There is no reason that a guy your age with no job and borderline homeless has a 2.5 GPA. Time management is key.

[DukeC]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

So I met with the recruiter today. The meeting went well. I took a practice Asvab. I scored a 90. He said it was the second highest he's seen snice he's been recruiting there and that I would have qualified for everything. He gave me the Nuclear Program brochure that only the individuals who score above a 75 on the practice asvab get (don't know if he was being serious about that or not).

He also gave me the requirements for my height and weight class which was 62 Situps, 51 Pushups and an 11 minute mile and a half.

I'm sure the talk could have gone further but my mother said she lost my birth certificate. I asked her when did she lose it. She said sometime in my senior year of highschool. This look got over his face like "Are you kidding me?". I was wearing the exact same look on my face. She hadn't even attempted to make a copy or even order a new one in...I didn't know it was lost until she said so. That's why she was so cagey....

So, not only can I not get an I.D (which I now realize why she made me purposefully late to the DMV...because I couldn't have gotten one anyway) but I also can't get any of the paperwork started.

On the bright side of things she has completely backed off the kicking me out thing.

On the downside of things I have no more Xbox or games (As I had to sell those to get the equipment I needed. I'll have some extra cash soon...I hope). I still have my profile on a flashdrive though, so I'm sure I can use one of the campus Xbox's to get my games in...I think.

[buickbeast]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

On the bright side of things she has completely backed off the kicking me out thing.

You are at a fork in the road right now man with that info. You can either lie to yourself and say "I'm OK, mom isn't goin make me homeless." and go back to just your everyday life. I hope you understand where that path has and will continue to take you.

Or, a few years from now, you can look back at this situation after getting your ### in gear and smile.
Get an ID, find a job and hit the books harder. You haven't been down that road, why not find out where that leads you?
Just remember, anywhere worth getting to in life isn't easy.

What branch of the military was the recruiter from, or was there a particular branch you were interested in?

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

WTF ????

Your mom lost your birth certificate over a year ago.........

You are 19 and never had an ID.......

Man, you need to break that cycle of irresponsibility off your blood line. Get a copy of your birth certificate, get an ID and eventually a driver's license. Get a job and continue going to school. Then move out as soon as possible. You need to be around some positive uplifting people. Stay focus and keep your eye on your goals.

You in the type of situation where you need to focus on yourself and start handling your affairs yourself. Family can bring you down and hold you back if they aren't on the same page as you. Keep your head up, today is a new chapter in your life. Break that cycle man.

[Matt10]

Re: Welp, I'm in trouble

Duke, seriously, man. I'm so sorry I didn't read this sooner. We've been playing CAP games without you! Now I know where you've been - missed ya, man.

You've got a lot of sound advice in this thread. I'm glad you did man up - really sucks though about the birth certificate, man. What can be done about that, guys?

Seriously, Duke - if you need help, let me know. PM me - anything, I don't care.

[slickdtc]

You're definitely a smart kid. GMSS said it right himself. You're officially an adult, and this may have been the rough patch you needed to start fresh, so to speak.

I know there's a military guy here in the nuclear field, I believe username jct32 or something like that. I would get in contact with him if that is something you would seriously consider.

This is a great support system here too. It's different then physical people as we're all just Avatars and usernames, but it's so diverse with people from all different walks of life with different experiences. Absolutely keep us updated, stay motivated, and best of luck in whatever you do.

[LucasWVU]

Happy to hear you did so well on that test. That just shows if you apply yourself, you are capable. As for the birth certificate situation, this is just another sign that you need to start relying on yourself rather than your mother. As for the xbox situation, that sounds pretty cool.

Now, go get your birth certificate as well as your ID, and get a job. Provide updates as we are all cheering you on in your adventures of life!